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K & C Rodeo Pattern Spurs

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana / Apparel - Spurs Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
K & C Rodeo Pattern Spurs
Contact Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction prior to bidding if you have a lot inquiry.
K & C Rodeo Pattern Spurs. An all original and scarce pair of Texas spurs. Well-marked with the rare K&C stamp on each heel band. The large circle concho in a hat style with wheat engraving have some use dents but are sharp and clear. These are fine example of true cowboy spurs.
Provenance: Found by John Dyer 1991 to private collector, these spurs have been in 2 noted major collections since their discovery. Ex: Bruce Bartlett Collection. Ex: Todd Wideman Collection.
Pictured: “Cowboys and the Trappings of the Old West” by Bill Manns, page 58; “Old Cowboy Saddles and Spurs” by Dan & Sebie Hutchens, page 117

P.M. Kelly (1886-1976)
The rare and mysterious K&C marked spur has kept collectors and experts debating for years. They have been coveted by collectors of Texas spurs since first discovered. There are few marked originals in existence, and all are in Kelly Bros. patterns, but no one really knows what the K&C mark stands for.

Some believe the K&C mark is P.M. Kelly’s mark to denote Kelly & Co. Others believe that it represents a partnership between P.M. Kelly and Oscar Crockett. It is an interesting debate, and a great discussion on it can be read in the book, “Bit and Spur Makers in the Texas Tradition” by Ned and Jody Martin and Kurt House. In the section on K&C there are opinions from Bruce and Julianne Bartlett on the one hand, and Bill Adamson on the other, all respected and knowledgeable collectors and historians. The piece ends with Bill writing, “Even if all do not agree as to the origins of K&C, the quality and craftsmanship cannot be disputed.”

This example is a rare and impressive, circa 1920s pair of single mounted Kelly No. 200 Rodeo spurs. This is one of the most expensive and desirable of Kelly’s early designs with ess than five pair known to collectors.