Display straps with 5 to 8 patent bells

The owner sent 33 antique "patent" bells. She asked me to clean, polish, and lacquer the bells and divide the bells among six display straps.

Antique "patent" bells dating to the late 1800s. They are also called "Tucker" bells based on the last name of their inventor. Antique patent bells can be identified by a ring of patent dates around the bottom of each bell. Newer bells from the early to mid 1900s were made of brass but were no longer marked with the ring of dates. By the mid 1900s, sheet steel was used to make this style of bell rather than more expensive brass. More about machine-stamped bells...

The 5-bell straps are about 15" long and the 8-bell strap is about 21" long, not including the solid-brass ring. The owner chose medium brown leather. My cat Peter was my quality control inspector the day I finished these straps.

This particular item is a custom, one-of-a-kind project made for a past client. Items in this Custom Projects section are for information only; they are not available for regular sale.