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Old 12-05-2023, 12:02 PM
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Simon's Western Wear & Uniform Outfitters, Albuquerque, NM. Simon Goldman, born in 1912, arrived in America from Russia in 1920. Simon grew up in Denver, and his wife Becky was from Evansville, Indiana. They were married in 1939, and moved to Albuquerque in 1940, Si bought a general store and converted it to western wear and uniforms and named the store Simon’s. It became a fixture on Central Avenue downtown – the place for New Mexicans to go for jeans, boots, and snap-button shirts and other western accessories. Simon’s Western Wear, with its iconic neon sign of a wrangler complete with horse and lasso, was sold years later to his employees, many of whom worked there for 30 years and more. It is now long gone.

I bought this rather nice floral carved holster from my old friend Charlie Domenici of Charlie's Sporting Goods a few years before Charlie died in 2018. It is stamped in oval "Simon's Albuquerque". I would be interested in learning who Simon contracted with to make his store holsters. The obvious choice would be Wally Wolfram, but I am willing to entertain other opinions.
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Old 12-05-2023, 04:43 PM
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The Albuquerque connection makes it logical to suspect Wally Wolfram but atypical of his style. What's going on with the strap, appears to be a thumbreak or similar? This Wolf of his says it's not impossible even though he did change over to his trademark belt loop stitching while still Wolf there.
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Old 12-05-2023, 05:42 PM
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Default Simon's Albuquerque holster

The strap is sort of a thumb snap that doesn't work like a standard thumb snap. To release the strap you place your thumb on the top front of the holster's belt loop and push in. It uses the hammer as a fulcrum. It works with practice, but it's not ideal.
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Old 12-05-2023, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Lee View Post
The strap is sort of a thumb snap that doesn't work like a standard thumb snap. To release the strap you place your thumb on the top front of the holster's belt loop and push in. It uses the hammer as a fulcrum. It works with practice, but it's not ideal.
Yours then has a lot in common with an Oliver Ball. In many ways including the belling of the strap end while virtually all other makers taper that end. Keep in mind the thumbsnap appeared about 1960 and that fits both Ball's and Wolfram's era (both men were 1945 onwards makers). On the other hand Ball used a VERY different 'signature' belt loop tip configuration. But don't let the different city or state issues bother you, Wally made Colt's and Smith's from AZ then CA: and they were back East.
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