Cowboy Spurs

When buying antique cowboy spurs or heel spurs, you will probably come across some of the old makers known in the collectible circles as “The Big 3″. These 3 designers and manufacturers of cowboy spurs, bit and tack are famous for bringing the cowboy spur to mass market and also for providing us with supplies for our armies and cowhands who drove cattle hundreds of miles across America.

One of “The Big 3″ makers was August Buermann, born in Germany in 1842, he travelled to the US to complete training to become a locksmith. At the age of 22 he began to make spurs and equipment for civilians and military personnel and by the early 1900′s the majority of the US mounted cavalry were wearing spurs that were commissioned and made by Buermann. Buermann spurs are easily identifiable by their “Star Brand” logo which is usually located under or near the buttons of the side of the spur.

Despite his success and fame, the Buermann company and trademark was bought in 1914 by North and Judd, another large and established hardware company.

North and Judd are also one of the famous spur makers and had their roots in making saddlery, cowboy equipment and boot spurs as far back as before 1800. In 1878 they became the North and Judd Manufacturing Company and had over 500 staff working for them, producing spurs and equipment for the soldiers in the America Civil War and the US Army. The famous mark of the North and Judd spurs is the “Anchor Mark” which was stamped on to each of the spurs they made.

Another of “The Big 3″ is the Crockett spurs company, started by Oscar Crockett in the early 1900′s. Oscar learnt the skills to make Cowboy Spurs from his brother and began to make custom sets of spurs to order as well as standard aluminum or steel spurs for the mass market.

When the Crockett company purchased the Shipley Spurs outfit in 1940, they were making and selling over 170 types of spurs from their catalogs. Crockett spurs are marked with the word CROCKETT or C&G.

The last member of “The Big 3″ and perhaps the largest member of this group is a company called Renalde spurs. The owner of this company eventually ended up owning the other major spur making companies. He bought the Kelly Bit and Spur company in 1965 and the Crockett Spurs company in 1951. The Renalde company was also a popular maker of saddles, buckles and other horse tack and blacksmith items. Eventually, Renalde became the largest manufacturer of Cowboy Spurs in America until it was closed down in 1980, taking with it a long history and smaller companies and names it had purchased over the years.