Description:

ORNATE INDIAN HORSE BIT FROM THE LITTLE BIG HORN BATTLEFIELD
A superb relic recovered from the site of the destruction of Gen. George A. Custer and his immediate command, a silver inlaid Mexican-made horse bit, undoubtedly owned and used by a higher-ranking Indian leader participating in the history-making battle. The bit itself measures 6 5/8 in. long and 5.5 in. wide, the outside arms decorated with inset bars of silver. Fittings on the bit are jury rigged, and include a simple repurposed chain with hook and two nails, each bent into an 'S'. This bit, one of the finest such relics we've seen, was discovered ca. 1910 by Oscar Dancey, a worker who laid track for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad who frequented the Little Big Horn Battlefield in the early 1910s. Provenance is provided in the form of a signed letter of provenance and additional descriptive information from Dancey's grandson Stephen R. Dancey, a former Master Sergeant with the Illinois State Police, a seasonal Park Ranger at the Little Big Horn battlefield, and author, historian, and lecturer. Dancey relates that his grandfather, Oscar Dancey (b. 1888) was fascinated with history and knew several members of the Hickok family, eventually buying relics from them. In 1903 Oscar traveled with Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show, and in 1907 went to work for the railroad. It was then that he recovered this artifacts at the scene of the battle, and met with some of the Indian survivors as well. A wonderful, solid piece.

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June 16, 2023 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$100 $499 $20
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$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000