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ca. 1840-1870’s
ORIGINAL US ARMY BRIDLE BIT CURB CHAIN HOOKS – EXCELLENT
SOLID SPECIMENS:
This is the sort of discovery that after all these years
continues to convince me that there are still heretofore
unknown caches of rare U.S. Militaria yet to be found.
Recently found in an old collection with some other 19TH
Century US Army horse equipment, these original ca. 1840
– 1870’s US Army Curb Chain Hooks are the sort of thing
that would otherwise pass unnoticed.
If someone had asked me
over the years for a set of these hooks, I would not
have had any idea where to find them – I’ve never seen a
set on the loose. Every bit fitted with a curb chain
had a pair of these hooks to which the chain attached,
but over time as the equipment was separated in storage,
these hooks disappeared into obscurity. Knowing the
history of the collection where these were found, I
suspect they were acquired from Bannerman’s, but I
haven’t been able to find them listed in any of
Bannerman’s old catalogs. They may have been the type
of thing available in his store in New York City, but
too insignificant to bother listing in the catalogs.
Only customers who were able to prowl his shelves in
person would have purchased them.
Adopted as a standard
issue item during the Dragoon era beginning in the
1840’s and remaining in service through the Civil War,
the Curb Chain was one of the first pieces of horse
equipment to be eliminated from the cavalry’s inventory
after the War. While curb chains continued in use in
the field artillery, the cavalry adopted the Model 1872
leather Curb Strap in that same year, eliminating the
need for these hooks. Eventually, the artillery
switched over to the curb straps and as the curb chains
were sold into the surplus market these curb chain hooks
were separated from the chains and disappeared into the
obscurity of history, unneeded and unrecognized.
For those that believe
that the attics, basements and warehouses have been
picked clean long ago, the surfacing of these original
ca. 1840 – 1870’s US Army Curb Chain Hooks is proof that
there are still collectibles out there waiting to be
found.
I have the following
sets of hooks, each style described and pictured below.
Please indicate which style you wish to purchase. These
are only sold as pairs. I have a very limited supply of
all three styles and once these are gone, I don’t expect
to see any more.
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