Presented for your consideration is this beautiful old antique California Las Cruces cheek bit by J Tapia, beautifully made with the engraving and style that the Tapia family was known for. The bit has classic style Las Cruces shanks accented with silver inlays and high domed conchos. It has a half breed mouthpiece with the original "cricket".. Jose Tapia didn't mark his work and Jesus Tapia marked very few of his pieces. However the signature of J Tapia is there if you know what to look for.
MAKER: Tapia family of Los Angeles, California - Jose Tapia (1831-1902) or Jesus Tapia (1856-1931).