Jim Ponter The Wrangler
Updated September 5, 2026
| Lot number | 393 |
| Auction | Hancock Estate Auction |
| Date | September 25, 2026 at 9:30 AM CDT |
| Auction house | Harrison Auction & Realtor |
| Location | Gracemont, Oklahoma |
"THE WRANGLER" BY JIM PONTER - FINE PEWTER LIMITED EDITION SCULPTURE, NUMBERED 1224/4500, THE WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM 1979 - SIGNED IN THE CASTING The companion piece to the Jim Ponter "Gunfighter" offered in lot 392, and every bit as good. A limited edition fine pewter sculpture titled "THE WRANGLER" by the American western sculptor Jim Ponter, modeled as a working cowboy standing beside his saddle at a cold camp - long batwing chaps, boots, gun belt, vest and jacket, neckerchief, wide-brimmed hat, a rolled bedroll or slicker tucked under his right arm, his left hand resting on the horn of a tooled stock saddle with a coiled rope hung from it, and a coffee pot and tin cup set among the rocks of a burned-out fire at his feet. The detail work is exceptional: hand-tooled floral carving on the saddle skirt and fenders, individually modeled latigo straps and buckles, a twisted-wire lariat coiled and hanging free of the casting, chap fringe and leg conchos, and a stick-and-stone campfire with the coffee pot standing in the coals. The underside carries a molded plaque reading THE WRANGLER / by / Jim Ponter / FINE PEWTER / THE WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM 1979 / 1224/4500, and the top of the base is signed in the casting Jim Ponter within a raised cartouche. It stands approximately 10.5 inches tall per the tape-measure photograph. Condition is very good with no damage found - no chips, bends, breaks, or repairs, the free-standing lariat coil intact, only light tarnish and darkening in the recesses along with normal shelf handling marks. Four dark felt pads are applied to the underside. The original box and certificate of authenticity are NOT present and are not included. Sold as one sculpture. Description Form - cast fine pewter figural sculpture on an integral irregular, naturalistically modeled rock-and-ground base. The figure is a standing wrangler, weight on his right leg, head turned sharply to his right as if watching something off in the distance. Modeled detail includes a creased wide-brimmed hat with a shaped crown, curly hair below the hatband, a lean weathered face with a heavy mustache, a knotted neckerchief with the ends hanging loose, a buttoned vest under an open waist-length jacket with turned cuffs, a wide belt with a round buckle, a holstered pistol at the right hip, full-length batwing chaps with buckle straps and hanging conchos or fringe ties down the legs, and heeled boots. He carries a tightly rolled bedroll or slicker under the right arm, cinched with a strap. Saddle group - a complete western stock saddle propped at his left side, modeled with a tooled and carved swell and skirt, a floral-carved rosette on the fender, a stirrup and stirrup leather hanging free below, a rear cinch ring and latigo, and a horn that the wrangler's left hand rests on. A coiled twisted-wire lariat is looped over the saddle and hangs completely free of the body of the casting - this is the single most delicate element on the piece. Campfire group - s
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