Cowboy Antiques - Old West Collectibles ...

... call it what you may, we are talking about items from the Old West period (1865-1899). I am frequently asked by people who I've never met, " what is it worth? ". First I must say I am humbled that you would ask me. Secondly, the answer is not as simply as the old cliche, " whatever the market will bear". In this Internet World the answer gets very complicated.

Let's say you have a mint condition Faro layout and Casekeeper. If you tried to sell it at a garage sale your wife was having with the neighbor you could expect to get somewhere in the range of $50.00, maybe a little more if the guy who stopped by thought it would look neat in his basement bar. No, this would not be the correct venue to try and sell the items.

Maybe you can just let your buddies know you have decided to sell it and they can help get the word out.

Well how about craigslist then? Go ahead and put an ad together with a nice description and an ok photo. In most cases the local buyers will look through the listings and no one looking that moment is interested in what you are selling so within hours your listing is buried. You can ring up a "No Sell" and figure it was worth a try.

There is always the local newspaper ads section. If you haven't placed an ad lately maybe you should take someone with you when you go to place the ad. Can you say, " Sticker Shock"?. Also you might want to consider who will be showing up at your home while you are at work. Not the best situation to put your wife in now-a-days.

Wait, wait, wait, I know let's sell it on eBay! I did eBay for years as both a seller and as a buyer. Guess what, you go ahead and put your high-end Faro layout and Casekeeper on eBay just figure on getting about 50 to 60% of what it is worth. And that's before you settle with eBay.

I know, lets sell it at the local Auction House, I hear he is doing a great business. Oh wait, you were hoping to get top dollar and since it's the same old buyers that are all buddies with the Auctioneer you are now wondering who's really going to get the better end of this deal and what about the listing fees and selling fees?

Well what's left ? How about listing your item with an Internet business that specializes in what you are trying to sell? A business with an established clientele that is actually looking for what you are selling and a business that can reach the four corners of the World. With such an arrangement you can actually begin to expect top dollar for your item(s).

OldWestAntiques.Biz is such a business. We have no listing fees. You retain control of your item(s). You only need to provide a description and a photo, we do the rest. We even utilize a marketing firm, vBuzz.org, for items listed at $1,000.00 or more. In addition to all this we monitor sites offering similar items to help stay current on market values. Our goal is to help you get the most for whatever you are selling. When that happens we both win.

p.s. for more information click this link Old West Antiques We would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: Consignments

Pocket Pistols

Old West gamblers found it necessary to go well "heeled" while working. That could be as simple as a knife in a boot or around the neck to a set of knuckles, a small hideaway gun hung off a pocket watch chain or a large frame revolver with the barrel cut down to an inch or less. In some cases a "Sharp" ( gambler who made a living by cheating to win) may feel a need to have all of the above.

Most, if not, all the gun manufacturers produced a line of pocket pistols. These tiny, usually small caliber, pistols were less then deadly at a distance greater than across a poker table. Even at that distance you were more likely then not to make your intended victim mad rather than disable him. So it took a very well placed shot or shots for the gambler to live another day.

One manufacturer even produced a revolver, knife and knuckles combination weapon simply called a "Knuckleduster Pistol". The knife blade and the knuckles grip both folded to make a very nice compact package of death.

These" hideaways" came in various calibers from .22, .30, .32, .38, .41, .44, and .45 . They ranged from a single shot to a 10 shots Palm Pistol.

Gamblers would hide there tiny weapons in a boot, a vest pocket, a shoulder holster, or even up a sleeve. Luke Short, famous gambler and gunfighter, took a large caliber revolver to a gunsmith and had the barrel cut off. He then took the modified gun to a tailor and had him customize a hip pocket with a leather holster. Short used this arrangement very effectively on two particular occasions. First in 1881 when known gunhand Charlie Storms forced Short into a shootout outside the Oriental Saloon in Tombstone and then again in 1887 when Tim (Long-haired Jim) Courtright drew down on Short outside the White Elephant Saloon in Fort Worth, Texas. In both cases Short was faster on the draw and killed his assailants.

If you find yourself in the market for a pocket pistol for that next high-stakes poker game or just to add to your existing collection, stop by Old West Antiques and check out the nice selection currently on hand.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: Pocket Pistol

Wyatt Earp

This bit of history is brought to you by Old West Antiques, "Where the Old West Comes Back to Life".

Many of you will remember in the movie Tombstone when Wyatt alluded to killing a cowboy in Dodge City while trying to control a group of drunken cowboys.

Well it was on this day, July 26th in 1878, while attempting to preserve the peace in Dodge City that Assistant Marshal Wyatt Earp traded shots with a band of drunken cowboys, fatally wounding one of them.

It was the only time Wyatt was forced to kill a man until he arrived in Tombstone and took a stand against the outlaw bunch known as the "Cowboys".

Can you imagine what is was like to live in Dodge City, a place described as, " The Bibulous Babylon of the Plain", " Queen of the Cow Towns" and " A Wicked Little Town". A place that at any given time you could run into the likes of; Clay Allison, Charlie Bassett, Jesse Chisholm, Buffalo Bill Cody, Shotgun Collins, Big Nose Kate, Eddie Foy, Charles Goodnight, Dora Hand, Doc Holliday, Rowdy Joe Lowe and wife Rowdy Kate Lowe, Bat Masterson, Mysterious Dave Mather, Luke Short, Squirrel Tooth Alice, Ben Thompson, Bill Tilghman (the best of the best lawman in the old west), and a host of others that I know I've missed.

A place where in 1879 a visitor reported 700 residents, 14 saloons,2 dance halls and 47 prostitutes. It was also reported that gambling ranged from 5 cent chuck-a-luck to $1,000.00 poker pot. Almost every top rated gambler made it a point to visit Dodge City. Dodge City's wide-open reputation was all the draw needed to get your average man to want to stop by and do a little drinking, try his luck at the tables and chase a few girls.

That sure would have been something to see.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: Wyatt Earp

Wizard Card Holdout

For years many of us collectors of antique gambling equipment have asked each other, " Have you found anything that proves sleeve card holdouts were used by gamblers to hold a card up their sleeve ?"

Until now the answer was always, "No, not yet". We all knew in our collective hearts that the little wizard clips were used by gamblers but we just couldn't prove it. The doubters would say, " those clips were used to hold sleeves up not to hold a card up the sleeve" and all we could do was smile. We knew one day we would find proof positive that those clips were used for more than holding sleeves up.

Well, today is that day. In the book titled, " Monte Carlo, secret service sealed book, " Don't Be A Sucker" Cheating Exposed, 100 ways to win 100 ways to cheat", copyright 1925, page 43 there is an illustration at the bottom of the page clearly showing a sleeve holdout along with a description which reads, " Sleeve Holdout - attached to the underside of the sleeve. Simple and effective method of holdout."

Now "Wizard " was just one of many different names for holdouts but no matter what they were called they all served the same purpose, or two.

For a piece of gambling history stop by Old West Antiques and look over the selection of holdouts now in stock.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: wizard card holdout

Antique Poker Chips & Dice, materials used to...

Recently a customer asked if Celluloid and Bakelite were the same. That got me to thinking about the materials in general used to make poker chips and dice back in the day.

To answer my customers question, "No" they are not the same. I'll explain the difference below as I cover all the materials used in the manufacturer of chips and dice.

Let me begin with the 1870's since this blog is all about the "Old West" and that period is generally agreed to run from 1865 to 1899. In the 1870's Ivory was all the rage and poker chips and dice were made of this material. Ivory poker chips can readily be found today and I would suggest that if you are in the market for an Ivory Chip or two pay the extra cost for one that has no defects i.e. no cracks or nicks.

With Dice I will throw up a big red flag and suggest - buyer beware! I say that because in the twenty plus years I have been collecting I have yet to handle a pair of Elephant Ivory Dice. I have bought dice guaranteed to be Ivory only to be disappointed time and time again.

I recommend that if you are in the market for some Ivory Dice then make the seller prove it is Ivory. Things you should know about Ivory: there is Elephant Ivory, Mammoth Ivory, Hippo Ivory and Walrus Ivory.

Elephant and Mammoth Ivory has the tall-tale cross-hatch "X" pattern. Hippo Ivory has a pattern similar to growth rings of a tree and Walrus Ivory has a "crushed ice" look that sets Walrus apart from all other Ivories. Synthetic Ivory does not have this cross-hatch pattern. I am not an expert on Ivory but I did research it after being "eBayed" back in June/07. The eBay seller sold me a pair of 1880's Ivory Dice. God, was I a fool. They turned out to be Vegetable Ivory, which is nothing more then a "nut" that comes from a tree found in the South American Rain Forest. So, Buyer Beware.

The cost of Ivory and the cost to manufacturer Ivory Poker Chips made them expensive for that time. So much so that by the 1880's "Composition Chips" became the norm. A "Composition Chip" is a chip made of man-made materials. Celluloid, actually Cellulose Nitrate, an early synthetic polymer is one such man-made material. Celluloid was made from gun cotton and camphor and when in a pure state resembles ivory in texture and color. Celluloid is also know as; Parkesine, Pyroxiline, Xyloidin, Xyloidine, Xylonite and Zylonite.

By the 1890's many of those small burgs, the mining camps and cattle towns had either turned into ghost towns or grown into cities. Once they became a city they were able to stand on their own and no longer needed gamblers and gambling joints to support them. The reformers had always been around in one form or another but the town fathers spent their time pandering to the reformers, never really taking their concerns seriously because the gamblers were a necessity. But once the cities no longer needed gambling the reformers were now in vogue. Laws were passed and gambling was outlawed in city after city. Now the gamblers weren't about to just give up so they moved behind closed doors. The "ringing" in of composite chips made it easy for officials to discover these illegal games and raid them. The gamblers needed a quieter chip and manufacturers quickly responded. Chips made of rubber, wood and paper were soon available. Gambling thrived behind closed doors and all was well with the world. Well, at least for awhile.

You can find wood and paper chips today in most any Antique Shop. They have little value, in fact, the box may be worth more than the chips but it's nice to have a box or two because they help complete a collection. Especially when you understand there purpose and place in history.

This brings us to the turn of the century and Bakelite. First introduce in 1909, Bakelite is a synthetic resin formed by the reaction under heat and pressure of phenol and formaldehyde and a wood flour filler.

So the difference between Celluloid and Bakelite is Celluloid is a synthetic polymer and Bakelite is a synthetic resin.

Stop by Old West Antiques and look over the selection of poker chips and dice available and remember items are added on a regular basis so stop back often.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: poker chips and dice

Playing Cards from the 1880's

I have already covered the history of Playing Cards in my March 2007 post so today I would like to detail what a deck of cards from 1882 would look and feel like.

Why 1882 ? Well, because by focusing in on that particular year you will learn about the cards Luke Short, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday(just to mention a few very famous gamblers from that time period) would have held in their hands and dealt out daily when gambling. Besides, I happen to be lucky enough to own a very nice deck of cards that were manufactured that year.

By 1882 American ingenuity had already taken a pasteboard card (the type used in Faro) and evolved it to the point that cards were now double-headed so a player wouldn't have to turn a card around, added indices (numbers) in the corners again for the convenience of the player, rounded the corners making the cards easier to hold and deal and by adding a finish to the card so it lasted longer and also made it easier to shuffle and deal.

Additionally, around 1870 a Joker card was added to each deck and was inscribed, " Best Bower". By the 1880's the Joker had come to depict a Jocular Imp, Jester or Clown.

A very high quality deck of cards would not only be made out of the highest quality material but also be trimmed in gold leaf.

Let me also mention that by the 1880's there where a laundry list of well recognized card manufactures producing what were known as " Advantaged Cards", cards used to cheat with. These cards were"trimmed" or "marked" so a skilled player/dealer could read each and every card he dealt.

If you have ever handled a deck of Faro cards you know they are very hard to shuffle and deal because of the material they were made of and because they lacked a finished surface. Another problem with Pasteboards was they tended to easily bend and they collected moisture and would swell up. Because of this, Pasteboards would need to be placed in a Card Press when not in use. The more "modern cards" were manufactured with a varnished surface thus eliminating this problem.

The cards pictured above are identified in Hochman's Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards on page 109. They were manufactured by The National Card Co., Indianapolis, Indiana in 1882. Note the Sunflower Watermelon card with the Black Boy Faces. This is the Joker card for this deck. They weren't at all concerned back then about political correctness, were they?

Stop by Old West Antiques and look over the selection of playing cards available and remember items are added on a regular basis so stop back often.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: playing cards

Important Dates in Old West History

While visiting Old West Antiques take a few minutes to look over the perpetual web calendar I've created covering many of the most important dates in Old West History. This project has been a labor of love and I continue to add to the calendar as I come across events with specific dates attached to them.

Today in Old West History on July 21, 1873 the Jesse James gang rob their first train near Adair, Iowa.

In addition to the calendar I am also working on adding video clips to my frontiergambler.com site. So, if you run across any clips on the web showing Old West gambling or scenes set inside an Old West Saloon drop me a line so I can check them out.

p.s. keep in mind that Old West Antiques would love to talk to you about listing your items.

p.s.s. we can also provide a seasoned group of old west reenactors for your upcoming events

tag: perpetual web calendar

1873 Winchester

Wow, you will want to check this one out. Old West Antiques just took in a Model 1873 Winchester Rifle. The serial number indicates it was made in 1894. It has 90% plus original blue on the receiver, 85% to 90% blue on the barrel and tube. Good percentage of varnish remaining, case colors on the hammer and lever. 24" octagon barrel, full magazine, crescent butt plate, excellent bore, crisp action, correct and original in every way. This rifle is collector or investment grade. 1873 Winchesters in this condition are hard to find. The only flaw I could find is a small chip in the wood of the forearm. Additional photos are available.

Mason and Company Roulette Table

Now this is one neat Roulette table. Made by Mason and Co. Newark, New Jersey, this table is a table top portable version just like the Professional Gamblers in the Old West used as they moved from Cow Town to Cow Town and from Mining Camp to Mining Camp. Included is a removable side leaf used to hold chips. Condition is used with small moth holes and some seam tears. Overall, this is one very nice table for its age. The layout is hand painted and looks great. Because it is of the portable version and does not require the space of a floor model table this type table is highly sought after. Wheel in photo is not included. Stop by Old West Antiques for a closer look.

Winchester Calendars & Posters

Looking for that perfect gift for the guy who collects Winchesters or are you the guy looking for that one item that will make your display the hit of the next big Winchester show. Well, I've got what you are looking for. I'm talking high-end, best-of-the-best. Stop by Old West Antiques and check out the collection.

   

The "Real" Old West

Growing up in the early 60's I developed a love for the Old West from watching T.V. shows like the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers. As an adult I fancied myself as the " Good Guy" on a white horse wearing a white hat so when I went looking for a career, Law Enforcement, seemed a natural fit.

Getting to see first hand from my law dog position what life was all about from both the "good guy" and the "bad guy" side of things gave me a real appreciation for what the Lawman and the Outlaws of the Old West were all about. Twenty years in Law Enforcement also taught me to question everything and never except anything at face value. I took this approach when I began to really study the Old West and boy did I have my eyes opened up.

For example, many of you have watched the movie "Tombstone" starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer which was released in 1993. Well, in the movie just moments before the big shootout the action switches from the showdown to inside Fly's Photo Studio and a young gal dressed in a very revealing outfit. That young gal was Josie Marcus, the future wife of Wyatt Earp or so we were lead to believe. Yes, Wyatt and Josie lived as husband and wife but she never posed for such a photo. That means you can forget about making millions on the copy you have of the "real" photo that has circulated for years purported to be Josie. The truth is that a much disgraced writer by the name of Glen Boyer made the whole story up. You can google Boyer's name to read the details I not going to waste space here.

Here's another example. Most everyone has heard of the "Dead Man's Hand" of Aces and Eights. We have all been lead to believe that Wild Bill Hickok was holding a pair of Ace's and Eight's when Jack McCall murdered him in the Number 10 saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. The truth is that Bill was playing poker on that fateful afternoon with men he knew. Captain William Massie, a former Missouri riverboat pilot was seated at the table along with co-owner of the Number 10 Carl Mann and Charlie Rich, a 20 year old gambler and house dealer from Ohio. Play had just concluded with Wild Bill and Capt. Massie showing their respective hands. Bill had four 7's and a King kicker but Massie bested that hand and busted Bill. In disgust Hickok said," You old duffer, you beat me on that one". Hickok called to the bar for more chips and Harry Young responded by bringing chips and a credit voucher to the table. As Young turned and walked away McCall moved in and without warning fired a single bullet that struck Hickok in the back of the head and exited his right cheek. The bullet then struck Massie in the left wrist. Hickok who was setting on a stool and not in a chair slumped sideways off his stool and onto the floor. After McCall fired he yelled, " Damn you, take that". He then stated, " Come on ya sons-a-bitches!" as he turned on the other men in the saloon that day. Most men headed for the front door but George Shingle, a bartender, moved from behind the bar and to Hickok's side. McCall turned his gun on Shingle and pulled the trigger. The gun snapped but did not fire. Shingle got up and ran for the door. McCall fired a third time but again a misfire. Carl Mann moved to attend Hickok and McCall threatened to shoot Mann. Mann quickly moved behind the bar to retrieve a gun. McCall then bolted for the back door. Now with all that taking place you tell me who was left to see what Hickok's cards were? Who is to say that cards had even been dealt? So where did the story of Ace's and Eight's come from? Well as best as can be determined by famed writer Joseph Rosa in his( Man & Myth book) the story of the Dead Man's Hand may have come from correspondence between Ellis Peirce & Frank Wilstach in the 1920's. Which amounts to just another writer(s) taking liberty with facts and distorting history.

My last point will be about famous guns and their owners. I can't tell how many museums I have walked into over the years all claiming to have the guns of Will Bill or Jesse and Frank James. Hell, you fill in the name and I'll bet more than one museum claims to hold his gun. Sure, I'll give you that many, if not all, these men has more than one gun but in the cases I've mentioned the museums are claiming to have the same gun. Now some of the those guns are well documented. An example would be Bat Masterson's gun and the gun belonging to Johnny Ringo with serial number 222 which was taken from his corpse. But in many cases there isn't a shred of evidence who a particular gun belonged to.

To see some actual items from the Old West period stop by Old West Antiques and step back in time.

Books on Gambling - Antique

In the book, : Hands Across The Table", by Albert A. Ostrow: The Complete Card Player, Copyright 1945 Ostrow covers some history of cards, card playing in America, running tournaments, and then spends the next 700 plus pages covering all the various games including a section on odds. The book is leather bound (the binding is tight) with the front cover embossed. If you are looking for books, antique books, on gambling check out the selection at Old West Antiques.