Original Haish barbed wire patent model

Jacob Haish's original barbed wire patent model | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

I just received an email that included photos of the original Haish barbed wire patent model! This model belongs to a private collector, Larry W. Love, of Texas, who was willing to let me share his story and photos here.

The patent model itself has had a long and winding history. It was originally submitted to the U.S. Patent Office as part of Haish's patent proposal. 

Haish patent 167,240, as notated on the model tags | Image from Google Patents

Haish patent for the reissue RE9036, as notated on the model tags | Image from Google Patents

However, on September 24, 1877, the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C., where the model was housed, suffered its second fire. 

"The surviving models proved too expensive to maintain and store, and so in 1926 thrifty Calvin Coolidge ordered the remainder sold off. The Smithsonian took some, independent retailers scooped up others, and finally in 1942 an auctioneer couple bought the last 50,000 with plans to open a museum," according to this article.

Tags associated with the Haish patent model | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

When a museum never came to fruition, the items were once again sold off. Cliff Petersen, a collector from California, purchased many, many models, including this Haish patent model. 

You can read an interesting article about Petersen's life and collection by clicking here.

As the years passed, bits and pieces of Petersen's collection were sold off, said Larry W. Love, a barbed wire collector and historian from Texas.

"From time to time Cliff issued catalogs picturing various models for sale," Love said. "The model was purchased from Cliff directly by a fellow collector over thirty years ago."

Tags associated with the Haish patent model. | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

Tags associated with the Haish patent model. | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

The collector would display the model as a centerpiece at various barbed wire shows, where Love would see it. He told the collector that he would be interested in purchasing it, if the opportunity became available.

That opportunity came just six weeks ago.

"The most important item in my collection is the original Haish barbed wire patent model," Love said. "Each barb is slightly different with the barb on the far right side being two 'S' barbs side by side. I believe Jacob knew that, while what was being described in the patent was important..."

Close-up of a barb on the Haish patent model | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

Close-up of a barb on the Haish patent model | Photo courtesy of Larry W. Love, barbed wire collector and historian

Thank you to Love for sharing this item with us! Love's interest in barbed wire began when he was 16 years old, working on a ranch in Central Texas. He saw a display of barbed wire on the wall of the boot shop, and the owner gave him information about the Texas Barbed Wire Collectors Association. He built his collection and interests from there. But why the interest in Haish?

"Jacob was but just one of the players whose advertising I collected," Love said. "He, like Bet-A-Million Gates, played the role of underdog to their advantages."