Some of our premier holster makers stamp their maker mark on
the rough side of the leather. It doesn't take too much wear for
the mark to disappear. I am thinking of Ken Null and Thad Rybka
as examples of currently active makers who put their marks in the rough.
A couple of examples of great holster makers of the past are
Chic Gaylord and Seventrees. If you happen to be as lucky as
I am, and come across a Gaylord or Seventrees, and if the
maker mark is worn off, how will you know it is authentic.
Professionals, like Red Nichols for example, use what they call
the STITCH SIGNATURE. Red authenticated my examples, shown
below, using their stitch signatures. Here are some photos to
illustrate. Left to Right:
At the left is the front of a holster by Chick Gaylord on the left,
and a holster by Seventrees on the right.
2nd from left is the back of the holster by Chick Gaylord on the left,
and the back of the Seventrees holster on the right.
3rd from left is the front of two more Chic Gaylord holsters, a
black one on the left and a brown one on the right, showing the
front of the holsters.
4th from left is the back of the two additional Chic Gaylord
holsters, black on the left and brown on the right, illustrating
their stitch signatures.
Now, you too can be an expert at identifying these old premium
holsters by famous makers.
the rough side of the leather. It doesn't take too much wear for
the mark to disappear. I am thinking of Ken Null and Thad Rybka
as examples of currently active makers who put their marks in the rough.
A couple of examples of great holster makers of the past are
Chic Gaylord and Seventrees. If you happen to be as lucky as
I am, and come across a Gaylord or Seventrees, and if the
maker mark is worn off, how will you know it is authentic.
Professionals, like Red Nichols for example, use what they call
the STITCH SIGNATURE. Red authenticated my examples, shown
below, using their stitch signatures. Here are some photos to
illustrate. Left to Right:
At the left is the front of a holster by Chick Gaylord on the left,
and a holster by Seventrees on the right.
2nd from left is the back of the holster by Chick Gaylord on the left,
and the back of the Seventrees holster on the right.
3rd from left is the front of two more Chic Gaylord holsters, a
black one on the left and a brown one on the right, showing the
front of the holsters.
4th from left is the back of the two additional Chic Gaylord
holsters, black on the left and brown on the right, illustrating
their stitch signatures.
Now, you too can be an expert at identifying these old premium
holsters by famous makers.
