Manufactured c. 1880s to early 1900s, this very attractive tooled holster is attributed to William Wellman of White Sulfur Springs, Montana. A similar example of Wellman's work is pictured on p. 93 of "Cowboy Culture: The Last Frontier of American Antiques" by Friedman. Examples of holsters by Wellman are very rare, making even a well-worn example such as this one incredibly desirable. The holster has well-executed wavy line border tooling and is in the classic "Mexican Loop" configuration with a single retention loop. The maker's mark is on the body of the holster within an oval, with the maker's first name worn away, but the remainder easily visible. It has an open toe, recurved throat, and will accommodate a Colt Single Action Army Revolver with a 4 3/4 inch barrel. The holster is in standard draw configuration for a right handed shooter. Includes a cartridge/money belt which bears no maker's mark and has floral tooling. It has a single row of cartridge loops for .44 or .45 caliber cartridges and a money pocket opening near the clipped corner, nickeled buckle. It measures 2 7/8 inches wide and 41 1/2 inches long including the billet.

Fine, the holster shows moderate wear and some areas of minor age-related cracking. The belt is also fine with similar wear and cracking. A rare example of a Wellman made Montana holster rig!