J.O. Bass
Born:1879 Died:1950 Maker's Mark:"J.O. BASS TULIA TEX" or "J.O. BASS QUITAQUE TEX" usually with a serial number
J.O. Bass was born in Atlanta, Georgia and moved with his family to Quitaque, Texas when he was around 12 years old. Bass opened a blacksmith shop in the small town at the age of 18 and while he performed general blacksmith work for a while, the demand for his spurs soon became too great and he began doing primarily bit and spur making. He moved to Tulia, Texas after a few years and worked as a bit and spur maker as well as issuing a catalog for bit and spur orders. Bass is most well known because he numbered his bits and spurs and kept a log book that showed details of every order from the date, price charged, and an outline of the pattern for the piece. This dedication to record keeping is now in a museum but it allows bit and spur collectors to quite easily authenticate his work. Bass produced approximately 800 bits and almost 2000 pairs of spurs. JO Bass spurs and bits are very popular with collectors and bring good prices.
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