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  • /Lot 3172

Lot 3172:Silver Mounted, Cattle Brand Tooled Bohlin Double Holster Rig

August 17th, 2025|Bedford, TX
  • /Auctions...
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  • /Lot 3172

Lot 3172:Silver Mounted, Cattle Brand Tooled Bohlin Double Holster Rig

August 17th, 2025|Bedford, TX
Estimated Price$15,000 - $27,500
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Outstanding and Highly Attractive Silver Mounted, Steer Head and Cattle Brand Tooled, Two-Tone Edward H. Bohlin Buscadero Double Holster Rig for Single Action Army Revolvers

Manufactured c. the late 1960s to early 1970s, this is an outstanding example of the work of one of the most talented leather workers of the 20th century, Edward H. Bohlin (1895-1980). Bohlin was born in Sweden and at the age of 15 left home and began working his way to the United States, landing in New York in 1910. He quickly headed westward, working as a cowboy in Montana by 1912, and by 1916 was in Cody, Wyoming, working ranches, driving a stagecoach, and learning leatherwork. In the early 1920s, Bohlin had opened his own leather shop but also left to join a traveling Wild West show, which didn't last long. In 1922, he landed in Hollywood, California, and opened a small leather shop, scratching out a meager living at first, but slowly expanding his list of famous Hollywood clientele. Eventually his list of clients would include the likes of John Wayne, Clark Gable, Roy Rogers, Clayton Moore, William Boyd, and many more. For multiple decades, outside of the silver screen, one of Bohlin's best promotional events was the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, where a plethora of riders used leather goods made by him, particularly the silver mounted and deluxe offerings, much like this example. Bohlin himself claimed to have ridden in every one of those parades from 1922 to 1972. In 1945, Bohlin opened his new shop on Highland Avenue in Hollywood, offering a full range of western gear. Through masterful marketing and promoting of his brand, he managed to turn his shop into the gathering place for the most well-known cowboys of California and the west, both the real ones and those only for show in film and on television. This particular masterpiece by Bohlin has every appearance of being made for just such a high profile cowboy, though the original owner's identity is unknown. This specific holster rig is truly an iconic piece of western art and Americana, created by the hand of a legendary craftsman at the absolute pinnacle of his craft. There is a very distinct possibility this is both the most unique and finest piece of gun leather artwork to ever leave Bohlin's shop. The holster rig itself is in the "double buscadero" configuration, which was almost entirely popularized by its use in Hollywood movies and television shows. The buscadero rigs were designed with quick-draw techniques in mind, dropping the holster or holster down the thigh so the grips of the revolvers were at hand level, and the barrels of the revolvers could clear the holsters quicker. This example shows Bohlin's incredible tooling and silver work throughout, with almost the entire surface being tooled with various cattle brands on a stippled background. The cattle brands in brown are contrasted against the dark black background. On the belt, above each of the holsters is a longhorn steer's skull, also in brown, with a bullet hole in its forehead. The remainder of the surfaces that aren't tooled, are mounted with very nicely engraved triangular and diamond shaped silver conchos. There is a single row of cartridge loops on the back portion of the belt. The holsters will accommodate Single Action Army revolvers with 4 3/4 inch barrels. The strap ends of the belt are also engraved silver with the end of the billet stamped with Bohlin's maker's mark on the back. It is fitted with an attractive, large, 4 inch diameter, wagon wheel belt buckle that is silvered and features a gold horse's head at the center. The back of the buckle has a McCabe Hollywood silversmith's maker's mark and is also marked "10K". The belt measures 4 inches wide along most of the length, widening where the holsters mount, and is just over 57 inches in total length, likely having been made for someone with a 48 to 52 inch waist. Included with the holster rig is a 1973 dated invoice from California Arms Inc. as well as some photograph prints of the piece. Provenance: The Brig & Louise Pemberton Collection

ConditionExceptionally fine, showing minimal handling and storage wear overall and the tooling remaining very crisp. Much of the silver shows an attractively aged patina and the engraving remains very crisp. This is an incredible piece of American art by Edward H. Bohlin, one of the finest gunleather craftsmen of all time. It is most certainly deserving of a place in even the finest public or private collections of western attire or firearms!
Details
TypeOther
ClassOther

Item LocationBedford, TX
Views205
Catalog page148
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