Fakes: Old Bells that Aren't
Just because a sleigh bell strap looks old and was found hanging in an old barn does not mean the piece is truly an antique. Three types of new sleigh bells are most often misrepresented -- deliberately or mistakenly -- as antiques. These are the petal, raspberry, and acorn designs. My goal in this article is to help you identify modern sleigh bells from antique bells. First, some definitions:
When I use the term "antique" on this website, I am specifically talking about bells made during the "horse and buggy times". Antique North American sleigh bells date from the 1700s through the 1920s.
When I use the terms "new" or "modern" or "vintage" or "reproduction", I am referring to sleigh bells made after the era of horse transportation -- from the 1930s through today.
New bells direct from the manufacturer have smooth surfaces with no cracks, holes, dings, or other typical signs of age or use.
Many artificially aged modern bells have a splotchy, rusty color that are never seen on antique bells. Other artificially aged modern bells can be varying shades of green, brown, or even black. Key signs of artificially aged sleigh bells are splotchy color on any one bell and a wide variation in color on bells next to each other on a strap.
Left: Freshly polished bell with a bright yellow-gold color. Middle: New bells after some months or years of exposure to air. Right: Artificially aged new bell with a tell-tale splotchy rusty color.
Left: Freshly polished new bell. Middle: New bell with a slightly-tarnished natural color. Right: Artificially aged bell with a typical rusty patina.
Left: Artificially aged bell with brown patina. Middle: Underside of a bell with a rusty patina. Right: Artificially aged bells, one brown and one almost black, side by side on a strap. This variation in color between adjacent bells would be unusual on an original strap of antique bells.
Unpolished antique bells of any style are brownish, blackish or greenish -- occasionally grayish. The color will be fairly even over the surface of each bell, and all bells on a strap will have consistent coloring. A tough layer of dirt and hardened harness oil often coats old, unpolished bells, making the surface of the bells dull and slightly rough to the touch and obscuring design details. This layer of grime cannot be reproduced by any aging technique that I know of.
Gently polished antique bells of any style tend to have a brownish gold or rosy gold color, sometimes with splotches of darker color. Antique bells often have a textured surface from the sand molds in which they were cast and from the dings and scrapes of long use. This surface texture tends to darken the apparent color of the bell, even after it is polished.
Left: Antique bell gently polished to a soft gold. Note the textured surface. Middle: Antique bell with a light golden-brown natural oxidation. A layer of surface grime dulls the metal. Right: Antique bell showing a darker greenish-brown natural oxidation, dulled again with a layer of grime. Note the relatively even color on these unpolished bells.
Left: Freshly polished antique bell. Note the surface texture and dark oxidation remaining in the "petal" design. Middle: Unpolished antique bell with an attractive golden brown color. There is some variation in color on this bell, but the variation comes from being handled and rubbed. Right: Another golden-brown unpolished antique bell with attractive dark design.
Left: Polished bell dating to the early 1800s with unusual "petal" design and maker's initials. Middle: Greenish-brown antique bells. Note the variation in design but the similarity in color between these neighboring bells. Right: Deep greenish-black antique bell. The coating of grime is so thick the design is obscured.
The classic "petal" bell is the sleigh bell most often sold as an "instant antique". If you take away just one idea from this article, remember this rule of thumb when evaluating petal bells:
An antique "petal" bell has a rounded opening cast into each end of its throat (slit.) A modern petal bell does not.
Important: This rule of thumb does not work for other styles of bells -- only for petal bells.
Left: Antique petal bell with a classic rounded opening at each end of its throat (slit). Middle and right: Modern petal bells do not have this rounded opening -- the width of the throat is constant. See also the new and antique petal bells shown earlier in this article.
Modern petal bells over 2 1/2" diameter are also sized differently than antique bells. A modern #18 bell, for example, will measure about 3 1/4" across . An antique #18 will measure just under 4" across. A modern #15 bell is about 2 7/8" and an antique #15 will measure about 3 1/4". See Sizing bells for more details.
See also Rogues' Gallery, Dating Bells, and Bell Designs for more information. You can also view the antique and new bells we have for sale.
Truly old "raspberry" bells and "acorn" bells are unusual and highly collectible. This scarcity is a great incentive to turn modern versions of these bells into "instant antiques" and sell them for steep antique prices. Typically, new raspberry and acorn bells are darkened with a tell-tale rusty patina, then put on straps made of recycled leather.
Antique raspberry bells are so rare and seldom seen; I do not have any examples to show. Here are some good examples of new raspberry bells:
Left: New raspberry bell on a recycled leather strap. The bell has that tell-tale rusty color. Middle: Another bell on the same strap. The lower half is smooth and unmarked, showing absolutely no sign of age or use. Right: New raspberry bells for sale in a current wholesale catalog. Look familiar?
Acorn bells are not as rare; there were several manufacturers of this style which results in several versions appearing on the market. A key identifier of antique acorn bells is they are rivet style bells without exception. New acorn bells have a shank base. Compare the differences in overall shape:
Left: This new acorn bell is usually passed off as an "instant antique" by giving it a darkened patina and putting it on a recycled leather strap. Note the shank base on the bell and the large, bulbous "cap". Middle: A very dirty antique acorn bell with a few patches of its original nickel (silvery) plating. Right: A more detailed antique acorn bell. The trim "cap" on this bell looks more like the cap on a real acorn nut. Note the separate copper rivet still attached to the base of the bell.
Left: Antique acorn bell with original nickel plating. The bell is obviously a stylized version of an acorn, but the proportions of the cap and nut are fairly realistic.
Straps with bells in perfect condition are either straps of new bells or straps with antique bells hand picked by a collector. At least a few bells on any all-original antique strap will show wear, cracks, or other defects.
A limited number of sleigh bell strap designs are produced by modern manufacturers. Many of these commercially produced straps are sold for a fair price as new product, but some are artificially antiqued to look old and weathered and sold for considerably more money as "instant antiques". Whether weathered or new looking, these commercial straps have some common characteristics:
Most of these straps have one big petal bell in the center with smaller bells on either side graduatiing evenly to small bells at the ends. The center bell on these straps is often a size #12, #13, #15 or #18 bell and the smallest bells at the ends are usually #1 bells.
Another commercially produced strap often converted into an "instant antique" is the "odd-even" petal bell strap. This style usually has a #15 petal bell in the center, odd numbered bells on one side of the strap (from a #13 bell to a #1 bell), and even numbered bells on the other (from a #14 to a #2).
Other "instant antique" straps are made by putting new bells with an antiqued finish on leather recycled from old horse harness. The recycled straps often have odd stitch lines, holes, and other evidence that the leather has been "repurposed". The sizes and arrangement of the bells on these straps will vary from the commercially produced straps, but, again, the bells on these straps will be in perfect condition other than having the appearance of great age.
Left: New strap of bells bought from a wholesaler and allowed to tarnish to an "antique" look. The leather is decidedly black and shows no evidence of use or age. The bell pins are not rusty, which seems odd on a bell strap that is supposed to be "antique". Middle: Another new black strap with tarnished bells. The buckle is solid brass -- not typical of a truly old strap. Right: New bells on older recycled leather. The rusty patina on these bells is the clearest indicator that this is an "instant antique".
Left: New bells with a splotchy rust color on a strap made of recycled leather. This strap was touted as a genuine "antique". Middle: Close up of the same strap showing a new bell pin, freshly cut leather, lines of stitching along the leather that would not be seen on a real bell strap, and an untarnished copper rivet. Right: Another "antique strap" with recycled leather, a fresh copper rivet, and a new bell with a deep brown patina. The dee and rivet at the end of this strap is an easy way to create an "antique" strap without the fuss of installing a buckle.