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PATTERN 1903 ROCK
ISLAND ARSENAL OFFICER’S BOX SPURS – RARE EARLY 20TH
CENTURY - EXCELLENT MATCHED PAIR COMPLETE WITH HEEL
BOXES:
As described
in The American Military Spur, by Dorsey on pages
74 -75, the Pattern 1903 Officers Box Spurs were
produced by the Ordnance Department specifically for
mounted officers at the famous Rock Island Arsenal.
One of the least-known
of the US military spurs, these nickel plated steel
spurs were beautifully finished with a high polish and
false rowels, made without serrations which would have
snagged on the cuffs of the officers’ trousers. The
spurs were designed to lock into matched nickel plated
steel holders, or “boxes”, which in turn were
permanently mounted into the heels of the officer’s
boots. To mount the spurs, the square shaft inside the
yoke of each spur was inserted into the spring loaded
box through a hinged door. When the spur was fully
seated, it snapped into place, held by an internal
spring in the box. To remove the spur, it was pulled
sharply back from the heel and the box spring released
the spur. As the spur shank cleared the box, the hinged
door fell back into place to seal the box and prevent
dirt and gravel from fouling the mechanism.
This is a matched pair,
complete with the matching heel boxes, and both function
properly. Each shank is stamped on the top “RIA” and on
the bottom “1903”.
Produced in very limited
numbers for a very small officer corps, they were only
produced for approximately four years, and by 1908 had
been dropped from the offerings in the Ordnance
Department Price List. This limited production
resulted in a very low survival rate, and matched sets
of these Pattern 1903 Officer Box Spurs – especially
complete with the boxes – are quite rare today. (0838)
$525
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