In talking with whip makers for many years I understand the physical labor/ knowledge it takes to make a good whip that functions properly and can be passed down as a working tool/ heirloom if maintained well. As an artist myself, with firsthand knowledge of leatherwork- I'm more than happy to pay a fair price for quality work, but I have to say that $1370.00 is an absolutely absurd price.
You don't get any say in the design (knot preferences, handle length, plait count, etc). Plus the wait time is now over a year and you don't get progress pictures of your order. You just get what you get from them. By contrast if you work with other whip makers they'll allow customization, give you progress updates, typically they don't have nearly as long a wait time, and you'll pay far less than you would for a Morgan.
I understand the provenance, and the legacy that David imparted to all of the current makers, directly apprenticing many of them, but it's clear that you're paying for the name and association to Indiana Jones more than anything else. It's the most famous whip design in history. I just find the mark up to be wildly untenable. Even with the drought in Australia a few years back that greatly reduced the population of kangaroos and diminished the availability of quality hides, unless there's a steep import/ export tax that I'm not aware of, or inflation is really THAT bad, this pricing seems excessive.
Somewhere I have an old Western Stage Props catalog from 2006 or 2007. Even looking at the prices for whips then and they've gone up significantly in that time, but nothing like the way Morgan's have skyrocketed.
It's fun to look back at this catalog and I appreciate you sharing it. There's something special about seeing how things were priced then and the availability of older items compared to today.
The David Morgan bullwhip is easily one of my absolute favorite props/ tools of all time and being a collector this is really fun to see!
