E r bits and spurs11/19/2023 ![]() ![]() Stumbled upon your site while surfing the net and I had no idea Ed Blanchard was so collectible. We recently received this addition to Ed Blanchard's tale from someone who was there: The number-four style is the only one that has chap guards.īlanchard continued to make spurs into his 80s and died in Kingman, Arizona on January 17, 1982. His design eliminated the need for "tie-downs" to keep the spurs in place. Short shanks and wide heel bands are also a definite mark of Blanchard's style. One unique feature of most of Blanchard's spurs is the angled swinging style of the button. Blanchard produced high-quality stainless steel spurs using an acetylene torch. Stainless steel is an extremely difficult metal to work with. He also made spurs using stainless steel beginning around 1946. The spurs are expertly crafted and today's working cowboys still really like the way the spur fits a boot.īlanchard's work evolved over time from forged one-piece spurs to welded, polished spurs. Some also made their way into southern Colorado and to Texas and Montana. Walls Pharmaceutical Company gave the spurs as premiums to medicine buyers in the state's cattle feedlots.īlanchard's spurs were popular in Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California. Porter's Saddle Company of Phoenix, Arizona carried Blanchard spurs in their store. The AZ markings can be dated as being made after 1963, the year the United States Post Office instituted two letter state abbreviations to go with the new zip code system. Custom-made spurs were sometimes marked differently, often without style numbers, and many have silver or brass overlay decoration in the form of designs or brands.ĭuring Blanchard's time in Arizona, he marked spurs with the state abbreviations ARIZ and AZ. ![]() ![]() Apparently, many of his early spurs were unmarked. Since all Blanchard's spurs were hand crafted, some stamping differences and errors were made. BLANCHARD YUCCA ARIZ (or other place name) in all capital letters. The spurs are usually marked inside the heel band with one of six style numbers.2,3,4,5,6,8 and PS for plain steel, SS for stainless steel, or TS for tempered (or tool) steel and E.F. He told a journalist in 1962 that he made 350 pairs a year. It is said he could make a pair of spurs a day. He made most of his spurs while he lived in Yucca, Arizona. Later, around 1959, he sold his ranch, moved closer to town, and became strictly a spur maker. He bought a 20-section ranch 45 miles southeast of there on the Bill Williams River. Blanchard moved to Yucca, Arizona area in 1953. ![]()
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