Dehners with Patent tops snagged at antique store!

[Heliodoro]

DH and I happened to stop by a local antique shop, just to browse. Somehow we always end up coming home with something, me it’s usually hunt/horse related (have a historic home with a hunt theme) and for him, clocks.

Happened to glance in a back room where Hubby was checking out a knick knack of some sort and spied some decent looking tall boots. Dragged them down, saw the patent tops, rough checked the boot size against my shoe to see they were probably just my size! Tossed my shoe aside, removed the newspaper stuffing and proceeded to try to wiggle my leg into the half frozen boot before my calf screamed uncle (to be fair I had long johns/under armor on). Removed boot and inspected for a brand name or stamp of some sort and found “Dehner” inside!!!

They definitely need a conditioning and some boot polish, but otherwise in very good condition. One pretty good scratch on the outside, about midway up. Patent leather looks pretty good, one minor hole (smaller than a pencil eraser) on one.

So what is a really good conditioner for boot leather? I have them warming up in the house to see if I can manage to get them on sans UA… I’m good with Kiwi (enlisted when you still had to polish boots). Right now I’m not hunting (finances and now lack of horse) and I don’t expect to get my colors anytime soon (again, looking at future finances), but I do event and go to dressage shows, maybe a random unrec hunter/jumper. Is it major faux pas to wear these showing? If they don’t fit, I’ll have to sell them anyways (anyone looking?). How do I find the actual size? The sole looks to be replaced with leather and is in near pristine condition.

[ISR]

I love Urad, a great polished AND Conditioner! Will have those boots restored to their original glory in one application! Congrats on the score!

[Hinderella]

I like Lexol conditioner. Dehner actually recommends Lexol on their web. Tanner’s oil is good on dry leather, but I’ve found that after I use it it’s harder to get a true shine on the leather.
As for showing, I don’t know. I know that dressage boots come in all sorts of fancy permutations, so perhaps you could get away with it there, but I would think in the hunter jumper ring you might still be sending a signal (at least to old-school folks) that you have your colors somewhere. But congratulations, either way. If the boots don’t have a size inside, do they have a name? Perhaps they were custom. If so, they will have a number, and from that number Dehner can tell you when they were made. I have a pair that were made back in 1968

[Frosty_M]

[QUOTE=Hinderella;7287544]
I like Lexol conditioner. Dehner actually recommends Lexol on their web. Tanner’s oil is good on dry leather, but I’ve found that after I use it it’s harder to get a true shine on the leather.
As for showing, I don’t know. I know that dressage boots come in all sorts of fancy permutations, so perhaps you could get away with it there, but I would think in the hunter jumper ring you might still be sending a signal (at least to old-school folks) that you have your colors somewhere. But congratulations, either way. If the boots don’t have a size inside, do they have a name? Perhaps they were custom. If so, they will have a number, and from that number Dehner can tell you when they were made. I have a pair that were made back in 1968 :)[/QUOTE]

That’s cool to know that I can find out when my boots with the patent leather tops were made. It must have been around 1962. Do you still have the beautiful sanded wood, jointed trees that came with the custom made boots?

The OP got a great find. I hope they fit!

[Ray]

[QUOTE=Heliodoro;7285008]
Is it major faux pas to wear these showing? [/QUOTE]

Yes.

Patent tops are worn by members of the hunt that have been awarded colors. If you have any aspiration to hunt, or dont want to appear unaware of this tradition, you could get the tops removed.

[Corky]

If I owned patent tops I’d wear them to show - but I have my colours.

If they don’t fit or you decide against wearing them to show, please sell them ‘intact’ and don’t remove the tops! That just seems like a sin to me. Perhaps you could post them ‘for trade’ for a pair of equal quality boots without tops?

And if you do decide to sell outright, please let me know! I covet patent tops but there always seems to be something else that needs money before my boots I do have a nice pair of vogels that would look lovely with tops though.