#208 • Northern Plains Blackfoot Tacked knife Sheath Ex: Paxson Family Collection

Part of The Ray Howser Firearms Collection, 1931-2026 (timed auction by Lewis & Grant Auctions)

Starting at $1,000.00

Status: Available

Live bidding starts Nov 20, 2026 10:00 AM EST

An extraordinarily rare and historically significant late 19th-century Native American bridle leather knife sheath, complete with an attached, integrally tacked small awl scabbard. Constructed from heavy, dark bridle leather, the sheath is profusely embellished with traditional brass tacks along the borders and face, a hallmark decorative technique highly favored by Plains and Plateau tribes during the frontier period. This piece boasts a magnificent, ironclad provenance, having been originally collected by the celebrated American frontier artist Edwin S. Paxson (1852–1919). Famous for his monumental historical masterworks—such as Custer's Dearborn Fight and Lewis and Clark at Three Forks —Paxson meticulously amassed a world-class reference collection of authentic Native American artifacts inside his Montana studio to ensure absolute historical accuracy in his paintings. This piece has been preserved directly within the family estate until its recent release. Genuine, frontier-era tacked leatherwork of this caliber is exceedingly difficult to find on the market, particularly when paired with such a distinguished and ironclad artistic pedigree. Provenance: Ex Paxson Family Collection.