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The most expensive cowboy shoe ever sold
Today, you can pick up a high quality cowboy boot for around £ 250- £ 350 and that would be a fair amount, but what is the maximum?
Personally, I would spend up to £ 500 (if I were rich) but how close is that number?
Original record setter
In April 2006, an article in Forbes Magazine stated that the most expensive cowboy shoe ever sold was bought for $ 75,000 (£ 450,000).
If you ask me, is spending on shoes a ridiculous amount, am I afraid to wear them!
However, this is 2006… ever since then the record has been broken by one of the masters of leather design and carving in the world and a world-class silver blacksmith.
What can beat that?
With 800 hours of design time, this record breaking shoe sells for an amazing $ 106,000 (£ 630,000)!
The boots are made to wear, but they are more than worthy when displayed at the best art museums.
No store on the high street can have anything even close to this, so where would you even go to buy these expensive boots?
In Stevensville, Montana, the artist behind the most expensive cowboy boots, Howard H. Knight, has a studio where he creates masterpieces after masterpieces.
The story of this expensive shoe
He made these shoes in 2010, named "Phantom Boots", with a value of over US $ 100,000;
They are named Phantom Boots because of the floral carvings, which appear to float all over and around the boots.
Each leather flower is layered with six layers, each with a different gray color for added depth and stroke.
The back of the flowers are built to rise out of the boot and each flower is studded with an 18kt white yellow flower in the center.
The base leather is made from saltwater crocodile, taken from the Hermes factory in Paris and the insides of these boots are lined with black kangaroos.
Now you have an idea of why these shoes are so expensive!
This unusual style of cowboy boots was not unusual for Howard Knight, creating superb quality boots that he always strives for.
Knight is a natural and passionate artist from a very young age, he likes to design "great looking" cowboy boots and says that the designs "seem to be made by me".
I'm sure I'm not the only one wishing I had such a talent!
Over the years, Knight's work has appeared in many fashion & design magazines, and in two books: Cowboy Boots, The Art & Sole by Jennifer June and Cowboy Boots by Tyler Beard.
