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Rare pair of original circa-1978 Nichols/Kusan “How the West Was Won” Western accessory pouches, both surviving unused on their original retail display cards.
These are wonderful little survivors from the late Nichols/Kusan Western toy line produced during the television run of How the West Was Won, starring James Arness as Zeb Macahan. Each original card prominently carries the HOW THE WEST WAS WON name along with the period “AS SEEN ON TV” burst.
Produced by Nichols/Kusan / Nichols Industries of Jacksonville, Texas, with Made in U.S.A. markings partially visible beneath the still-attached pouches.
What makes this pair especially interesting is that they are NOT identical duplicates.
The two pouches share the same intended Western design but differ noticeably in:
• pouch color and overall shape
• proportions and construction
• fringe count, spacing, width and cutting
• bead colors and color sequences
• actual bead counts within corresponding sections of the same decorative motif
Viewed side by side, these differences strongly indicate individually hand-cut / hand-assembled construction with hand-applied multicolor beadwork rather than two mechanically identical pieces from a fixed production mold. They appear to represent two distinct handmade production variants of the same Nichols/Kusan accessory.
One pouch is a darker reddish-brown shade while the other is a lighter tan/caramel brown, making the pair particularly attractive together.
Both pouches appear unused New Old Stock and remain attached to their original display cards. They have not been removed or opened in order to expose the manufacturer printing hidden behind them.
Condition:
Pouches are exceptionally well preserved and appear unused. Beadwork, fringe and drawstrings remain intact. Original display cards show expected age and storage wear, including some edge/corner wear, light surface wear and minor bends/handling consistent with nearly 50 years of storage. Please examine all photographs carefully, as the cards and pouches shown are the exact items offered.
An unusually scarce opportunity for the Nichols/Kusan collector, vintage cap-gun and Western toy collector, James Arness / How the West Was Won fan, or collector of 1970s television merchandise. Extensive searching has not turned up another surviving example of this exact carded pouch accessory, much less a matched pair showing two distinct production variants.
A mighty neat little piece of Texas toy history — and the pair has stayed together this long, so I’m keeping them together now.
