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Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys

Sat, Jul 26, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-07-26 11:00:00 2025-07-26 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/tombstone-western-heritage-museum-auction-the-earp-brothers-cowboys-20021
Join North American Auction Company on July 26th for a once-in-a-lifetime auction of the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Collection. This extraordinary sale features the largest private collection of Tombstone history, including rare and historic pieces tied to Wyatt Earp, the Earp Brothers, and the infamous Cochise Cowboys. From original artifacts, outlaw relics, and the largest collection of C.S. Fly photographs, this is a can’t-miss event for collectors of the Old West’s most legendary chapter.
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Lot 452

Rare S. L. Hart Estate Clothing & Personal Items

Estimate: $600 - $800
Starting Bid
$150

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot are Rare 19th Century S. L. Hart Estate Clothing and Personal Items Collection, circa 1880 to 1890s. Provenance: Tombstone Western Heritage Museum, Tombstone. Samuel Lombard Hart (1830-1893) was a very highly regarded and skilled gunsmith over his ten years in Tombstone. If gun repairs were needed, Hart's on Freemont Street was the place to go, located just a short distance from the famous Fly Photography studio and right next door to the O.K. Corral. On Oct. 26th of 1881 Hart, while working in his store, would be one of the relatively few witnesses to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that made Tombstone and the Earp's famous. Guns that were re-worked or repaired by Hart were often stamped with his logo, which was the letters S and L over a "heart," an artistic yet compact and simple way of saying "S.L. Hart." S.L. was entrusted with both basic repairs as well as also sought out for his special Colt pistols. Some of Hart's more notable clients were US Marshal Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, outlaw Ike Clanton and Buckskin Frank Leslie. It has been said that the legacy of S.L. Hart as gunsmith to the cowboys, gamblers, lawmen, and gunfighters of Tombstone cannot be over estimated. Today a firearm with the "S.L. Hart" stamp is almost priceless. Hart moved the family to Tucson, Arizona Territory in 1890. Tombstone experienced a dramatic population increase, from around 100 residents to nearly 14,000 in a span of less than seven years. This rapid growth was fueled by the discovery of rich silver deposits, making the town a major economic hub in the Arizona Territory. "Respectable" society existed alongside the rougher elements, with theatrical performances at venues like Schieffelin Hall. The items in this collection include: embroidered hat, black crochet hat, pink headband, formal lace arm-length gloves, formal leather forearm-length gloves, black silk stockings, woman's union suit, men's detachable starched collars, two handpainted butterfly hand fans, hat pin, Butterick Transfer, two softcover music books, one "The Murillo" Colour Box signed "Carrie Lena Cole May 1873, one bag of sewing and embroidery fabric, one antique porcelain painting supplies and case. Also included is a pill case of Squibb's Aspirin and a vial of "Suffolk Haarlem Oil". Tombstone Western Heritage Museum labels read, "FROM THE S. L. HART ESTATE", "The Hart Ladies' 1880s/90s CHINA PAINTING SUPPLIES", museum code "V-153", and, "Purchased at the BOSTON STORE PHOENIX, AZ. Ca. 1900". Items are in preserved condition, combined weight is 8lb, 14oz.

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