The Antique Barbed Wire Society is committed to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting the historical heritage of barb wire and barbed wire related items, and enlisting interest and support for an on-going organization. The Antique Barbed Wire Society headquarters is located in La Crosse Kansas, the "Barbed Wire Capital of the World." The Larry Greer Research Center, also located in La Crosse, has the largest known collection of patents related to barbed wire and fencing tools. This information is available to Society members by appointment.



It is our hope that you will become interested in barbed wire by accessing our site. The official publication for the Antique Barbed Wire Society is “The Barbed Wire Collector.” Each issue has a variety of information about the hobby and may include a barbed wire and tool auction, patent information on barbed wire and barbed wire related items, and barbed wire for sale. Other subjects that have been included in “The Barbed Wire Collector” are; ‘new find’ wire drawings and descriptions, museums that display barbed wire, war wire, items that were manufactured for a purpose other than fencing but used for fencing, postage stamps and seals that have barbed wire on them. Please see the membership page to learn how to receive this publication.



We continue to add new barbed wire inventor and historical information to our website.



Books, art prints, and wire may be purchased at the On-line store.



There are currently six state organizations that each gather annually for a barbed wire show. We have included the show information for the current year in the Showdates category.



The Antique Barbed Wire Society (ABWS) is the only international organization in existence. There are currently members from all over the U.S., England, Australia and the Netherlands.



The Symposium meets in October of each year at the ABWS building in La Crosse, Kansas. A variety of topics are discussed including technology, pricing of wire, tools, staples and posts, and the changing roles of individual state organizations. All members of ABWS are invited to attend.



This hobby and the supporting organizations have been fortunate to have committed individuals who are willing to share their information, expertise, and collections with others who may be interested. We hope to hear from you soon.



