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Striking Early California Bit & Headstall

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Striking Early California Bit & Headstall
Finely detailed, unmarked, half breed bit with coin silver inlays engraved with card suits &, birds. Cheeks mounted with large jello mold style conchos. Pictured as Bit #19 in the 1917 Phillips & Gutierrez catalog. The rare early California headstall features classic California coin silver ornaments including raised card suits and silver spots on the leather cheeks and butterflies/moths and caterpillars/larve on the split ear leather headband. The buckles and tips are very representative of very early 1900s California and Nevada headstalls popularized by G.S. Garcia, F.M. Stern, Gus Goldberg and other makers of the period. Fine condition with rawhide braided closed reins, with romal and leather popper.