This wide black strap has 21 antique sleigh bells on it from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
That doesn't sound too unusual if you have been looking at other bell straps here, except the bells span the complete range of sizes produced by North American foundries in their era -- from a tiny #000 bell (3/4" across) to a massive #18 bell (3 7/8" across).
The Iowa owner collected for 30 years to accumulate this amazing set of sleigh bells, all of which are in very good to excellent condition. There is only one bell of each size, so the odd-numbered bells are on one side of the strap, the even bells on the other, with the #18 in the middle.
The strap itself is lustrous black leather 2" wide and 6 feet long. The owner wanted the strap as short as possible so it could be easily hung on a door or wall. The 2" width is needed to support the massive bells in the center.
A keeper loop between each pair of bells holds the lining and bell straps together, although I omitted the keeper between the tiny bells at each end. The strap tapers to 1 1/4" solid brass buckles.
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.
