Vintage BOZO Metal Animal Restraint Collar HAGER Hinged Circus Oddity Rare For Sale

Vintage Custom Made Metal Neck Shackle - engraved“BOZO\"
Extremely unusual vintage rigid metal animal restraint collar marked BOZO in large engraved lettering on both sides.
This is an unusual and intriguing piece of vintage animalequipment unlike a conventional leather or modern pet collar.

The collar is constructed from a substantial rigid metal band and incorporates a hinged mechanical fastening system using a HAGER-marked metal hardware component. It also has two separate metal loops: one associatedwith the locking/fastening mechanism and a second substantial loop that appears to have been intended for attachment of a leash, lead, chain, or other restraint.BOZO is engraved prominently on both sides of the collar. One side retains much of the original red paintinside the engraved letters, while the red paint on the opposite side is almost completely worn away. Having the animal\'s name engraved on both sides appears intentional and would allow the name to remain visible asthe collar rotated around the animal\'s neck.This is not a conventional modern dog collar. The rigid construction, hinged opening, mechanical locking system, substantialattachment loop, and large engraved name suggest specialized equipment made for a particular animal.The HAGER marking is especially interesting. Hager was a long-established American manufacturer of hinges and related metal hardware, and the hardware incorporated into this collarappears to be a manufactured Hager component.The original animal, manufacturer of the collar itself, exact date, and provenance are currently unknown.Possible areas of interest include vintage working-animal equipment, performinganimals, circus history, theatrical or film animal equipment, animal trainingequipment, historical oddities, and unusual Americana.Approximate internal diameter is 5.3 inches, giving an internal circumference of approximately 16.6 inches.The collar\'s size could potentially accommodate certain medium/large dogs orsmaller primates, but the original species cannot currently be determined from the collar alone. I am deliberately not claiming that it belonged to a particular animal, circus, movie, military organization, or performer without documentation.
Stamped Markings:Hager (see photo)
Approximate Dimensions:Inner Diameter 5.3 inchesOuter Diameter 5.5 inchesTotal Width 7 inchesMetal Band Thickness 0.14 inches
Condition:This item is used and shows signs of use and wear. See photos for condition.

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