Any Ideas On Age Of Vintage Tex-Tan?

[ironorchid]

i aquired this vintage Tex-Tan saddle last year and love riding in it. i can't find another one like it online, or anything resembling the model number to try and place the age/decade it was made. The biggest difference i see is the shape of the jockeys - haven't found any images of another saddle with the scalloped design.

the model # 1320I 31-2854 9

Does anybody have any thoughts? thanks, Mo

[Saddlebag]

Finishing the horn edge with rawhide appeared around 1960, maybe sooner. Trends seem to last 10 or more years. This is a pleasure/trail saddle as opposed to a roper. It is well made

[Geneva]

Why not ask the company that made the saddle? Type in Tex Tan saddles for search

[ironorchid]

thanks for the comments from both posters. I've not sent a query to TEX TAN because i've seen in other posts that the company had a fire some time back and has no reference material anymore. their website says to ask a local saddlery shop. I've been guessing the saddle is around 70's era, i was just hoping someone would know how to read the serial numbers to more closely fix the date. I know the first part of the number is the model and i'm guessing the "I" stands for "Imperial", since i've seen quite a few Imperial model saddles covered on every surface with the tooling, as mine is. Regardless, it's a keeper - fits my big 16.2H appendix QH as it is full QH bars size, and fits me great.

[Five]

I found a similarly carved Tex Tan in the 1973 western Horseman magazine. It had an earler model number and lacked the Tex Tan stamp but if Tex Tan won't get back to you check the ads in the old Western Horseman Magazines.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=galleryℑ=23995

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=galleryℑ=23997

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=galleryℑ=23996

Edited March 13, 2014 by Five

[oltoot]

If you can talk to somebody with a good general grasp of the history the fact that it has aluminum rigging rings might be helpful in dating it. Generally aluminum was used during war times when brass was scarce and before stainless became so prevailant

[bruce johnson]

The only thing I can add is that Terry Nawrot ("tnawrot2") used to rep for saddle companies and I believe TexTan was one of his lines. Unfortunately Terry passed away a few months ago. This is a cut and paste of Terry's reply from another thread asking about a TexTan Hereford saddle -

"The numbers you posted are of great help, they tell the whole story. The first set of numbers is the model number, the second set is the month and year it was made, and the last set is the serial number."

[ironorchid]

thanks for everyone's further comments. bruce, i was hoping there was an old timer who was familiar with the brand. with a model # 1320I 31-2854 9, i still can't place the year, so my only hope was someone remembers the style. everyone's comments add little bits of info to helping solve the mystery. thanks again.

[pgetha]

I have this same saddle. Have had it for 30+ years. When I took it in to have the fleece re-done I was told it was made in the 1940's I would have to go take it out of its cover to check the number. I was told that this saddle was made at a time when a lot of custom, highly skilled saddle makers went to work for the new factories so it possesses the quality of a skilled craftsman. I'll take a photo of mine so we can compare..

[ironorchid]

pgetha, i'd love to see photos of your saddle to compare, thanks for sharing the info. Mo