It's amazing what you see when you aren't looking.

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:44 pm

I went over to a guy's house whom wanted me to look at a blackpowder shotgun that was having problems. When I went into his basement, I couldn't believe it. He had made a coffee table out of an old wagon wheel with a glass top. In between each spoke, there was an original pistol. They were mostly Colt SAA with all barrel lengths. He had original ivory on two of them and he had a Colt Dragoon with factory ivory. There was also a Richards (I think) conversion with ivory. A 1911 made in 1913 was in there as well. There was also a Vaquero with MOPs.

He also had some real nice levers. An original Henry with engraving and deluxe stock, 1866 deluxe with beautiful color case, 1892 44/40 octagon bbl, Spencer, several nice trapdoors, 2 30-40 Krag rifles in 90% shape only 7 digits apart and many other real nice guns.

He was a really nice older feller and I told him if I found something that he might be interested in that I would give him a call. Some other really nice stuff that he had was the original sign that hung over the Dodge House in Dodge City, KS. That was the building that Doc Holiday had his office in. He also had a picture of the sign hanging on the building in that area. There was also another original picture from a small town about 100 miles south of us that had Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and darned if I can't remember the other western icon. It was really neat to be in his house with all that history. He also had a Brownells book that was given to his dad by Leonard Brownell. I couldn't help to think of the places and people that these pieces of history had been in contact with.

This weekend was also the local gun show. I met a local artist that does Bronze sculptures and is very popular. He said that he has a couple of letters from Elmer Keith when they corresponded many years ago. He also spoke with Elmer about making a bronze bust of him. Unfortunately, someone else took his idea and made a bust of Elmer before he could.

Truly fascinating what you find when you aren't looking.

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:50 pm

Cool!

That would have made for some awesome photos!!!

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:52 pm

GEOFF · Post by **GEOFF** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:57 pm

Jengel,

Now that is about as cool as it gets!! When did this old boy start in to collecting all of those wonderful items???

It would sure be interesting to hear some of the stories about how he found like the sign for instance. If you hear any more details, fill us in!

Geoff

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:09 pm

GEOFF wrote:Jengel,

Now that is about as cool as it gets!! When did this old boy start in to collecting all of those wonderful items??? I don't know.

It would sure be interesting to hear some of the stories about how he found like the sign for instance. If you hear any more details, fill us in!

Geoff

I will. He is looking for an old SW Schoefield in 45 S$W and he really likes to collect old blackpowder double shotguns. I have a feeling I will be talking with him in the future. I am sorry that I couldn't take pics. I did not have my camera with me and I really don't feel right about walking into his house and taking pics of his guns.

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:20 pm

By the way, his other coffee table was wood with glass top with an old rusted with no stock 1892 rifle in it. This rifle was found buried in the dirt along the Santa Fe Trail. You could sure tell that it was a 92 with octagon bbl.

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:26 pm

Is he computer savy?
get him to join and tell us stories!

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:35 pm

I don't think he is computer savy. I will ask him next time and see.

Comal Forge · Post by **Comal Forge** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:07 am

Back in the 40's and 50's, old guns were often just that - OLD GUNS! Subsequently, they were considered next to useless and used for lots of purposes other than the original intent. My uncle once traded a Win 1894 rifle with custom 28" bbl in 32-40 for a Marlin .22 because he needed a small bore and couldn't get ammo for the old gun.

They often did not hold much value to many people. My dad rescued an original 1860 Army carried by my G-G-Grandfather during the CW but was being used by the kids in the family to crack pecans. The other one was lost when they hauled it to the creek to play "cowboys and indians". I still have the one old hogleg, plus mold and cap box.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:05 am

Jengel,
Was the other icon Bat Masterson?

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:23 am

Rusty wrote:Jengel,
Was the other icon Bat Masterson?

Yup, sure was. I can't believe I could not remember his name. Thanks.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:53 am

I started collecting "Old West" items soon after I was married in 1966. My dad worked for Swift & Co. for my growing years in Fort Worth, Texas. I use to watch the cattle buyers and ranchers trade knives and spurs at the stockyards as a kid. So I started trading pocket knives in the neighborhood with the other kids. After I got out of college and got married I had more time to hunt again. I picked up an old engraved L.C. Smith double ejector and that started me on collecting old firearms and old west items around 1968. Most of the guys at gun shows just wanted Colts and Winchesters. Add-ons like spurs, chaps, and gun leather were cheap. I use to go into Red Jackson's gun shop across from SMU and pick up old gun leather for almost nothing. He would throw holsters and cartridge belts he got with Colt SAAs into a box and let me go through them. I would pick out the best and he would give me a price for all of it. It did not come to much so I would buy them all. Spurs, gun leather, badges, chaps, hats, paper, photos etc. that I paid 25 to 30 dollars for back then now bring 100 times that. I picked up a few old Colt SAAs and Winchesters too along the way. All this was done on a teacher/coach salary. It took lots of trading and dickering to get it done. I even got to write a couple of chapters in a book that was published in 1978 called "OLD WEST ANTIQUES and COLLECTABLES". It now sells for a couple hundred dollars itself. I have some John Wesley Hardin, Wyatt Earp, Texas Rangers items that I got in the early years. Where do you get these things now? It's hard or next to impossible unless you have tons of money. I'm just thankful for the good old days. I will post a story or two once in a while about those trading and buying days if you like. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:17 am

Very cool and interesting. I believe it was Dave Scovill who did the same thing when he was a youngster. He walked in this old timers house and it was full of Winchesters, Colts, Remingtons, etc. It started his path on to leverguns.

Rangerider, You had great vision. While everyone else was going for the obvious, you saw a different light. I did the same as a young man. I could not afford and did not have the knowledge to buy the old guns, so I started buying up all the old ammo I could find. Today, I probably have 3-400 boxes of nice stuff from the 1880's to the early sixties, with most of it being in the 1910-1940 years.----------Sixgun ** just a portion of my junk**

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:36 am

Sixgun, I have a few old ammo boxes to display with my old guns, but I got into them too late. They bring very good prices now. Way to go!

Post by **Hobie** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:58 am

I, for one, would like to hear/read your stories.

I've always had an interest in "old stuff" but come by it honestly as my parents were interested in such things. Sadly, I sort of puttered getting what I could when I could and completely without direction. It turned out that I had what I didn't want but sold a lot of it (much of it on eBay) and am putting it to good use getting/accumulating what really interests me.

In all that time I've seen quite a few neat things, so many in fact and some so long ago I've only got a vague idea of exactly where and when (and sometimes what as well

). I've met authors of books on historical things and let the opportunity to bug them to death with questions pass by because "children should be seen and not heard".

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:36 pm

I would like to hear some stories too. Please.

bj94 · Post by **bj94** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:53 pm

I went with a friend to someone else's house, and the guy mentioned that he collected SAA's and also musclecars. He said the SAA's got valuable so he had started keeping them in the bank in a safe deposit box. But he had some old leather hanging on the wall- holsters and cartridge belts. He also had a coffee table made from a wagon wheel with glass on top. Under the glass were all kinds of things like playing cards, poker chips, old coins, and I also spotted an original Remington rimfire derringer.

rangerider7 · Post by **rangerider7** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:30 pm

That wagon wheel coffee table was popular in the 70s. I know of a couple of collectors that put some neat items in between the spokes. George Jackson was one. The old collectors are slowly fading away. The new collectors must be rich or they will be unable to acquire the quantity of the old ones. It is ashamed guys like Jack Sprouse, A.W. Hunter, and others that appreciated old west items are going to be gone soon without anyone to recognise there importance in starting the preservation of this history and these historical items.

It's amazing what you see when you aren't looking.

It's amazing what you see when you aren't looking.

I saw something similar 15 years ago