Barbed Wire

From Cowboy Scourge To Prized Relic Of The Old West

Why would anyone pay $500 for a rusty piece of barbed wire? Well, if the 18-inch long specimen is the only known example of a patent from 1907, some folks might pay even more than that. This isn't the stuff you see today by the side of the road, although the design of barbed wire has not changed that much in more than 100 years.

What gets barbed wire collectors excited are scarce examples of wire manufactured from 1874 through the first decade of the 20th century, when barbed wire was a multi-million-dollar business and everyone wanted a piece of the action.