age of barbed wire

I have this one, Barbs, Prongs, Points and Stickers.

IIRC, it only list the date of the patent, which is better thatn nothing at all.

Rick

16.00 bucks at Amazon. Thanks

The Barbed Wire Identification Encyclopedia by Harold Hagemeier is probably the most comprehensive.

Another of my favorites is Early United States Barbed Wire Patents by Jesse S. James. I think it’s out of print, but is available used.

There's also Barbs, Prongs, Points, Stickers, & Prickers by Robert T. Clifton, the Bobbed Wire V Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Identification and Classification of Barbed Wire by Jack Glover, and The Wire that Fenced the West by Henry D. and Frances McCallum, which is more of a history of barbed wire.

Virtually all barbed wire was patented between 1853 and 1897 and most patents were issued between 1876 and 1886, so the patent dates don't really help date a fence. If it's one of the less popular types of wire, it's probably old. If it's one of the more popular types, condition is a better indicator. Glidden's "Winner", for example, was patented in 1874 and is still the most popular two-point wire.

[msg=9800]Some Examples[/msg]

If it is still open, there is a barbed wire in Dekalb, Illinois.

> If it is still open, there is a barbed wire in Dekalb, Illinois.

Is this the one?

The Ellwood House Museum

There's also The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum in LaCrosse, Kansas, which I have not seen and the Devil’s Rope Museum on Route 66 in McLean, Texas, which I have seen.

Thank you for the link!
:good:

The third picture looks familiar. They have refurbished the
place since I last visited several years ago.

:good:

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The pictures are from the Devil's Rope Museum. I have not been to the museum in DeKalb.

Kent McMillan has an interest in BW.

Contact him maybe too.

Cheers

Derek

Just cut the tree down that it's growing through and count the rings on the stump.