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Sterling Silver Mounted Parade/Show Saddle with Keyston Silver

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana / Collectibles - Old West Start Price:600.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD
Sterling Silver Mounted Parade/Show Saddle with Keyston Silver
Contact Brian Lebel's Old West Events prior to bidding if you have a lot inquiry.
Early 1940s black, floral carved and figurally sculpted saddle, mounted with artistically engraved, heavy gauge Keyston Bros (San Francisco) sterling corner plates with rope-edged domed horsehead centers. Skirts and fenders are fully perimeter-trimmed with 1 ½” domed scalloped floral conchos. Saddlery nameplate mounted below the horn and between the swells features Keyston’s trademark raised ruby-eyed gold horsehead surrounded by the engraved moniker "KEYSTON BROS / MAKERS / San Francisco / Cal". Saddle is further adorned with intricately engraved silver swell caps, cantle cover, and domed horn cap with figural equine center. Matching floral carved tapaderos are enhanced with four engraved slotted silver conchos. Very good overall condition.

Keyston Bros.
Main & Winchester recruited Samuel Keyston in 1867 to manage their whip department in San Francisco; but his son, James, decided to open his own business in 1868, which ultimately became the cornerstone for the popular and prolific Bay Area saddle shop. Shortly after the 1906 earthquake, Keyston expanded into saddlery and harness with the acquisition of competitor, J C Johnson, followed by the purchase of the legendary Main Winchester & Stone in '08 -- making them the largest shop of its kind on the West Coast. The brothers prospered and expanded into the 1920s when they were acquired by W Davis & Son. However, as the horse and buggy era began to decline, Keyston changed with the times by initiating a junior cowboy line with their highly successful “Lasso ‘em Bill” label. Fancy silver parade saddles, trophy buckles and accessories filled the cash register after WWII, leading to prosperity and their eventual acquisition of the Denver-based Hermann Heiser Company in 1950.