Brian Lebel’s Cody Old West Show & Auction
Brian Lebel’s Old West Events makes a splash with an inaugural show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe, NM
In the lead-up to the Cody Old West Show & Auction, show owner Brian Lebel was looking forward to being in a “walkable city,” one where guests could wander around, and even get lost in the charm and culture that is Santa Fe, New Mexico. By all accounts, that’s exactly what happened June 22 through 24 during the show’s inaugural run in Santa Fe.
Not only did dealers show up—all 115 vendor booths were sold out—but collectors showed up in droves, enough to elicit one complaint: “The only complaint was that there were too many shoppers, it was difficult to get through the aisles,” Lebel says. “That’s a complaint we’re happy to receive.”
As the dust settled in the main exhibition hall on June 23, the action quickly moved to the auction room, where more than 300 active bidders brought in more than $800,000 in sales. Noticeable among the faces, Lebel says, were younger collectors. “There were more people in our show under the age of 40 than I have ever seen at a Western show,” he adds. “I think it bodes well for the future of our business.”
The top lot was the Lone Ranger’s Edward H. Bohlin silver parade saddle, which sold for $153,400, nearly triple over its high estimate of $60,000. The saddle ensemble was used numerous times during the shooting and marketing of the original Lone Ranger TV
show, which was an entry point to many Western collectors who watched the show as children.
A number of other saddles were also notable auction lots, including a Bohlin children’s silver parade saddle (est. $30/40,000) that sold for $20,060 and a Mexican silver saddle with piteado embroidery (est. $14/18,000) that sold for $18,880.
A pair of Texas Ranger revolvers owned by Clint Peoples sold for $64,900, more than four times over its high estimate of $16,000. Other Western gear that performed well were a rare pair of Colt single-action revolvers that sold for $18,880, a set of Kelly Bros. spurs that sold over estimates for $17,700, an original Lincoln County Saloon sign that sold for $12,980, and a Colt Model 1848 Baby Dragoon that sold for $15,340, more than five times over its $3,000 high estimate.
With the success of this year’s show and auction, Lebel is already looking forward to 2019: the next Cody Old West Show in Santa Fe is scheduled for June 22 and 23, 2019.