mead Report post Posted January 19, 2013 I have an old western saddle rescued from a camp's barn that is tooled all over except for the seat. The faintness of the tooling on the pommel and yoke and left fender indicate it was well used for a long time.There is some tooling on the cantle. It has conchos with leather strips. Behind the cantle, sewn to the skirt, is a leather tab with the number 485 stamped on it. I have searched all over for a maker's mark and didn't see one until I used a strong light. There MAY be a maker's mark in the center of the top of the horn. The mark is almost totally worn away, but I can see part of a circle. When using a pencil rubbing, there may be a sideways 8. After looking at Bona Allen maker's marks, I wonder if this sideways 8 is the top part of the 2 B's on the Allen mark. This mark on my saddle's horn would be small. Anybody have any info about saddle makers who placed their mark on the top of the horn? Some photos are attached. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mead Report post Posted January 21, 2013 Also--does anybody have an idea of the age or time period this saddle was built? I can see that the tree is made of wood. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saddlebag Report post Posted March 14, 2013 Factory saddle, this style started in mid to late 50's and it remains popular today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BondoBobCustomSaddles Report post Posted March 14, 2013 It looks a lot like many Bona Allens that have come into my shop for repair over the years. That would be my guess, and yes I would also place it in the mid-fifties. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
