Antique Western Americana Collectibles

Your Guide to Antique Western Americana Collectibles

You may find yourself drawn to Old West antiques because you have fond memories of visiting a farm when you were a child. On the other hand, you may have always dreamed of being a cowboy or performing in an Old West show. Regardless, there are many categories of antique Western Americana to collect on eBay.

The Old West period encompasses the time from the first wagon trains through the admittance of Arizona as a state. While you may start with a generalized collection, over time you may end up with a specialized collection. Possible choices include:

• Cowboy clothes and tools: There are many types of cowboy clothing and tools to collect, including chaps, spurs, boots, and hats.
• Old farming implements: It took many different implements to plant, grow, and harvest crops. Some people choose to focus on the first gas-powered implements, while others stick to handheld implements.
• Old West shows: You may be attracted to an Old West poster or image. Then, you could start growing your western memorabilia collection based on your favorite figures from the Old West, like Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, Bill Pickett, and many others.
• Mining paraphernalia: Mining played an important role in the development of the Western United States. There are many different things that you can collect in this genre. These include rills, lanterns, helmets, and blasting items.
• Horses: From work harnesses to saddles, you may focus on collecting vintage horse-related western memorabilia.

Boots were a necessary part of clothing for Old West cowboys. As rodeos got started, performers introduced audiences to cowboy boots. There were several makers of early cowboy boots, including:

• John Cobine: Kansan John Cubine revolutionized footwear for cowboys by creating boots that gave them better protection, because they were higher in the front than in the back. They were also easy to put on. His rounded-toe boots would fit on either foot.
• Hyer Brothers: Another Kansan family who revolutionized footwear for cowboys was the Hyer Brothers. Their boots were known for their pointed toes, raised heel, and scalloped top.
• Sam Lucchese: Italian immigrant Sam Lucchese brought the first inseamer machine shipped to the Western United States. While he made many pairs of kangaroo cowboy boots, he is also known for creating lace-up work boots used on the iconic King Ranch.
• Lucien Little: After being a traveling shoe salesman, Lucien Little settled in San Antonio, Texas, where he soon started making burnished leather boots.

Another category of western Americana antiques is barbed wire. Experts recommend you collect pieces at least 18 inches long with barbs evenly spaced from each end. Find pieces that have no missing or broken barbs. Since there are over 2,000 types of barbed wire, this is a collection that can quickly grow.