Waco, TX, June 23, 2014 -- A & S Auction in Waco, Texas, is no stranger to unique Western Americana. For 30 years, the family-owned company has brought the Old West to life for collectors with their expertly produced specialty sales of antiques, firearms, art, and riding gear. Their July 12th Summer Western Auction will feature all that, plus something truly iconic – the Lone Ranger outfit that actor Clayton Moore wore to numerous public appearances after his retirement from television.

After leaving the show, Moore appeared “in character” as The Lone Ranger at state fairs, parades and even high-profile shopping mall openings. He was a striking figure in his powder-blue shirt and pants, red kerchief and Stetson hat. The outfit – designed by the famed Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors of North Hollywood, California – includes black Nudie’s cowboy boots, a hand-tooled and studded buscadero gun rig made by Hollywood’s “silversmith to the stars” Edward H. Bohlin; and custom-made Colt pistols factory-engraved with the serial numbers “LR-1” and “LR-2,” and “Clayton Moore – The Lone Ranger.” The guns are accompanied by an original Colt factory letter that certifies them as having been a special order for Clayton Moore.

Moore passed away in 1999, but his head-turning Lone Ranger costume is now back in the spotlight after more than a decade of careful preservation in the private collection of the late Bob Davis. A Texas businessman, patriot and collector, Davis was museum curator for The Improved Order of Red Men, a fraternal organization founded in 1765 as an offshoot of The Sons of Liberty. The Lone Ranger outfit from the Davis collection will be offered to bidders in four separate lots at the July 12th sale.

In a method known as “sold on the whole bid,” each of the four lots will be auctioned individually and in consecutive order. Then, the auctioneer will reopen bidding for the entire outfit with a starting bid that equals the total of the four previous “winning” bids plus 10 percent.

“If there are no bids at that point, then each of the four individual lots will be considered sold for whatever the hammer prices were. Otherwise, the bidding will continue in normal auction fashion for the whole kit and caboodle. It’s a way of enabling the outfit to remain intact, if possible,” said Scott Franks, owner and auctioneer at A & S Auction.

The 450-lot Summer Western Auction also features silver-mounted and Texas tooled saddles, chaps, and a large selection of tack. A superb collection of spurs is highlighted by custom productions by famous Texas artisans, including Billy Klapper, Lytle & Mower, Jerry Wallace and several giants of spur and bit craftsmanship who are no longer living. The latter artisans include Adolph Bayers, Jerry Cates and Carl D. Hall, who was the oldest living Texas bit and spur maker at the time of his passing in May.

Franks emphasized that the hammer price will be the final selling price on all lots (state sales tax applies, unless buyer is exempt). Also, in keeping with A & S Auction’s standard policy, there will be no reserve or buyer’s premium on any item in the sale.

Bids will be accepted live in the gallery, over the phone (please reserve line in advance) or absentee. Start time: 10 a.m. Central. View the full-color catalog online at www.asauctions.com. For additional information on any lot in the sale, contact A & S Auction at 254-799-6004 or email [email protected].

About A & S Antique Auction:
A & S Antique Auction Company is a family-owned business started 30 years ago. We sell 3000-5000 pieces per year through our 12,000 square foot heated and air-conditioned auction facility in Waco, Texas, the largest such facility in Texas. We have 4 acres of lighted parking. We specialize in beautiful, high-quality American antiques and collectibles in our monthly sales for the discriminating buyer.

Contact:
Scott Franks
A & S Auction
900 East Loop 340
Waco, TX 76716
254-799-6004
[email protected]
http://www.asauctions.com