Old Possible bag and horn

[Eric Krewson]

I had a great friend who gave me everything he had related to B/P on his deathbed, guns, bags and horns that he made and this vintage possible bag and horn.

He said once that they were original period pieces and another time that they were from the 20s. He said the masterfully done rawhide stitching on the bag would be recognizable to someone. The other stitching appears to be flax, one of the beaded decorations is gone from the flap, the patch knife is original to the bag. Overall the bag is in poor condition and very fragile, most of the fringe has fallen off. The bag is stuffed with news paper from the early 90s and has a few remnants of modern fowler wads in it.

The patch knife was made from an old straight razor.

Anybody recognise anything familiar about these two pieces?







The horn may or may not go with the bag, I don't think it does. It has an interesting spout and is worm eaten near the plug.

[Tanselman]

The pieces look like well-made 20th century interpretations of these items. The horn is "relatively" new based on the modern plug style and domed head brass nails used in construction, despite its bug bites. The bag appears to be well constructed, but more in the style of a 20th century purse than a 19th century hunting bag. All well done, but I'd think maybe 1950s-1960s era. Shelby Gallien

[Eric Krewson]

I think the bag is older than the 50s the leather is rotten and falling apart. The bags my friend gave me were from the 60s and early 70s and haven't deteriorated at all.

Here is an example of one that my friend made;

[Hungry Horse]

 To me these pieces scream 1950’s the whip stitched edging on the bag, the egg noodle fringe, and the general size, all point to mid twentieth century to me. I think some of the components are older, but represent frugal repurposing no doubt.

  Hungry Horse

[Eric Krewson]

You are probably right, my friend was a bit of a story teller at times but such a great friend to think of me on his deathbed when he was dying from cancer. He said, "you are the only one I know who will use and appreciate my guns and accessories so they are yours now".

[mountainman70]

Eric, my late Marine bro did the same for me. We had spent many campfires togather over 36 years. It is an honor to be so well thought of. Good lookin ol bag n horn. Have a great evening. Dave F

[Notchy Bob]

The adjustable spout on the powderhorn looks like the one Mark B. Burnham invented, and marketed via ads in Muzzle Blasts in the fifties and sixties.  My dad had one, and my brother still has it.  Last time I saw it, the old horn had a lot of bug damage.

The bag reminds me of those made and sold by Harry Merklee, who also advertised in Muzzle Blasts throughout the sixties and into the early seventies.  I had one of his bags, years ago.  It had similar "rawhide" binding around the edge of the flap and a horizontal wooden toggle, similar to the one in the photo.  If I remember correctly, Harry would add beaded rosettes at extra cost.  I don't remember the exact design of the beadwork he used, though.  Rosettes similar to those were and still are available from Indian craft/hobbyist suppliers.  My pouch had a similar square-bottomed knife sheath with a side flap like that one, also, but my sheath was affixed to the strap.  The "patch knife" that was provided by Mr. Merklee was a cheap wood-handled skiving knife, available from Tandy.  Your antler-handled knife with the straight-razor blade looks like a home-made or custom job.  I think those were popular during that same era (1950's - early 70's), also.

I believe my bag was made of "latigo" leather, alum tanned and heavily oiled when new.  Bootlaces cut from it are usually marketed as "rawhide."  Probably the most over-rated leather ever sold.  It is very prone to mildew, and I recall having to clean my pouch frequently.  It corroded the nickel-plated buckles that were on the strap. So, the rot may not be indicative of extreme age.  I think in time people became aware of the shortcomings of this type of leather, and moved to the more durable and less corrosive bark tanned leather, now generally marketed as "veg tan."  That's probably why your other bags have held up so much better... A different type of leather.

However, that period of time, the 1950's through early 70's, was sort of a "Great Awakening" in muzzleloading.  New replacement parts and mass produced replicas of historic firearms began to be available, and more hobbyists were starting to build their own guns.  Reenactment, in my opinion, was a very new concept, and the resources we have now, and accessibility to published resources, were simply unavailable at the time.  I was a child in the 1950's but became an avid reader of my dad's gun magazines by the time I was in the third grade.  Costuming goals for muzzleloading shooters at that time mirrored the outfits seen in Disney's "Davy Crockett."  Minnetonka moccasins were perfectly acceptible, judging from photos in the magazines. A lot of the gear and accoutrements from that time look "kitschy" to us now, but the sport we enjoy these days was built on the foundation laid by those folks 50-65 years ago.  I think your friend's bag and horn are collectibles in their own right, as representative of that time.  You are lucky to have them. 

Best regards,

Notchy Bob