“From out of the west with the speed of light and a hearty ‘Hi-yo, Silver!” was a phrase that captivated youngsters of the 1950s and could spur them into action. Each week, those words were the verbal cue for kids to adjust the rabbit ears, huddle in front of the family TV and wait anxiously for the next big adventure starring their favorite hero on horseback, The Lone Ranger.
Since The Lone Ranger’s radio introduction to American audiences in 1933, many actors have voiced or played the lead role, across various media. None, however, captured the public’s imagination quite like Clayton Moore, who portrayed the masked lawman of the Old West on the ABC-TV series The Lone Ranger, which ran from 1949 through 1957.
For many years after retiring from television, Moore made public appearances “in character” as The Lone Ranger. 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 – came to life with the addition of 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 certifying they were a special order made specifically for Clayton Moore.
Moore passed away in 1999, but a head-turning Lone Ranger costume he wore to countless state fairs, parades and even mall openings, is back in the spotlight. After more than a decade in the private collection of Texas businessman the late Bob Davis, the outfit will be offered to bidders in four separate lots on July 12, 2014 at A & S Auction Co., in Waco, Texas.
In a method known as “sold on the whole bid,” each of the four lots will be hammered 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 to the four bidders 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.
Franks emphasized that on all auction lots the hammer price will also be the final selling price (plus state sales tax, unless buyer is exempt). “We must be the last auction house in the country with such a policy in place, but there will be no reserve and no buyer’s premium, either on The Lone Ranger lots or any other item in our 450-lot Summer Western Auction,” Franks said.
Other July 12 highlights include a large and impressive collection of spurs by important Texas spur makers, fine-quality Western art by noted painters, a collection of Navajo rugs, Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill Wild West Show items, Civil war artifacts, including firearms, antique canes, silver-mounted saddles and a variety of vintage tack.
Bids will be accepted live in the gallery, over the phone (please reserve line in advance) or absentee. Start time is 10 CDT. View the full-color catalog online at www.asauctions.com.
To contact A & S Auction Co., call (254) 799-6004 or email asauctions@yahoo.com.
