June 24, 2023 Brian Lebel's Santa Fe Old West Events Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/24/2023
An incredibly rare, one-of-a-kind pair of Tony Lama hand-made cowboy boots from the "EL REY" series. The only known extant pair of Tony Lama “EL REY II” boots that we are aware of. Custom ordered from the Luskey’s 1966 catalog by an entrepreneurial Route 66 service station owner named Ted Jenkins in Vernal, Utah, who was seeking a roadside attraction to rival his competitors’ dinosaurs and other charms.
This particular pair are as they are described in the original catalog, which advertised the “EL REY (the king) II” boots as, “The finest boots in the world featuring a premium grade black calf on the tops and vamps… gold leaf inlaid in your name… 54 carats precious stones [with] 110 diamonds, 80 rubies and 4 star sapphires.” Also featuring engraved sterling heel caps and trim, along with 12” long pull straps inlaid in gold leaf with “Tony Lama” on the inner strap, and personalized with “TED J” on the outer strap.
Fine, unworn condition; circa 1966.
The “EL REY II” boots were advertised back then as “Made to measure only” with a “90 day delivery,” and were priced at the kingly sum of $10,000 (double the price of the 1961 “EL REY I” pair). The most recent version of the Tony Lama series is the “EL REY IV,” created in 2011 for the company’s 100 year anniversary and originally priced at $50,000.
Ted and Betty Jenkins opened their first Beeline Service Station outside of Vernal, Utah in 1957 in the burgeoning Route 66 road trip era. Ted erected a giant flashing neon sign that read: “SEE OUR FAMOUS $10,000.00 COWBOY BOOTS”. He showcased them in a trailer, installed a turnstile, and for 25 cents you could leave with a decal proudly declaring you “Saw the world famous pair [of] $10,000 cowboy boots at Vernal, Utah / Ted’s Beeline Ser.”