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If you wish to read the information regarding Spain in he New World scroll down to THE WEST INSEPARABLE. Our items for sale start just below this statement.

SMF024-NEW MEXICO LANCEThis is an old lance from about 1830. The metal blade is 31-1/2 inces long and kind of weak. It appears to have been painted or decorated at some point in time. Given that and its lack of strength, I assume it was porbably used more for ceremonies or rituals than for fighting. The metal is secured to the wood with buffalo hide and wooden pegs. The wooden handle tapers from the blade to the end. The overall length is 87 inches. Unusual item. PRICE: $1450Picture

SMF024ACLOSE UP BLADE Picture

SMF024BBLADE Picture

SMF024CREST OF POLE Picture

SMF024DHIDE WRAP Picture

SMF022-SUIT OF ARMORThis is an intersting suit of armor from the early Spanish Colonial Period. It consists of a breast plate, shoulder armor and helmet. The face , the manikin chest area and stand will also be sent at no extra charge, other than a little increase in the cost of shipping, if the purchaser wants them. . That would be a hot item for a soldier to wear in this hot desert country. PRICE: $6500Picture

SMF022ACLOSE UP Picture

SMF022BSIDE VIEW Picture

SMF022CVIEW OTHER SIDE Picture

SMF022DVIEW OF BACK Picture

SMF022EMANIKIN Picture

SMF022FINSIDE VIEW OF SHOULDER ARMOR Picture

SMF022GOUTSIDE VIEW OF SHOULDER ARMOR Picture

SMF022HBREAST PLATE Picture

SMF022IINSIDE VIEW OF BREAST PLATE Picture

SMF022JHELMET SIDE VIEW Picture

SMF022KHELMET VIEW OTHER SIDE Picture

SMF022LHELMET INSIDE VIEW Picture

SMF022MMASK Picture

SMF021-LANCEThis lance has an overall lengt of 72 inches. The head is 17-1/2 inches long with the two metal pieces coming down the wooden pole for support measuring an additional 12 inches. The head has 5 points. There is scroll work in the metal. The scroll work shows signs of wear. PRICE: $1500Picture

SMF021AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF021BLANDE HEAD ROTATED Picture

SMF021CREST OF WOODEN HANDLE Picture

SMF021DSCROLL WORK ON SUPPORTS Picture

SMF020-COURT SWORDThis is a beautiful Court Sword with gold inlay. It was found in Mexico City. It dates to the period 1620 to 1650. It has scroll work on the blade with gold inlay. The scabbard has a cloth like material over it with a 3/16th wide bold band from the top to the bottom. The material is a dark blue-green in color and appears brighter on some of the pictures that when looking at it It must be caused by the lighting when taking photos. The blade is 33 inches long and the overall length is 39-1/2 inches. The sword and scabbard are in beatuiful condition. PRICE: $2950Picture

SMF020AGRIP Picture

SMF020BOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF020CGRIP END OF BLADE Picture

SMF020DBLADE OUT OF SCABBARD Picture

SMF020ESCROLLS ON BLADE Picture

SMF020FANOTHER VIEW Picture

SMF019-REPUBLIC OF TEXAS CARBINESThis is one of two carbines that are early cut down US marked 1816 muskets. They were cut down in Texas to be used by the Republic of Texas. Have information coming. Other information on their use is in information of the Texas 1841 Expeditiion to New Mexico and the 1842 expedition to Mier, Mexico. Will add information later. This one has the lock markings of Harpers Ferry 1835. This one has a brass tag tacked to the butt stock with the nuber 2 on one side and 54 on the other. They could be a unit and rack number. The other has the lock markings of Springfield 1827. Both were cut down US Model 1816’s. Apparently only Model 1816 parts were found on the site of the location where these would of been cut down. More info to come and will add those detalis and price later. POR

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SMF019A-CLOSE UPPicture

SMF019B-TAG ON STOCKPicture

SMF019CCLOSE UP Picture

SMF019DCLOSE UP OTHER SIDE Picture

SMF018-REPUBLIC OF TEXAS CARBINESThis is one of two carbines that I have that .are early cut down US marked muskets. They were cut down in Texas to be used by the Republic of Texas. An article in the Military Collector & Historian, Fall of 1999, by Bobby J. McKinney and in his book A Search for Texas, The Revolution-the Republic -the Relics, 1836-1846, discusses the finds at Fort Velasco, Port West Bernard Armory and the relics of the Battle of San Jacinto, discuss how the Armory modified US muskets for use for the Texas Republic. Other information on their use is in information of the Texas 1841 Expeditiion to New Mexico and the 1842 expedition to Mier, Mexico. . This one has the lock markings of Springfiled 1827. It is a cut down US Model 1816. Apparently only Model 1816 parts were found on the site of the location where these would of been cut down. This item came for a collection of of early Texas Republic Items Interesting Historuical item. PRICE:$4500

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SMF018A-CLOSE UPPicture

SMF018B-OTHER SIDEPicture

SMF018CCLOSE UP OTHER SIDE Picture

SMF017-TEXAS MADE SIDEHAMMERThis is an attractive sidehammer rifle home made in Texas. This is an item purchased from a collection of items from an old time collection in Texas. PRICE: $1800

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SMF017-CLOSE UPPicture

SMF017B-SIDE HAMMER LOCKPicture

SMF017COTHER SIDE Picture

SMF017D-CLOSE UP OTHER SIDEPicture

SMF017ECHECK REST Picture

SMF014-SOMBREROThis is a beautiful sombrero. We acquired this item at the Colorado Gun Collectors Show in Denver the first part of May. After we acquired the item we just left it setting on one of our tables. An attendee came be and commented on the Sombrero. It said it obviously had belonged to a man of means. We wondered why. He said the hat was made with a material around the brim and that appeared to have a lot of gold thread. In additon there were two hat bands, one of top of the other. Those hat bands had a lot of gold thread. He said in Spanish those bands were called galieons (do not know proper spelling but that is pretty close how he pronouned the word) The wealthier the person the more gold thread and number of galieons (hat bands). He said that is where the the term 10 gallon hat came from (close to 10 galieon). He indicated this was all described on a display at a State Historical Museum is Santa Fe. We found this interesting and had not heard that before. I assume it to be true. PRICE: $1500

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SMF014-CLOSE UP HAT BAND (GALIEON)Picture

SMF014B-VIEW FROM BACKPicture

SMF014COTHER SIDE Picture

SMF014D-BOTTOM VIEWPicture

SMF014ETHREADS ON BOTTOM OF BRIM Picture

SMF013-EXCAVATED DAGGERThis is a dug up dagger from the 15th or 16th Century. It was obviously excavated at some point in time.. The blade is 6-1/2 inches and overall length is 10 inches. It has a wooden handle with a metal tip. The handle may have been wraped with a wire like material.. PRICE: $1250

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SMF013AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF013BCLOSE UP[ Picture

SMF012-RONDELL DAGGERThis is a very attractive dagger from the 15th or 16th Century. It has a brass handle and spear point blade. THe blade is 7-1/4 inches and overall length is 12 inches. It has a circular guard 2-1/4 inches in diameter. A very neat dagger. PRICE: $1250

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SMF012ADAGGER STANDING ON POINT SIDE Picture

SMF012BHANDLE Picture

SMF011-LARGE CALIBER GALLEY MOLDThis is a neat old galley mold that can make 8 bullet balls at one time. The bullet would measure 5/8th of an inch or approximately 60 caliber. It is made of brass and has a neat hook to keep it closed when in use. It has a little hook like it could be carried on the belt. The handles are made of wood. A neat item. PRICE: $750Picture

SMF011AHOOK Picture

SMF011BBOTTOM VIEW Picture

SMF011CINSIDE VIEW OF MOLD Picture

SMF011DSECOND INSIDE VIEW OF MOLD Picture

SMF010-COLONIAL PERIOD FLASKThis is a neat flask from the colorial period. It measures 6-1/2 inches tall including the screw in stopper. It is made of a horn like material. Overall in very good shape. PRICE $385Picture

SMF010-OTHER SIDEPicture

SMF010B-INITIALS ON FLASKPicture

SMF010CBOTTOM OF FLASK Picture

SMF005-SPANISH ESC0PETAThis escopeta has a 35-1/2 inch part round, part octagon 75 caliber barrel and checkering on the grip area of the stock. Its overall length is 53 inches. It has a Madrid style stock and percussion lock. There are markings on the barrel and an attractive inlay in the stock. PRICE: $2400Picture

SMF005AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF005BLOCK Picture

SMF005CSTOCK IN FRONT OF LOCK Picture

SMF005DBUTTSTOCK Picture

SMF005EMARKINGS ON BARREL Picture

SMF005FSLING UNDER BARREL Picture

SMF005GMUZZLE END Picture

SMF004-SPANISH ESC0PETA FOUND IN TUCSONThis is an interesting Spanish Colonial Style carbine that was found in an old Tucson Collection. The Prescido’s in Tubac and Tucson were estabilished in the mid to late 1700’s. The carbine was converted from Miquelet to percussion with catalan syle stock and bell-mouth muzzle. The barrel is inlaid “Sn Jorge el. Batallador Es De Alcoy el Defensor” with portrait of soldier at the breech and crossed flags halfway down the barrel. This type of carbine would have been used in the Southwest. Interesting item from the the Spanish Colonial Period. PRICE: $2750Picture

SMF004AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF004BLOCK Picture

SMF004CSTOCK IN FRONT OF LOCK Picture

SMF00DMARKINGS ON BARREL Picture

SMF004EMARKINGS ON BARREL Picture

SMF004FMUZZLE Picture

SMF004GANOTHER PHOTO OF FIREARM Picture

SMF003-SPANISH STRIKER COMBINATION TOOL .This tool measures 5-3/4 inches in length, and is 5-1/2 inches wide on the arc. It has an interesting design. PRICE: $895Picture

SMF003AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF003BCLOSE UP DESIGN Picture

SMF002-SPANISH STRIKER COMBINATION TOOLThis tool measures 4-1/2 inches in length, and is 4-1/2 inches wide on the arc. It has an interesting plain design. PRICE: $650Picture

SMF002AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF002BCLOSE UP DESIGN Picture

SMF001-SPANISH STRIKER COMBINATION TOOL This tool measures 4-3/4 inches in length, not counting the length of the ring. It is 4 inches wide on the arc. It has an interesting design. PRICE: $675Picture

SMF001AOTHER SIDE Picture

SMF001BCLOSE UP DESIGN Picture

THE WEST INSEPARABLE

When Spain was ousted by their Mexican Colonist in the New World, they left behind a three hundred year history of exploration, conquest and settlement that included Florida, portions of South Eastern United States and a much larger version of today’s Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

It is little known or understood that colonial Spain backed our war for independence against the British with money, provisions and Spanish lives. But they soon realized this young, independent power called the United States, “was active, industrious and aggressive and it would be an unpardonable error not to take all the necessary steps to check their territorial advance.”

That error was committed. By 1797, American squatters made up half the population of Spanish Louisiana before Spain gave it back to France. Texas was next. In the last months of Spanish rule, the royal government offered land grants to responsible Americans in hopes they would fend off the lawless ’dregs and castoffs’ of frontier society crashing Texas’s borders.

The new Republic of Mexico, of 1821, initially embraced Spain’s settlement policy in Texas and allowed commerce to flow across the plains from St. Louis to New Mexico via the Santa Fe Trail. Within three decades, through revolution, war and treaty, the United States had broken Mexico’s hold on its northern most provinces. The voice of Spanish-Mexican West and the events that led up to was silenced.

Hollywood, from Tom Mix to John Wayne, (with the exception of Zorro), reduced three and a half centuries of heavy western drama to a few decades of cattle drives, Indian depredations, cavalry charges, outlaw banditry and possies to the rescue. It appears that version of the West is branded on America’s collective consciousness.

But the West becomes considerably more interesting by laminating the Spanish, Mexican and American Experience; same geography, different times and perspectives. Few know that the Spanish sent soldiers from Santa Fe across the plains to intercept Lewis and Clark and arrest them on the Missouri River, but missed the expedition coming and going. And the Texans had the Mexican Army trapped in the Alamo in 1835 and let them surrender and depart.

As the Americans took the Oregon Trail to settle the West in the third decade of the 19th century, Santa Fe had been thriving since1610; Tuscon, 1700; Albuquerque, 1706; San Antonio, 1718; and San Diego, 1769. For English discoverers to have gone toe to toe with the Spanish penetration into the unknown, they should have traveled from Plymouth Rock to Colorado in twenty years and have established Denver within ninety years.

The point is simple. Those of Hispanic background should know they invested in the birth of our Country--that the foot slogging American Indian hunter rode to the height of his culture of the backs of Spanish horses and the American Cowboy received centuries of cattle management from the Spanish and Mexican Vaquero. There is more to the story and it belongs to us all in common heritage.

For the Western Collector, the Spanish Mexican Frontier expands the narrow band of collecting filled with Colt pistols, Winchester rifles, and Bowie knives (mostly English). Available is a cross section of fascinating arms and armor and related items used by the Spanish in conquest and settlement in a multitude of variations and character.

Cultural and ethnographic material encompasses the stuff of everyday life, in many mediums down through the centuries. Items of furniture fine art, folk art, ranching, and equestrian, agricultural, culinary and architectural and the list goes on.

There are a remarkable number of books and scholarly articles on exploration, adventure, expansion and settlement, historical biographies, ethno-history, historical archaeology and geography.

This Spanish Mexicon Frontier site offers history, information, books, and items for sale. It also offers a larger perspective that history binds us together whether we like it or not. What we do today determines tomorrow. The study of the past is the solution to the future. Look at our choices. It must work. We thought we should define a few of the terms we will be using.

The CLASSIC ESCOPETA is of Spanish or Mexican manufacture and is described as a lightweight, smooth-bore musket of varying lengths, usually of large caliber and used a MIQUELET flintlock system to ignite the charge. Buttstocks, (the end of that is placed against the shoulder), came in two varieties, i.e., the CATALONIAN, with its basic hooked shape and the MADRID, rectangular often with elongated grooves or furrows down its length. On the frontier, stocks used or damaged were often replaced to the individual taste of the re-stocker creating an interesting array of firearms.