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RecentIy, I got an email that went something like this…
Hi Jennifer … I have five pair of Ray Jones Boots in original boxes almost new!!! One pair worn once!! Any ideas on how to market these to collectors?
Now, Ray Jones (Lampasas, TX) is one of those bootmakers who never used labels. That said, I can usually tell a Ray Jones boot just by looking at it. And so can you….
The photos above show boots in 2 stitch patterns …that’s one more than I thought Ray had (just kidding.)
Look for white piping up the sides, regardless of the color of the boot. That’s a central Texas thing, from Lampasas …up to the Panhandle
Ray Jones signature toe stitching or “toebug.” Wide arrowhead tongue shape.
Mr. Jones has been called the “King of the Pegs.” He was known to use as many as 300 pegs per pair. Turn a boot over and look for 3 rows of pegs along the arch.
And, finally Ray Jones boots are visually “sturdy,” not tough…sturdy. The have what I call a “standy-uppy” quality that other boots don’t seem to have, even after 30 years. Legend has it, if you manage to take apart a Ray Jones boot top …there might be 1 to 3 layers of brown paper stuck between the leather. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
Remember, when you can’t find a label in a vintage cowboy boot, you want to look for the story. One like this…
I purchased these boots from the original owner in Texas who cherished them. Kept them in the original boxes and wore them very few times!! It was a rare chance to purchase them and hear how he saved up to buy Jones Boots every year or two because of the long waiting lists in Lampasas. He told me Mrs. Jones would sign the inside boot tops with the customers name in her script. One of these boots which has a Lampasas, Texas postmark on the box (Aug. 1981) was signed …… Jones & Ray Jones bootmakers in Lampasas, Texas. I have never seen that in a RJ Boot before? Their were no labels in a RJ Boot nor a label on his boot boxes.
These boots will be showing up on eBay soon. Keep an eye on the seller’s listings.
Best of luck on your bidding. They are beautiful boots.
If you don’t know the storyline… four years after surviving a bullet in the head, the Bride (Uma Thurman) emerges from a coma and swears revenge on her former boss and his deadly squad of international assassins. In one of her many misadventures, the Bride is buried alive…in a graveyard, in a lonely dark pine box, under six feet of dirt.
Lucky for her, she was buried with her boots on…and I’ve gotten quite a bit of e-mail from women wanting a pair just like ‘em. So help me out here…use the comments section below. What can we tell from this valuable copyright-infringing clip?
Eagle inlaid on a two-piece top, right?
Star inlay at the collar.
Two rows of stitching on the eagle-wing inlay …or just one?
Who’s the maker do ya think? (I couldn’t see a label inside the boot. Can you?)
“It is with regret that we officially announce OSU-Okmulgee’s decision to close our Shoe, Boot & Saddle program of study. NO new students will be accepted for enrollment this spring 2005, and SBS technical courses will be offered only through December 2005.” (Source)
Yes, the rumors are true…Oklahoma State is closing it’s Boot & Saddlemaking Program*, but all is not lost. I spoke with longtime instructor Mike DeWitt today and he tells me the program will be moved to nearby Green Country Technology Center.
You can contact the Center at (918) 758-0840.
Details will follow, but students will begin their courses in August 2005.
Mr. DeWitt thinks the move will benefit both the program and its new students. The program will be housed in a brand new building …custom-built to meet its instructional and equipment needs. And students will no longer be burdened with general education requirements like history, math and speech classes.
Mike DeWitt has agreed to follow the program to its new location…at least long enough to make sure it gets off to a good strong start.
*OSU-Okmulgee’s Boot & Saddle program is the only one of it’s kind remaining in the United States.
Alumni of the OSU program include:
Brian C. Thomas (Abilene, TX)
James “Smitty” Smith (Beggs, OK)
Lee Miller (Austin, TX)
Glenderson Daly (San Antonio,TX)
If you would like to add names to this list, please use the “comments” link below.
1. Always make an appointment! Many bootmakers have their shops at home. Business hours vary greatly…for good and for bad.
2. Ask if there are photos or cowboy boots in the shop for you to see. When bootmakers know you’re coming sometimes they can hold on to a finished pair for a little while before shipping them out. I’ve been places where the only boots in the shop were the ones on the bootmaker’s feet.
3.Don’t do too much drinkin’ or dancin’ the night before your visit. If your feet are unusually swollen it will interfere with your measurments. (This can go for long airplane rides as well.) Most people like afternoon appointments because it’s often a “happy medium” for boot fit.
4. Bring your checkbook. Relatively few bootmakers take credit cards. Most often when you buy a pair of custom cowboy boots you’ll be asked to pay half the amount at the time of the order, and the rest when your boots are finished.
5. Wear clean socks. Pick a pair similar to the ones you are planning on wearing with your boots. Your foot measurements will be taken with your pant legs pulled up and your socks on.
6. Put the bootmaker’s phone number on your cell phone’s speed dial …some bootshops are really “off the beaten path.”
7. Be honest with the bootmaker and respectful of their time. In one-person shops all bootmaking stops when you walk in the door. If you are just stopping by to say “howdy” and look at their work…make it a short visit. Bootmakers will gladly take your measurements if you’re a serious customer, but staying two hours, getting fitting and planning out a pair of boot that you never order …just isn’t cool.
PHOTO: After 15 years of bootmaking, Brian Thomas has just opened his shop in Abilene, Texas. Better act fast before his waitlist gets too long! Contact Mr. Thomas at B17CREWDOG@aol.com (…or phone 325-672-2344.)
Buy a brand new pair that fits you right…then put your boots on the feet of a seven year old, give ‘em a box of chalk and tell ‘em to go draw on the sidewalk. Anyone feelin’ queasy yet? …there’s more.
If you want to take matters into your own hands, you can rub a piece of sandpaper along the boots “bumpers”…this includes the top of your boot toes, the boot leather right above the heel, and along the outside of your boot near your little toe. Sometimes you’ll find wear marks on the top and inside of your foot (the vamp) if your foot’s in a stirrup…or the back of your boot heel if your foot rests on a gas pedal.
Be creative! …try dance floors, car repair…tell your barista she can keep the lid. It’s alright to run your car over your boot tops, but not the foot of your boot. Almost always you’ll end up crushing the toe box.
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