SOLD
52,500.00USDto floor+ buyer's premium
This item SOLD at 2015 Jun 06 @ 18:51UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT
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S.C. Foy, Los Angeles, California Saddle. Wonderful early trail saddle with California influence. Large leaf tooling and swept-back lower skirts. True half-seat with Sam Stagg rigging and exposed upper cantle. 12” seat, 4 .” cantle. 4 per side copper slotted conchos, riveted stirrup leathers, no side jockeys, exposed rawhide horn. 14” tapaderos have 4 slotted copper conchos each. Marks are sharp and clear under front rigging. Condition is superb for its age, with wonderful color and shine. Throat of pommel is slightly worn, small amount of age cracking on fenders, rawhide on back of cantle separating at stitching, and what appears to be a rowel mark across the seat leather. With period rawhide reata. A true showpiece and premiere example of an early California ranching saddle. Circa 1860s-70s.
Samuel Foy's parents both came from pioneering families with ties to Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Kentucky. He was born in Washington in 1830, grew up in Kentucky following his father's death, and apprenticed to the firm of Perkins-Campbell in Cincinnati to learn the harness maker's trade. He moved to Natchez, Mississippi, to work in his trade, but catching gold fever, went by way of Panama, to search for gold in California in 1852. Failing to strike it rich, he purchased supplies in San Francisco in 1854,
moved south, and opened what he claimed to be "the oldest business house in Los Angeles." In partnership with his brother until 1865, the business prospered and the two also raised cattle from a headquarters at San Juan in San Benito county and in Stockton in San Joaquin county.
The Samuel C. Foy Leather Depot remained in business into the era of telephones, but was firmly based on serving the needs of the ranching and cattle trades of southern California. Foy boasted a full stock of harness, saddles, “horse blankets, whips, and lap robes." He also advertised and boasted that the firm made “silver inlaid Spanish Bits and Spurs a Specialty.” Foy was active in Los Angeles throughout his years in the community where he served as both a town night watchman and as the chief of police.
Foy died in 1901.
Because of the historical importance of Samuel C. Foy's shop to the making of horse and vaquero goods, any item from the shop would be considered a prize for a public or private collection. A survey of such collections, however, demonstrates that Foy goods are among the very rarest of the material culture of the vaquero. Most collectors have never seen a Foy saddle. To acquire a Foy saddle from the prime period of the shop's history would be a triumph. The offering of the present saddle is a rare opportunity to acquire a rig from the height of California ranching of the post Civil War era.
There is always a degree of speculation in accurately dating a saddle, but the style of tooling, the shape of the tree, skirt, horn, and pommel suggest that this saddle could date from the 1870s although it could go as late as the early 1880s. It is this writer's opinion that the saddle can be pushed a little earlier and legitimately be dated between the late 1860s and middle 1870s. The Foy label on the exposed outer edge of the seat, visible beneath the rawhide covering of the tree, suggests that it was also made in the shop. The floral tooling reminds one of the style of tooling on classic Main and Winchester saddles of the late 1860s and early 1870s. In fact, the overall shape of the saddle, tapaderos, and other elements are very reminiscent of San Francisco styles- clearly the preferences of riders of the era and the styles that began to spread east to the Rocky Mountains and other regions. Foy, in fact, was creating a product to appeal to the tastes and needs of the working vaquero of the era. The saddle demonstrates that the shop created a first-rate product for the time. It is a singular saddle of great importance, in immaculate condition, that would be a highlight for any leading museum or private collection. Everything about it says California and vaquero.
- James H. Nottage, VP and Chief Curatorial Officer, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. April, 2015.
Auction Location:
3401 W Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107, United States
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| TX |
8.25% |
Fort Worth |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
21% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Shipping will be billed and paid for separately through a third party shipper in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Items will be released for shipping after full payment is received. Winning purchases can be picked up from the auction location on Sunday, June 7th from 10:00am until noon. After which items will prepared for transit back to New Mexico. Item are shipped in the order payment is received, with bidders in attendance taking precedence.
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