MESA, Ariz. — Old Pancho Villa – revolutionary hero to some, ruthless outlaw to many – would have been pleased with the sale of his one-of-a-kind, beautifully crafted saddle. For Villa and his crew it would have been “party time” in old Mexico – when that saddle sold for a record-breaking $718,000 (including a 15 percent buyer’s premium).

Smothered in silver-wrapped threads and boldly-domed silver conchos, the saddle was offered up on Jan. 28 by at the High Noon Western Americana Auction inside the ballroom of the Marriott Mesa Hotel.

Offered without reserve, and with an estimate of $150,000-250,000, Auctioneer Troy Black opened the bidding at $125,000. Quickly taken, the bid escalated in increments until becoming a two-bidder war at $500,000. Competition for the iconic outlaw’s saddle continued until the hammer dropped at $718,000 – immediately declared by High Noon as the new world record for a saddle sold at auction.

Old Pancho would have smiled sagely, and slowly nodded his head, when the applause and cheers burst out on the auction floor, as a passionate South Texas collector claimed his prize. Plans for the saddle to be displayed at a museum are already being made, with an announcement planned for the future.

“Pancho Villa was both a charismatic hero and cruel outlaw,” Linda Kohn Sherwood of High Noon Auctions said.

“He survived countless battles and assassinations of three strong Mexican revolutionary leaders (Madero, Zapata and Carranza) and the stories of his life helped define the spirit of his country’s struggle for freedom. ... His place in history is a paradox: a revolutionary idealist who believed firmly in public education, health and good government, and a vicious, mean-spirited, cruel revolutionary who would do anything to win.”

As a piece of art, the saddle is nearly unsurpassed. Crafted with silver-wrapped threads and high-domed conchos, the red-oak leather parade saddle sports a three-dimensional silver snake head and a carved Diablo in the leather under the grand saddlebags. The stirrups are also embellished with the initials “FV,” for his more formal name, Francisco Villa.

It is unknown exactly when or how many years it took to construct the ornate parade saddle, according to Chuck Ramsey, the former owner of the saddle, although it is thought to have been made in the 1920s. In addition to once belonging to the infamous outlaw, it was said to have been given by one of Villa’s widows to legendary Hollywood director Howard Hawks on the studio lot during a shooting of his movie Viva Villa, depicting the story of the outlaw’s life. 

In 1923, Villa was assassinated while driving a 1919 Dodge roadster after conducting a routine bank transaction.

Overall, the annual High Noon Western Americana auction realized nearly $2 million on 300 lots of Western and Native Americana, fine art, artifacts, historic property and Hollywood memorabilia.