The annual Coeur d’Alene Art Auction is a measure of the vigor of the market for Western art, and this year its organizers are bullish. With a “steady upswing since the low point in 2009,” says co-owner Mike Overby, “this should be our biggest by far.” Last year’s $18 million sale saw new players and the return of longtime high-end collectors, and on July 28 at the Peppermill resort, Overby is shooting for $20 million on 310 lots.

Bankable names include Charles M. Russell (above) and Frederic Remington, the latter represented by the lowest-numbered cast of his iconic “Bronco Buster,” 1895 (below), in private hands (est. $600–900,000). But at $4 million to $6 million, the top-estimated lot is one with crossover appeal: Norman Rockwell’s “A Scout Is Loyal,” 1940 (at top).