Holsters Makers: Hermann H. Heiser Archive

[rednichols]

I've found many holster treasures looking through gun shop junk holster and parts boxes including this Heiser holster for an artillery Luger. At $25 it was more expensive than I'm used to. But a Luger collector bought it at a massive profit. I only knew what it was for because "Luger" was scribed by hand in the back before it was dyed.

Not dyed, of course, Wyatt. Oiled.

 

[Papa Lee]

H. H. Heiser 3 loop 712

Large 3 loop H.H. Heiser holster with thong wrapped edge for a 7 1/2" barrel Colt New Service. I had previously believed that the 3 loop Heiser 712 pattern was rather rare. But after seeing Marcello's and John's holsters in this post, I am not so certain .

 

[boykinlp]

Large 3 loop H.H. Heiser holster with thong wrapped edge for a 7 1/2" barrel Colt New Service. I had previously believed that the 3 loop Heiser 712 pattern was rather rare. But after seeing Marcello's and John's holsters in this post, I am not so certain .

Very Nice, Lee!
Larry

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

H.H.Heiser #453-553-753

Extra Fine Belt Holsters
Fully refinished rawhide laced and leather lined.
No.453---Fine plain smooth finish
No.553---Full hand basket stamped-image not found, please help me to find one and post here
No.753---Full Mexican hand carved

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

H.H.Heiser #453-553-753

Extra Fine Belt Holsters

No.753---Full Mexican hand carved

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Large 3 loop H.H. Heiser holster with thong wrapped edge for a 7 1/2" barrel Colt New Service. I had previously believed that the 3 loop Heiser 712 pattern was rather rare. But after seeing Marcello's and John's holsters in this post, I am not so certain .

Congrats for your nice Heiser 712.
Personally I'm looking for one #512 RH basket weave finish for N frame with the 6.5 inch barrel.

 

[rednichols]

Hello members
The description model by model of the holsters produced by the Hermann H. Heiser company of Denver Colorado begins with this thread.
Everyone can collaborate, in fact I absolutely ask you to do so, among you there are the greatest experts in the sector.
Please, when you insert a model, write in the title the number that Heiser had attributed to that model and the variants, Plain smooth, Full basket hand stamped and Full Mexican hand carved.
If possible, publish the catalog page where the model is shown, and as many explanatory descriptive photos as possible.
It would be nice if some expert would write a short history of the Heiser as an introduction to this archival work.
Any of your input is welcome.

After viewing the assortment of images from the OP I'm guessing you are a collector of images as I am, vs. a collector of the gunleather itself. Personally I've made too much of it to value a holster on its own.

Here's Heiser's story, from catalogue no 23. It's as much legend as it is fact because not only is it from decades after Hermann's death but the company did not even make holsters in his time; it was his sons who branched into them because of the automobile (which they also tried selling).

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

After viewing the assortment of images from the OP I'm guessing you are a collector of images as I am, vs. a collector of the gunleather itself. Personally I've made too much of it to value a holster on its own.

Here's Heiser's story, from catalogue no 23. It's as much legend as it is fact because not only is it from decades after Hermann's death but the company did not even make holsters in his time; it was his sons who branched into them because of the automobile (which they also tried selling).

Thanks Red for the story of the House
A little reflection follows:

I have been collecting Smith & Wesson since 1987. My passion for S&W revolvers pushed me to become a member of the SWCA.
By frequenting the forum I began to know better the world of traditional holsters and Gun Leather Makers.
I started to buy some examples of Heiser, Myres, Ball, Brill, Lawrence, Eubanks etc etc with great difficulty.
I noticed that a photographic archive or a catalog with the holsters I was looking for or purchasing would have been useful to support me.
With the help of your posts I started to understand something more, until the idea of opening this thread with the hope that other users would also publish images of their holsters with the numerical references present near the brand and with the catalog page where was described, when possible of course.
Since Heiser used to scratch the handgun models on the back of the holsters it was impossible to catalog the holsters by their codes.
I still hope that forum users will start participating in this thread by posting photos of the their beautiful holsters.
How nice it would be if together with the holster there was also the gun to which it is dedicated.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

# Heiser 415 FANCY DESIGN SPOTTED HOLSTERS

FANCY DESIGN SPOTTED HOLSTERS
No.415--- Trimmed with solid silver Nickel ornaments
This is a beautiful and iconic holster.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

H.H. Heiser #1435-1535-1735

Flap Belt Holsters for Revolvers

Page of catalogue No.30

No.1435---Plain smooth finish

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

H.H. Heiser #1435-1535-1735

Belt holsters with flap for revolvers

No.1535---Full hand basket stamped
here the link to the post N° 119
- https://smith-wessonforum.com/142080078-post119.html

For my birthday I gave myself a present, (it's nice to tell lies to yourself, I would have bought it anyway!)

This special order 1535 for 6 inch barrel K frame, rawhide laced with snaps buttons on the belt loop.

Now we need the intervention of turnerriver to show his beautiful 1735 and boykinlp with his very special 175 cross draw

 

[turnerriver]

That’s a very fine birthday present, Marcello.
Here’s an older basketweave Heiser model 181 flap holster made for a Savage pocket auto.

Regards,

 

[rednichols]

FANCY DESIGN SPOTTED HOLSTERS
No.415--- Trimmed with solid silver Nickel ornaments
This is a beautiful and iconic holster.

Arguably that is the Navajo 'whirling logs' emblem but the Heisers were Germans like all saddlers of the old West, so will we ever know for certain?

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

Arguably that is the Navajo 'whirling logs' emblem but the Heisers were Germans like all saddlers of the old West, so will we ever know for certain?

However, it is reasonable to think that these holsters predated the birth of the National Socialist Party in 1919.
However, your doubts may be legitimate, on this subject, this "decoration" called Navajo "whirling logs" was also available in full Nazi regime in Germany, probably a tribute to his native Germany by Heiser, perhaps unaware of the political projects... but we will never know.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

However, it would be interesting to understand when these holsters were removed from the catalogue and in which years this happened
H.H.H. chaps decorated with a whirling logs

 

[turnerriver]

I’m away from my catalogs and can’t check but I’m confident they were removed from the catalog in the early 1900’s. They weren’t the only maker to use that decoration, I’ve had several Lawrence holsters with this snap.

Regards,

 

[huntsman22]

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

H.H. Heiser # 225

Good example of 225 metal spring shoulder holster

huntsman22 thanks for sharing

 

[rednichols]

However, it is reasonable to think that these holsters predated the birth of the National Socialist Party in 1919.
However, your doubts may be legitimate

It's your catalogue page so you'll know its year (all Heiser catalogues have been dated in Holstory the Book). My first mention for Heiser is their catalogue No. 20 that is 1923. Heiser catalogues are always numbered but not always dated, but gathering several sources of data including all the dated ones allowed me to firm up the dates for all of them. I'm interested that Packing Iron uses the same dates for the Heiser cats it mentions and that book predates mine.

 

[ENNE-FRAME]

It's your catalogue page so you'll know its year (all Heiser catalogues have been dated in Holstory the Book). My first mention for Heiser is their catalogue No. 20 that is 1923. Heiser catalogues are always numbered but not always dated, but gathering several sources of data including all the dated ones allowed me to firm up the dates for all of them. I'm interested that Packing Iron uses the same dates for the Heiser cats it mentions and that book predates mine.

Hi Red, we need the intervention, to help us, of turnerriver with his catalogs, because i've found, the page of the catalog posted, on the web without any reference of the year