Pure Cowboy

Member: National Bit, Spur & Saddle Collector's Association and Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America

Item #SP502  /  $2,200.

Buffalo Bill & Pawnee Bill Commemorative Spurs, Custom Made by North & Judd

This pair of spurs is another unique and important piece of Wild West Show history.  These spurs were made by North and Judd for the great showmen, William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) and Gordon Lillie (Pawnee Bill), one pair for each 'Bill'.

North & Judd used a fine spur designed by August Buermann for the presentation pairs.  The medallions that decorate each side of these single mounted spurs were issued between 1908 and 1910 as a commemorative watch fob such as that shown at left, in bronze as well as in silver.  Both the bronze and silver versions of the fob are now quite scarce.  The images of both men's heads is one that is synonymous with the show and was used on all stationery, programs, memorabilia and advertising.

These spurs are marked with a single star close to the buttons. Buermann's mark was the identical star with the initials AB inside.  North and Judd respected the Buermann styles such as this so much that they kept the product lines separate and did not place an anchor on the premier spur designs that were pioneered by the Buermann shop. They marked those spurs differently by shrinking the Buermann star and moving the mark to the area near the spur buttons.  All other North & Judd spurs were marked with the anchor.

The original leathers are in place, including the original North & Judd buckles. The inside of the spur buttons are stamped 'COLORADO'. 

Both Buffalo Bill and Gordon Lillie were good friends of August Buermann and both 'Bills' endorsed North & Judd products for a fee as the Wild West and Near East showmen - [click here to view a copy of their 1910 endorsement, signed], A pair would have been made for each of the men.  North & Judd had a close and friendly relationship with William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody, who visited the company whenever he was in the area. The New England Industrial Museum has a large photograph of him with Indian members of his Wild West show on a visit in 1916. One of the purposes of the visit was to assign to North & Judd a patent on a horse bit with the cheeks of the bit in the shape of a pistol. A copy of a letter from Buffalo Bill is on file, telling the company to hurry with production of the bit as he had a large number of cowboys who were waiting for them.

The idea to merge Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show with Pawnee Bill's Near East Show (two of the three most successful and most famous shows of the time, along with the 101 Wild West Show, run by the Miller Brothers) was that of rival showman 'Buffalo Bill' Cody whose managing partner, Bailey, had died. Cody contacted Gordon Lillie and encouraged him to buy Bailey’s share of the show. The "Two Bills" merged shows and became "Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Far East" with Gordon as the managing partner.

Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill traveled together under the Two Bill's banner until 1913.  It was described as one of the entertainment triumphs of the ages and traveled all over the world entertaining audiences with both realistic and fantastical views of the Old West.  The show closed in Denver, Colorado in 1913, after touring for five seasons.

Buffalo Bill - Pawnee Bill Spurs / Item #SP502/ $2,200.

Click Here To E-mail Us About These Custom Presentation Spurs

Contact Us To Arrange Your Purchase

*Your purchase of G. S. Garcia items will include a complimentary copy of "Legacy of Silver and Saddles": G. S. Garcia to J.M. Capriola Co. (Limit One Copy Per Client)

Please contact us at your convenience:  michael@purecowboy.us or sarah@purecowboy.us

Members: National Bit, Spur & Saddle Collector's Association

The American West is celebrated and collected by people all over the world -- we offer easy international shipping, by either the US Postal Service, UPS, Federal Express or Container.

Pure Cowboy, 1770 West State Street, # 315, Boise, Idaho 83702

 208.342.5019 or toll free: 888.575.1890

All items sold by Pure Cowboy are for decorative purposes only.  All other uses are exclusively the buyer's responsibility

Copyright © 2008-2014 Pure Cowboy