This is a great set of copper mounted spurs from the Qualey Bros. Joseph Plains, Idaho circa 1920-1930's from the Ron Gillette collection. The spurs feature a wonderfully and professionally crafted iron and brass mounted construction that shows strikes of tooled expression with etched decoration of the spur tine with panhead rowels that show jingle bobs on the outside of the rowel.

Provenance: From the ex-Ron Gillette collection, collected from Ron directly, the same collection as the set sold by Dan Morphy in June 2024 for $21,000. Those silver mounted Qualey Bros. spurs are very similar to the set offered in this lot.

Tom Qualey (1904-1977) Knut Qualey came from Norway as a blacksmith in 1900 to live in Idaho. He homesteaded a ranch on Joseph Plains, Idaho, and raised his nine children after his wife died in 1915. His sons Jens, Tom, Nels and Olaf would reshape old farm tools or wagon wheel rims into bits and spurs, with Tom being the most talented. In 1920, Tom and Nels began making bits and spurs in their spare time at the ranch, marking them “Qualey Bros.” In 1942 the ranch was sold and Nels stopped silversmithing. Beginning in 1944, Tom, working solo, made pieces marking them “Qualey”. Most of these were sold by either Ray Holes or through Miller Hardware in Grangeville. Tom was a master engraver, who, according to saddle maker Ray Holes, was unequaled in his ability to do precision engraving, using only a forge, hammer, hacksaw and file. The condition of this pair of spurs is well preserved with heavy oxidation to the frame of the spurs and to the rowels with a dark patina adorning both the metal and the leather spur straps but otherwise shows a well preserved condition. The measurements of this pair of spurs is 3 1/4" x 3 7/8" x 10 3/4". The collective weight of this pair of spurs is 2lb 2oz.