saddle value

Question
hi I'm not sure if you can help but maybe you can lead me in the right direction. I have a Chas P Shipley saddle 157x that was my fathers and I'm tring to clean it up Iwas want to find the value of it and am having a hard time.
Thanks for your time  
Lisa

Answer
Dear Lisa,
You are correct that this is kind of out of my realm- but I will offer the following suggestions:
1. Antique saddles of this nature will be of most value to someone who collects western memorabilia and antiques as opposed to someone within the horse community.
2. As such- you might try seeking out some antiques dealers who specialize in western antiques (your basic "Antiques Roadshow" dealers won't have a clue). You might also try some museums that specialize in the Old West/ Americana.
3. The Shipley company produced a wide range of saddles - from very expensive silver parade saddles to basic working ranch saddles that were as inexpensive as they were practical.
One website I found (http://www.auctionflex.com/showlots.ap?co=41956&weid=9703&weiid=4263712&mindate=...) shows two such models and their huge price discrepancy. One auction house that has sold Shipley saddles is High Noon Western Americana Auction,  200 N Centennial Way, Mesa, Phoenix, Arizona, 85201, United States.
4. I would suggest that based on what I can find- if you are looking for a value for insurance purposes- if it is a working saddle as opposed to a show saddle, you will discover that it hold greater sentimental value than monetary value.
Good luck in your search.
Sincerely,
S. Evans