Interesting holster find at Tulsa

[Kansasgunner]

I came across this holster at the Wanenmacher show on Friday afternoon. Not really a “Texas Jockstrap” but a similar construction. No makers mark, pigskin lined, machine stitched around the edges and a very unique basket stamp pattern. Someone did a very fine job building this holster.
My 6” 629 fits it really well with the sight blade resting right at the top of the pouch. I hope y’all like it and comments are appreciated.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Onomea]

That's a beautiful and interesting holster. The basketweave, from a distance, looks almost like snake or lizard.

 

[rednichols]

Excellent. A friend in Canada has one in brown, and it is identical to the one that is in the book Packing Iron. Maker unknown, expected to be 1950s because they are identically constructed as if by someone who was not a saddler; which were often irregular. All three have finishes that are as-new with the book itself being 1990s.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Beautiful and desirable, great shot.
Here in the pics, twice of these holsters, sold in auction at Austin, TX, past February 25, 2023, Rocking K Saddlery, Milwaukee, Wi, holster in holster, pointed checkered pattern.

 

[turnerriver]

I can’t imagine making that holster and not putting my mark on it. Great score, Tim.
Regards,

 

[StrawHat]

Beautiful! But not so much basketweave as tin ceiling stamps.

I agree, that much work and not stamp it with your name? Must be hiding from someone!

Kevin

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Beautiful! But not so much basketweave as tin ceiling stamps.

I agree, that much work and not stamp it with your name? Must be hiding from someone!

Kevin

It would be interesting to find their catalogue and know what they called it.
"Pointed checkered pattern stamp."
In the below pic, the book Packing Iron with the mentioned holster up on the high right page

 

[Kansasgunner]

Another photo, but with a nickel Cimarron Bisley.
Thanks to Red and Marcello for the history and photos!

 

[Kansasgunner]

A quick internet search found Frank James Kaiser, aka Rocking K Saddlery.
What a tragic end.

 

[rednichols]

A quick internet search found Frank James Kaiser, aka Rocking K Saddlery.
What a tragic end.

With your help I did locate images of Kaiser's copies. He has copied the image in the 1993 book Packing Iron but being unable to see the backside there, he has altered the fender from the original. The copy of the tooling is clever but not identical; whereas the two originals I've seen so far are indistinguishable from Packing Iron's image.

Mea culpa, I was careless; the OP's holster is not the identical maker to the Packing Iron version. Notice the distinctive border pattern on the original that is built into a die for the entire pattern, whereas the OP's is done by hand and is likely the Kaiser version.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Red the holster in your photo and the holster on the book are made from the same saddlery, instead the photos posted by me and the holster that Tim has bought are made by different saddlemakers or realized using different punchers, but as you has written in the previous post also the profiles are differents.

 

[Hawg Rider]

I have a good friend that is an outstanding leather craftsman and makes some phenomenal holsters, knife and tomahawk sheathes, rifle scabbards, etc. However, he only makes them for acquaintances and he doesn't make many. For some reason he refuses to use a maker's mark and stamp his products.

 

[rednichols]

I have a good friend that is an outstanding leather craftsman and makes some phenomenal holsters, knife and tomahawk sheathes, rifle scabbards, etc. However, he only makes them for acquaintances and he doesn't make many. For some reason he refuses to use a maker's mark and stamp his products.

One of the best known gunleather makers to omit a maker's mark, was Andy Anderson. Apparently he figured that the buyer obviously KNEW who made his set. Today we have to recognize his styles and construction to know he was the maker, which then causes them to appear on auction sites without the seller knowing what he has. I bought this rare competition holster, popular only circa 1970 before Cooper's mob outlawed them; called an Open Front, the pistol is resting on a muzzle plug that is laced into the end of the holster. The buyer didn't know its maker because there is no maker's mark on it:

 

[gunbarrel]

Oh, My Word. Looks like he may have taken his own life. Only 46 years old, and so talented :-(

Log into Facebook

 

[gunbarrel]

Holstorian, is it possible that some holster makers may not brand their products so a malpractice attorney cannot come after them if it is involved in an AD?

 

[rednichols]

Holstorian, is it possible that some holster makers may not brand their products so a malpractice attorney cannot come after them if it is involved in an AD?

What an interesting idea. Yes it's possible. Few little makers realize that this litigation is commonplace and expensive. Good news is that the only makers lawyers will go after are those with insurance! And the smallest don't have it, too expensive. I know that at Bianchi it was a constant battle in the '70s and '80s, from LEOs and their widows. For others it was also in the '90s, such as Hume and DeSantis. And I have a VERY long list of such for Safariland but they're so big I have the understanding they are self-insured. The Sparks people claimed under oath in a lawsuit I filed against them, that they had never been sued for products liability, since their founding 1972. What's true? Makers lie about every 'fact' including their founding dates (Sparks being a case in point).

Holstorically, though, the makers who don't imprint their names are supplying a retailer who doesn't want their source known. Many name makers have done this including Heiser and Wyeth.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

a remarkable holster

Found the holster that spawned the copies, sold at auction years ago, without any trademark, in new unused condition as the example reported on PACKING IRON book, describes as "semi modern Western holster" dated from 1940 to 1950