He Wrote The Book On Bridle Bits

He Wrote The Book On Bridle Bits AG WORLD FARM SHOW reader and veterinarian Gerhard A Malm started collecting bridle bits in 1961 He was on his back delivering a breech calf when he noticed about 40 bridle bits lined up at the top of the barn wall When he finished his work he asked if he might purchase some of them “Take them ” the farmer told him “They’ve been hanging there for more than 40 years ” Malm selected about 10 of the bits to begin a collection that eventually grew to more than 800 He also has about 600 copies of patents for bits along with other collectables His bits’ values range from $100 to $3 500 and are between 100 and 3 000 years old The newer ones were made in the U S For example Malm has a military dragoon bit from 1840 among his 15 military bits which date from pre-Civil War to the end of the horse cavalry Older Chinese bits date back to the Han Dynasty 220 B C to 200 A D When eBay first started Malm purchased them through a New Zealand dealer He was fortunate to get them because about a decade ago China banned them from being sold out of the country Malm says he gets $300 to $400 for his Chinese bits He also made connections with a dealer from Jordan for bits that date back to 1200 to 500 B C from northern Iran They are sandcast bronze and Malm has three of them two with animal figures and another with a geometric design Some bits come with certificates of authentication and Malm has a large reference library to verify bits He collected only iron bronze brass and copper bits and avoided buying silver-plated bits because there are many fakes on the market One of his most memorable buys was at an antique business in a home near Fort McCoy in Wisconsin He was told there were no bits but noticed one hanging in a tree as he left He bought it for $4 and later discovered it was an 1857 dragoon bit worth $400 Based on his collection and friends’ collections Malm published three books over the years with photos and information about bits He has 15 copies left of his last book Bits and Bridles: An Encyclopedia Malm is 80 years old and has auctioned off many of his bits He welcomes calls from people interested in bits and he suggests getting additional information from the National Bit Spur & Saddle Collectors Association www nbssca org which holds events and auctions in several locations Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gerhard Malm D V M ph 785 945-6770; g8320m@embarqmail com

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