"HOLSTER RIG J.P. LOWER. Holster is made for a 7-1/2" Colt single action Army revolver, about 12" long, made of 1-pc russet brown leather. Back edge & toe are sewn and it has stamped decorations around the back edge and across the top with original trigger guard cut out. Top edge and around trigger guard cutout have a line border and it has a narrow belt loop on back secured with two harness rivets. The back side is decorated identical to the front. The top of the front is stamped "J.P. LOWER / DENVER COL" in tiny letters. Accompanied by a 41" x 1-7/8" flat cartridge belt with 4" tongue billet and a rectangular, gold washed over nickel iron buckle. Buckle billet is sewn and riveted with a rivet having raised letters "RHB". It appears that the tongue billet rivet has deteriorated the surrounding leather and been lost. The belt, just behind the buckle billet is stamped with the same tiny J.P. Lower stamp as is on the holster. Belt has thirty-five 44/45 caliber sewn on loops. J.P. Lower was a major seller of firearms & accessories in the Rocky Mtn. region out of Denver for most of the time after the Civil War into the early 20th century. He marketed much of his merchandise under his own name that he had made by other individuals, such as is the case here. This rig appears to be from the late 19th or early 20th century and almost certainly would have seen long service on the western frontier. CONDITION: Holster is fine to very fine retaining most of its orig russet brown color with a couple of flexed spots and showing moderate wear around the tip. A small portion of the tip stitching is loose. The belt has been treated and is soft & pliable with all of the loops still intact. Both billets appear to have been restitched with the tongue billet crackled & fragile but basically intact. Altogether an extremely rare set, seldom ever encountered. 4-32968 JR369 (5,000-10,000)"
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