James Oscar “J.O.” Bass forged bits and spurs for working cowboys, Texas Rangers and customers far beyond the Texas Panhandle. His surviving maker marks, numbered pieces and work-journal records give collectors an unusual amount of evidence for studying authentic Bass pieces. This collector guide explains how to read those clues, compare documented examples and distinguish genuine J.O. Bass work from pieces merely made in the Bass style.
James Oscar Bass was born March 19, 1879, in Atlanta, Georgia. His family moved to Texas while he was a boy and eventually settled near Quitaque in the Panhandle.
In 1897, at age eighteen, Bass opened a blacksmith shop in Quitaque and began producing equipment for local ranchers and cowboys. His work earned a reputation beyond the immediate area: the Texas Historical Commission records orders extending to Montana and Nevada as well as customers among the Texas Rangers and Western movie star Tom Mix.
Bass later moved his operation to Tulia, Texas, where bit and spur making became a larger part of his business. He continued making Western gear until retiring his tools in 1924.
In 1914, Bass won the Metallurgy Award at the Texas State Fair for an elaborate pair of gal-leg spurs decorated with inlaid and overlaid gold and silver.
Bass died February 3, 1950. His craftsmanship remains closely associated with Texas bit-and-spur collecting, and his surviving work-journal records and museum records provide unusually useful evidence for identifying his work.
Published sources do not completely agree on the exact year J.O. Bass moved his operation from Quitaque to Tulia.
The Texas Historical Commission places the move in 1902. A former Swisher County Museum director placed it between 1902 and 1904, Jane Pattie’s Cowboy Spurs and Their Makers gives 1905, and Bass’s 1950 obituary states that the Bass family moved to Tulia in 1906.
Because those sources differ, this guide uses “early 1900s” when discussing the transition rather than presenting one disputed year as universally settled.
Bass’s surviving work-journal records provide another useful clue: published reporting on the journals says the last Quitaque spur entry was No. 165 and the first Tulia entry was No. 166.
Published Bass research describes early Quitaque spurs marked with J.O. BASS and QUITAQUE, TEX. on the shanks.
One documented early pair, No. 103, carries the number on top of the shanks, with J.O. BASS on one side and QUITAQUE, TEX. on the other.
Early Quitaque examples are often comparatively plain, reflecting Bass’s first years making working cowboy gear.
After moving to Tulia, Bass commonly marked his spurs with wording such as:
NO. ___ MADE BY J.O. BASS TULIA, TEX.
Jane Pattie’s research, as reported by the Plainview Herald, says Bass normally stamped Tulia spurs on the outside of the inside heel band of the right spur, although both spurs were occasionally marked.
Some pieces also carry an owner’s name or date applied with individual letter dies.
Our examples No. 290 and No. 400 both use the Tulia maker wording.
Bass pieces often carry a number alongside the maker mark. Those numbers are extremely useful collector references — but the surviving evidence indicates they should not be treated as unique serial numbers assigned to one individual object.
Published reporting indicates that the same number could appear on multiple pairs of spurs: Jane Pattie quotes Dwight Huber of Canyon, whose father recalled seeing orders in which the same numbers appeared on several pairs. That evidence supports the collector interpretation that Bass numbers functioned as pattern or style references rather than unique serial numbers.
That distinction matters. No. 400, for example, appears on multiple documented Bass pairs. That evidence shows the number was not unique to one individual pair.
Published evidence reported by Jane Pattie supports treating the numbers as pattern/style references rather than unique serial numbers.
The work journals are still extremely valuable. Bass recorded numbered bits and spurs along with descriptions, original customers and, in many cases, prices. Comparing a numbered object with the surviving ledger information can provide important authentication evidence.
Published reporting on the Bass work journals held by the Swisher County Museum notes that Bass’s final recorded Quitaque pair was No. 165 and the first recorded Tulia pair was No. 166.
This does not turn every Bass number into a precise calendar date. The ledger entries themselves are not dated, and the same number could be reused.
Instead, the 165/166 transition provides useful historical context when comparing surviving marks, locations and journal entries.
Bass’s surviving work-journal records provide unusually useful evidence for collectors studying his bits and spurs.
Copies of the journals are preserved through the Swisher County Museum. Published accounts describe entries containing the number and description of bits and spurs, often accompanied by the original purchaser and original selling price.
Museum staff have used those records to help evaluate whether surviving Bass pieces correspond with documented work.
The journals are powerful evidence, but they are not a shortcut. Numbers were reused, entries are not dated, and condition or later alterations still need to be evaluated on the physical object.
One of the most recognizable Bass traditions is the heart-shaped swinging button decorated with half silver and half copper. Published Bass research says Bass used this treatment on many Tulia-made spurs, while the heart-button form itself dated back to his earlier work.
Our No. 400 pair is a direct example.
Early Bass spurs are described as having a relatively straight profile, long shank, narrow squared heel band and swinging buttons.
Published accounts describe Bass forging his spurs from one piece of steel.
Bass used silver and copper decoration, brands, initials and custom treatments. His 1914 award-winning gal-leg spurs incorporated both inlay and overlay work in precious metals.
Bass’s 1912 catalog described his bits as forged from one solid piece of steel without a brad or weld in the principal construction. His designs emphasized practical cowboy use as well as craftsmanship.
Bass also patented a curb bridle-bit design. U.S. Patent No. 1,167,541 was issued January 11, 1916, and a copy is preserved by the Swisher County Museum.
Bass received the Metallurgy Award at the 1914 Texas State Fair for a pair of gal-leg spurs decorated with extensive gold and silver inlay and overlay.
Published Bass research identifies the design as style No. 249 in his 1912 catalog.
The award illustrates an important point about Bass: his reputation was built on durable cowboy gear, but his craftsmanship also extended into highly decorated exhibition-quality work.
We have handled a useful comparison piece: a pair titled Bass Style Card Suit Theme Spurs, SKU WTP.SP165.
Those spurs use visual details associated with Bass — including card-suit decoration and heart-shaped buttons — but we explicitly identify the maker as unknown.
This is an important collector lesson: a Bass-like pattern, heart button or decorative theme does not by itself establish J.O. Bass authorship.
Style is not a maker mark.
Authentication should consider the actual Bass hallmark, number and ledger evidence, construction, age, provenance and condition.
Record the exact wording of the mark, including whether it references Quitaque or Tulia.
Record the number exactly, but do not assume it is a unique serial number. Compare it with documented Bass numbers, published pattern references and ledger information when possible.
On Tulia spurs, published research commonly describes the maker mark on the right spur’s heel band, although exceptions exist.
Examine heel-band shape, shank profile, rowels, buttons, silver/copper work and whether all components appear consistent with the piece’s claimed period.
Family history, photographs, auction records, museum/ledger references and owner names or dates stamped on a spur can materially strengthen identification.
This guide is intended as a collector reference and is not a substitute for physical examination or professional authentication.
We have handled Bass bits and spurs spanning early Quitaque material, numbered Tulia examples and later collector references. Our historical product-page prices are labeled separately from confirmed auction results.
Circa 1920s — our dating
Confirmed auction result: Sold for $4,000 (Buy It Now)
SKU WTP.SP091
NO. 400 MADE BY J.O. BASS TULIA, TEX.Rowels replaced, per our auction listing.
We later sold this pair for $4,000 using the Buy It Now option.
Early 1900s — our dating
Our historical listing price: $1,200
SKU WTP.BIT096
NO. 290 MADE BY J.O. BASS TULIA, TEX.Our dating: 1897
Our historical product-page price: $2,500
SKU BIT055
We later offered this piece in our May 16, 2020 auction with an estimate of $1,500–$2,500. The lot passed and did not sell.
Our historical listing price: $1,500
SKU WTP.SP165
These spurs use card-suit decoration, etched heart buttons and visual details associated with Bass-style work, but we identify the maker as unknown.
They are included here as a comparison example — not as an authenticated J.O. Bass pair.
View Comparison ExampleAuction results vary significantly with pattern, condition, originality, provenance and decoration. The examples below are documented sales, not a price guide or guarantee of value.
| Example | Auction | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 400 J.O. Bass Spurs | Heritage Auctions — June 14, 2015 | Sold: $3,875 (incl. buyer’s premium) | Original maker-marked, silver-overlaid No. 400 J.O. Bass spurs with 2 1/2-inch drop shanks and 9-point, 2-inch rowels. Heritage archive |
| Rare No. 1650 J.O. Bass Spurs | Heritage Auctions — June 14, 2015 | Sold: $2,250 (incl. buyer’s premium) | A maker-marked pair of J.O. Bass No. 1650 spurs documented by Heritage Auctions. Heritage archive |
| Large J.O. Bass Spurs — No. 1641 | New Frontier Western Auctions — July 21, 2018 | Sold: $9,750 (hammer) | Estimate: $4,500–$6,500. iCollector record |
Two Bass pieces carrying the same Bass number can differ materially in value.
Collectors also consider: originality, replaced or missing mountings, rowels, straps, repairs, wear, engraving, provenance and overall condition.
No. 400 appears on multiple surviving pairs, reinforcing the evidence that Bass numbers were reused and should not be treated as unique object identifiers.
The Texas Historical Commission records that Bass’s customers extended beyond local Panhandle ranchers. Orders reached other states and included Texas Rangers as well as Western movie star Tom Mix.
This wider clientele helped make the Bass name part of both working-cowboy history and later Western collecting.
The Swisher County Museum in Tulia preserves an important part of the Bass story. Published reporting describes a recreated Bass blacksmith shop containing many of his original tools, along with copies of the Bass work journals used to study and compare surviving pieces.
J.O. Bass work was featured in the W.K. Gordon Center exhibition “Texas Spurs and the Artists Who Created Them” (June 12, 2021–January 30, 2022).
In 2016, the Texas Historical Commission erected an official historical marker for the J.O. Bass Blacksmith Shop in Tulia.
The marker records Bass’s 1879 birth, 1897 Quitaque shop, work for ranchers, Texas Rangers and Tom Mix, 1914 State Fair award, 1924 retirement and 1950 death.
We periodically handle J.O. Bass bits and spurs through both our shop and auction platform. Inventory changes, so use our live product and auction pages for current availability rather than relying on a permanent article to state what is in stock today.
If you own a J.O. Bass bit, pair of spurs or related Western gear and are considering selling or consigning it, we can review the piece and its history.
Before contacting us, photograph:
James Oscar Bass was a Texas blacksmith and bit-and-spur maker born in 1879. He opened a shop in Quitaque in 1897, later worked in Tulia and retired from spur making in 1924.
Published sources disagree. The Texas Historical Commission gives 1902, while other published accounts place the move between 1902 and 1906. This guide therefore uses “early 1900s” for the transition.
It is a documented Bass maker mark associated with his Tulia-period work. Surviving examples often include a number before the wording.
Published reporting indicates that the same number could be used on multiple pieces: Jane Pattie quotes Dwight Huber, whose father recalled orders in which the same numbers appeared on several pairs of spurs. For that reason, some Bass experts treat the numbers as pattern or style references rather than unique serial numbers.
Published reporting on Bass’s work journals identifies No. 165 as the last recorded Quitaque spur entry and No. 166 as the first Tulia entry. They provide useful transition context, although the ledger entries are not dated.
Many Bass spurs use heart-shaped swinging buttons, and a half-silver / half-copper treatment became one of the most recognizable Bass decorative traditions.
Published maker histories describe Bass forging his spurs from one piece of steel and finishing them by hand.
Yes. U.S. Patent No. 1,167,541 for a curb bridle-bit design was issued January 11, 1916.
The Texas Historical Commission records Tom Mix among Bass’s customers, along with Texas Rangers and cowboys beyond Texas.
No. We have handled Bass-style spurs whose maker is explicitly unknown. Decorative similarity is not the same thing as a documented Bass maker mark.
They can provide valuable evidence because the journals record numbered work and descriptions, but authentication should still consider the complete object, mark, construction, condition and provenance.
The Swisher County Museum in Tulia preserves a recreated Bass blacksmith shop, original tools and copies of his work journals. Texas also recognizes the J.O. Bass Blacksmith Shop with an official historical marker.
We handle collectible Western gear through our shop and auctions. Use the Sell or Consign link on this page to contact us.