Hesston Belt Buckles have been around for years and years and have become such a wonderful collection for the Rodeo fans of yesterday and today. The Voice, a Wichita Kansas publication had a wonderful article about Hesston belt buckles back in the 90's that gave a great account of these buckles. I have taken some gleanings and information from this article to use here.
In 1974 Hesston approached the Rodeo Cowboy Association about the possibilities of televising the National Finals Rodeo. The plan was to target Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. So in order to test its effectiveness, they asked each dealer to supply a list of 150 customers and prospects in his area. Hesston then made a direct mailing to the customer asking them to complete a questionaire stating whether they watched the NFR program and if they would watch it again. The customer then took the card to their dealer to be validated and the company mailed them a 1974 Hesston buckle. This allowed Hesston to disperse all of their 1st buckles.
In 1975 Gene Countryman, director of Communications at Hesston decided to try another buckle, the 1975, and sell it. the mold was made by Lewis Buckle Co. of Chicago and was cast in a rubber type mold, It took a long time for the order to be filled and 50,000 buckles were made. The buckle became a successful collector's item because of an imprint on the back. Limited edition, collectors buckle. Bill manley, the designer of this buckle made a total of 10 of the Hesston buckles.
The 1976 buckle was made by Mattel and the die was produced by an old German engraver who retired after finishing the die. You can see stars in the background if you use a magnifying glass. 125,000 of these buckles were produced.
The 1977 belt buckle was the first oval shaped one, 150,000 were made and in 1977 the first numbered silver buckles were made for dealer incentives and a Pro Rodeo belt was made.
1978 belt buckle - 4th edition of Rodeo series made by Cast Products of Chicago. From here on there is no record of how many buckles were made.
1979 belt buckle - produced by Cast Products of Chicago. Also the first NFR stick pin was made, and 6 leather coasters which included the 1974 buckle design for a set of 6.
1980 belt buckle-Sixth edition of Rodeo Series. Again the leather coasters were made.
1981 Heston Belt Buckle - 7th Rodeo Series.
No record of maker, 2nd stick pin was made.
1982 belt buckle- the 8th and Last or Final Cowboy Classic Edition buckle. Also made was the 2nd bronze sculptue - THE ALL AROUND COWBOY was made.
1983 belt buckle - 1st edition of the Anniversary Series. 1983 was the 25th anniversary of the National Finals Rodeo
held in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1983 Award Design Metal made the 1st Sterling Silver and 24 K gold plate buckle. In 1983 and 1984, Hesston cast the buckles and Award Design Metals finished them.
1984 through 1989 belt buckles were designed by Fred Fellow. 1989 Secial Edition BARREL RACING buckle. This was the only year that 2 buckles were produced with different designs. This also closed the Anniversary Series.
1990 belt buckle - 1st Edition of the Hesston National Finals Commemorative Series. Again made by Award Design Metal
1991 belt buckle - 2nd in the commemorative series. Again designed by Award Design Metal.
1992 belt buckle - 3rd in the Commemorative Series
1993 Belt Buckle - 4th in the series,
1994 - 5th in the series
That is all the article provided.
They have been produced still and are still collected by the Belt buckle collector and the Rodeo Fan. The collections that are complete sell for over a thousand dollars and sometimes more. It depends on if you are at the right place at the right time. The 1974 usually sells for a few hundred dollars in itself.
It is a wonderful Collection and a wonderful sport. I have included a link to the ESPN site of the national finals rodeo if you would like to go there and read on the leaderboard or maybe someday you would like to visit the NFR, you can surely find out more about it HERE.
I have a 1981 Hesston Belt buckle for sale, If you click here or in the title above, it will take you there.
