Antique Arms & Militaria

An Exceptional And Rare, Late-Renaissance, 1500's to Early 1600's, Nuremberg, Iron, Strongbox or Ship's Treasure Chest, With its Original Key. Used Aboard Galleons To Store The Ship's Bullion or Treasure

Also known as in some quarters as a Pirate's Treasure Chest, for when the pirates of the King James and Queen Anne period captured ships, their victim's ship's gold and treasure were in chests exactly such as this, and then, they were transferred by block and tackle to the pirate's ship {see an antique print of Captain Avery loading treasure into his ship's hold in the gallery}, and later, it would have been exactly such chests, containing their stolen booty, including jewels, treasure, gold doubloons etc., as was buried by the pirates in the deserted Caribbean Islands, as described by Robert Louis Stevenson's treasure Island.

Although made primarily in southern Germany during the 16th and 17th century, especially the Nuremburg region, these boxes were identified in the Georgian period to be Spanish treasure chests, and were henceforth called Armada chests in the 19th century. Some were for the use of ship's captains at sea, and would have been bolted to the deck of the owner's cabin.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth century money chests were forged completely in sheet iron and reinforced with intersecting strips and fittings made of iron. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, a host of cities in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland were renowned for their craftsmanship, especially Augsburg and Nuremberg. The shops were usually old family businesses in which younger generations were trained by their elders. They became extremely skilled blacksmiths, along with equally skilled colleagues in specialities such as sheet metalworking, etching, hammered inlay, steel-plate engraving, painting and rustproofing.

By the dawn of the Renaissance they had already achieved a strong tradition of craftsmanship and a dominant position in Europe. Forging production in certain cities focused mainly on steel and iron armor, as well as equipment for entire armies of foot soldiers, cavalry, officers and horses. Blacksmiths produced all types of small arms for the era, along with accessories, swords, rapiers, lances, helmets, breastplates, and armor.

Armada chests and money boxes were in demand far beyond the borders of the German states and were used to hold taxes, tariffs, and soldiers’ wages, jewelry, coin and bullion of nobles as well as treasure taken by pirates.This chest is in great condition. The locking mechanisms work nicely and the chest includes its original key.

An 1837 woodcut from The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms depicting Henry Every receiving three chests of treasure on board his ship, the Fancy.  read more

Code: 25269

A Very Scarce Austrian {Austro-Hungarian Empire} Model Lorenz 1854/67 Wänzl Jäger Rifle, Trapdoor Conversion

In good sound condition for age. With strap.
In 1866 the Austrians fought a disastrous seven week war with Germany, where the German breechloading needle fire rifles decimated the Austrians with their muzzle loading Lorenz rifles. The following January (1867), the Austrians adopted the Wanzl system for converting their muzzle loading rifles to breechloading cartridge arms. Six months later they adopted the rotary breech Werndl system for new rifles to be made by the newly formed firm of Steyr. This is the standard infantry model Wanzl, with total barrel length of about 37.5 inches and overall length of about 53 inches. The lock bears the original manufacture date of 1856, stamped in the Austrian method of only the last three digits, 856.

The Lorenz rifle was the third most widely used rifle during the American Civil War. The Union recorded purchases of 226,924 and the Confederacy bought as many as 100,000. Confederate-bought Lorenz rifles saw heavy use in the Army of Mississippi in 1863–64, with many of them being issued to re-equip regiments captured at the siege of Vicksburg and later exchanged. On the Union side, continental European firearms were mostly distributed to the Western armies—as such, the Lorenz Rifle was relatively uncommon in the Army of the Potomac (although two regiments of the famous Iron Brigade carried them) but heavily used by the Army of the Cumberland and Army of the Tennessee.

The Wanzl conversion is somewhat similar to the later Allin Trapdoor system, where a new receiver is attached to the old barrel, having a breechblock that flips up like the trapdoor. The locking system is unusual, being an internal rod that locks into the rear of the breechblock as the hammer falls. The tang is marked Labeda, the firm that did the conversion. The breechblock is marked Bollman. The barrel is marked 63 possibly indicating acceptance at Vienna (Wein) in 1863. Overall condition is about fine. The beech stock has a few assorted minor handling. The Wanzel is a very scarce gun, and would be an excellent addition to a collection of European military arms. Other examples that would fit into the breech conversion rifles would be the British Sniders, the French Tabatier, the Swiss Milbank-Amsler; the U.S. first and second Allin trapdoors, some of the Remington rolling blocks, and several others. Note- The Lorenz muskets were nominally .54 calibre and the conversion used a rimfire cartridge variously called any of the following: 13.9 x 33mm Wanzel Model 1867 rimfire; 14 mm rimfire Wanzl ; 14.3 x 32.3mm rimfire Austrian Wänzel; 14.3 x 32.3mm rimfire Wänzel Mod. 1869; 14.5 x 32.5mm rimfire Austrian Wänzel; 14 mm Scharfe gewehrpatrone or the 14 x 33mm rimfire Wänzel.

No licence required now simply an original antique collectors item.Section 58 (2) antique / obsolete calibre  read more

Code: 25267

A Superb US 'Wild West' Period Marlin Fire-Arms Co. Lever Action Repeating Rifle Manufactured in 1883. Nr. Exactly As Used By Apache Indian Fighter Brig. Gen. George C. Crook. A Superior Gun Compared To The Winchester Lever Repeater.

A very rare and good all original Marlin .40-60 lever action repeating rifle. Model 1881 in an obsolete calibre.
This has a very good rifle indeed and has gathered a beautiful patina. Serial no. 4456, for 1883. octagonal barrel, the top-flat signed ‘MARLIN FIRE-ARMS CO. NEW-HAVEN C.T. USA’ over patent dates to ‘1880’, dove-tailed fore-sight, elevating buckhorn rearsight, slab-sided receiver with sliding load gate and top ejection.
Bolt with integral dust-cover walnut butt-stock and fore-end and full-length under-barrel magazine, overall length 45.5in., weight approx

According to Flayderman’s Guide To Antique American Firearms, “The Model 1881
was years ahead of the Model 1886 Winchester, and proved a very popular rifle.”

In October 1881, the Miles City, Montana Territory, gun dealer Broadwater, Hubbell
& Co. advertised that a case of the Model 1881 Marlins had already been sold to “Hunters,” adding that, “these guns promise to be very popular and take preference over all others.” In March 1882, another of their advertisements lauded
the Model 1881: “The New Buffalo Gun. A large Stock on hand, of various weights,
from 8 to 16 lbs., from which to make selection. These are THE Buffalo Gun.” In 1882 other dealers—such as W.H. Bradt in Leadville, Colo., and C.D. Ladd in San Francisco—were also advertising the Model 1881. The Marlin Company itself promoted the Model 1881 in July 1885 in Denver’s Rocky Mountain News as “The Best In The World.” And in April 1889, Marlin advertised in the Sitka Alaskan, “The Best And Simplest Rifles Made, Strongest Shooting, Easiest Working.”

Apache Indian fighter Brig. Gen. George C. Crook, who coined the frontier axiom that “the only way to catch an Apache is with another Apache,” used a Model 1881 Marlin. Crook spent most of his military career trying to placate, instead of kill, renegade Indians from the Pacific Northwest to the central Plains. But he is most famous for bringing a semblance of peace to the Apache-ravaged southeast corner of Arizona Territory in the 1870s and again in the 1880s at a time when another frontier axiom was “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
One of the rifles that Crook passed down to his godson, Webb C. Hayes (son of President Rutherford B. Hayes), is a Model 1881 Marlin, serial number 4254. It was Webb Hayes’ favourite rifle on hunting trips with his godfather. The gun now resides in the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio.

Mickey Free, (part Mexican, Irish and Apache) one of Crook’s most trusted Apache-wars Indian scouts, is also known to have favoured a 'brass-tack Indian-decorated' Model 1881 Marlin, which is now in the private collection of the Frontier Gun Shop in Tucson, Ariz.
On January 27, 1861, Apache Indians had kidnapped 12-year old Free from the ranch of his stepfather, John Ward, near Sonoita, Arizona Territory. The incident sparked the killing of Apache prisoners by the U.S. Army and white prisoners by the Apaches and drove Chief Cochise on a bloody warpath until 1872. Blinded in the left eye when he was young, the reddish blond–haired Free was raised by White Mountain Apaches.
Free joined the U.S. Army’s Indian Scouts on December 2, 1872, and served with them until 1893.
A .40-60-calibre Model 1881 Marlin that was used by Oklahoma Territory outlaw “Red Buck” Waightman is now on display at the Ralph Foster Museum, College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Mo.
In spite of the Model 1881 repeating rifle’s reputation for quality and simplicity, John Marlin discontinued it in 1892 after having produced only about 20,000 of
them.

Section 58 (2) antique / obsolete calibre no licence required to own and collect/display  read more

Code: 25265

More Fabulous & Rare Pieces Added Every Day, & Some to Be Added This Coming Week On To The Lanes Armoury Website, Fresh From Our Conservation Workshop & Another Collection From the Workshop Early Next week

Early next week we have arriving a fantastic, large collection of original French Ist Empire Napoleonic sabres, from a very rare General's sword, an Imperial Garde Light Cavalry officer's sword, a very rare Grenadier a Cheval De La Garde Imperial sword, a General Staff of Light Cavalry officer's Sword,, Cuirassier officer's swords, an incredibly rare French Naval, Sabre D'Officier De Marine Model Prairelle An XII {1804 Trafalger } Officer's sword, Light Cavalry officer's sabres {some blue and gilt blades}, a rare Sabre D'Officier De Cavalrie Legere, with the Marengo pattern hilt, and a really very rare officer of the Carabiniers shell guard sword, plus several others. All are in superb condition for age. We also have a very rare 1940 MK1 'dove site' Bren gun, one of only 2,300 Bren guns left to defend England after the Dunkirk debacle. 27,700 MK 1 Bren guns were either left to the mercy of The Third Reich as captured booty, or, were destroyed on the beaches of Dunkirk. Thus this gun is either one of 2,300 remaining examples, or even rarer, { judged by survival rates} it one of the ones used by 'Jerry' against us!. This very rare earliest Bren Gun is now ‘Sold’
However, the good news is we have another good Bren {but manufactured later, post Dunkirk} arriving next week!

Just last week, for those with in interest in British Spycraft original collectables, we have some incredibly rare, original SOE WW2 items, including, probably, the best a rarest complete SOE Agents suitcase transceiver available, if not the best and most untouched ‘barn find’ of its type in the world!!. Just as would have been used by the one of history’s greatest heroines, Violette Szabo G.C. SOE espionage agent & radio operator. Plus, an SOE clamshell mine, and a SOE suitcase radio bicycle generator.
Also, American Civil War revolvers, such as by Remington, Manhattan, Starr, & Whitney, and very, very rare, US Civil War General’s sabre and knot complete, that is identical to General’s W.T.Sherman, J.E.B.Stuart, & John Bell Hood’s generals pattern swords. Plus, a Confederate British contract Tranter revolver. Also, a simply stunning collection of amazing sword sticks, all first division, some with full silver handles, others in very fine and beautiful woods, and all in incredible condition, plus, Samurai Ninja Shikome-zue sword sticks that are due in in a couple of weeks. Also an incredibly rare Qing Dynasty Chinese matchlock musket, one of the first we have seen in decades, a stunning WW2 RAF fighter scramble bell. An amazing 16th century ‘Holy Water Sprinkler’ a particularly gruesome looking pole arm of the rarest kind. A 1st Empire Napoleonic, French Cuirassiers sword, and a French Light Cavalry sabre by Nicolas Noel Boutet, a 17th to 18th century Royal Naval Admiral’s saw back cutlass, an Ancient Greek pure gold and carved scarab and intaglio swivel seal ring, around 2600 year old, and an ancient Roman noble’s silver & carved gemstone seal ring. A rare German 1930’s NSFK flyer’s summer helmet, some wonderful ancient samurai swords, a stunning pair of English, by one of the finest maker’s, original, cased, duelling pistols with tools, and an amazing antique samurai menpo face armour, and a really rare 1790’s French naval officers sea service pistol. Plus lots more as usual.

Just last Saturday we were simply delighted by an unexpected return visit from an old dear customer, a much respected London University professor and academic of numerous decades, who, amongst so many other things, lectures around the world on oriental studies, and was an advisor to Margaret Thatcher. He paid us the enormous compliment of declaring that despite travelling all over the globe, he has still never seen a shop so full of original antique pieces that are amazingly diverse, fascinating and historically eclectic anywhere else in the world. We thank you Professor P for your kindest of compliments. Another regular visitor on Saturday, a retired US Congressman, stated “ I know of no other shop in the world where you can buy a 300,000 year old Stone Age hand axe, and an ancient Egyptian mummy’s face mask and a 1st Gulf War Scud missile launching optical site, all under the same roof!”

We added last week the rarest of the rare. A wonderful selection of Flintlocks, Scottish, British Crimean War Sea Service Pistol, and a War Dept. Colt Navy, Crimean contract purchase, and as per the HMS Warrior armoury contract. Napoleonic, French, and British Swords, and American Civil War Swords. Antique Japanese Samurai Katanas, and WW2 Japanese Shin Gunto officer's swords, several 1st Editions of P.G.Wodehouse's, Bertie Wooster, ( the books have yet to be added) plus, lots more as usual

The Lanes Armoury is many things, including, but not exclusively, Europe’s Leading Original Samurai Sword & Armoury Antiques Gallery.

After over 53 years personal experience as a partner and director by Mark, since 1971, and over 43 years by David, we are Europe’s leading original samurai sword gallery, with hundreds of swords to view and buy online 24/7, or in our gallery in Brighton on a personal visit, 6 days a week.

It has been said that the Hawkins family have, in their sword dealing history, handled, bought and sold more original Japanese swords than any other sword dealers outside of Japan since World War I, numbering well into the tens of thousands of samurai weapons. In fact we still know of no better and varied original samurai sword selection, for sale under one roof, anywhere in the world today outside of Japan, or possibly, even within it. Hundreds of antique pieces for sale to choose from, and some up to 800 years old. We have had personal dealings {both buying and selling} with curators, experts and collectors from numerous leading museums around the world, {including Japan}. Such as The Tower of London, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Mark’s personal antiques mentor in the 1970’s was Edward ‘Ted’ Dale, when he was Managing Director and chief auctioneer of one of the worlds leading auction houses, Bonhams of Knightsbridge, London.

Both Mark and David can usually be found here at the gallery and shop, most days, often buried under a pile of swords, pistols, books and bayonets. It is always the case of ‘take us as you find us’ as they say, but they are both always delighted to chat about everything swords, guns, books and history, with no purchase necessary!

In memoriam
For over 30 years we had the enjoyment of the company of the late Christopher Fox as our consultant on Nihonto. A great friend to us all, and one of the most modest and knowledgable experts on Japanese swords in England. Also he was a member of the leading European sword appreciation society for several decades, and a student and instructor of the martial art of Iaido for four decades. The second in command so to speak of sensei Roald Knutsen, one of the worlds greatest experts and author on samurai polearms. {Chris was also a whizz on all things of a military nature from 20th century Germany.}


Did you know? the most valuable sword in the world today is a samurai sword, it belongs to an investment fund and has appeared illustrated in the Forbes 400 magazine. It is valued by them at $100 million, it is a tachi from the late Koto period 16th century and unsigned. Its blade is grey and now has no original polish remaining.  read more

Code: 25201

A Nice US Civil War Staghorn Gripped Bowie Knife By Buck of Tottenham Court Road Circa 1855. German Silver Crossguard and Hilt Panel. With Its Original German Silver Mounted Pressed Card Scabbard.

Traditional and original American Civil War London made imported Bowie knife, with clip back blade, maker marked by its rare maker, Buck of Tottenham Court Rd, {London}.
The blade has overall salt and pepper pitting, but the German silver {nickel} hilt mounts are superb condition, as are the staghorn grip plates. The original pressed card scabbard has the surface feel of suede and it's still complete {with slight seam separation} and its original German silver throat mount and frog button belt stud.

The old traditional early Bowie knife was both a hunting knife and a tool. With it, one could clear a path, hack a sapling, dig a hole, or butcher game. In the siege of Bexar in 1835, Texans used Bowie knives to dig through roofs and walls and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Mexicans. The knife was not designed or balanced for throwing.

Southerners replaced their sword canes with Bowie knives, and sought expert cutlers, North and South, to craft fine blades. The cutlers usually were surgical and dental instrument makers in large cities. Most signed their works; Peter Rose and John D. Chevalier were prominent in New York, English & Huber and Clarenbach & Herder in Philadelphia, Reinhardt in Baltimore, Thomas Lamb in Washington, Dufilho in New Orleans, Alfred Hunter in Newark, Marks and Rees in Cincinnati, Daniel Searles in Baton Rouge, and Rees Fitzpatrick in Natchez. Henry Schively also made improved versions in various styles. English cutlers in Sheffield, who had dominated the American cutlery market since colonial times, took advantage of the fascination with the Bowie knife. They capitalized on vivid reports by English journalists of murder and mayhem in America involving the weapon.

A trickle of Sheffield Bowie knives in the early 1830s developed into a flood before the Civil War. Bowie knife collections indicate that only about one in ten was American made. English cutlers applied clever motifs and blade etchings that appealed to American tastes and patriotic spirit. Examples include such labels as "American Bowie Knife," "Texas Ranger Knife," "Arkansas Toothpick," "Patriot's Self Defender," "Death to Abolition," "Death to Traitors," "Americans Never Surrender," "Rio Grande Camp Knife," and "I'm A Real Ripper." Handle and guard mountings also carried symbols and slogans with American appeal. Cutlers attached handles of ivory, pearl, tortoise shell, black and gray buffalo horn, India stag horn, and fine woods. Handle pommels of nickel silver featured horse heads, shells, and geometric designs. Manufacturers generally signed their blades and added such distinctive trademarks as I*XL, B4ANY, and XCEED. At the outbreak of the Mexican War in 1846, the Bowie knife was a popular weapon in Texas. Texas Rangers under Jack (John Coffee) Hayes and Ben McCulloch carried Bowie knives and Colt Dragoon pistols into battle. Knife blades stamped and etched with Mexican War motifs appeared. Zachary Taylor, mounted on Old Whitey, was a favorite subject. Bust etchings included "Old Zach," "General Taylor Never Surrenders," "Palo Alto," and "Buena Vista." Pommels featured a Taylor bust with a patriotic slogan.

In the late 1830s an alarmed public in several Southern states demanded stringent laws to curtail the increasing "rule of the Bowie knife." In January 1838 the Tennessee legislature passed "An Act to Suppress the Sale and Use of Bowie Knives and Arkansas Toothpicks in this State." However, the sale of the knives continued to accelerate, reaching a peak after the Civil War. During that war, crude Bowie knives were popular among Confederate soldiers. Some had large, wide blades, like those of artillery shorts words; most were unmarked. The Confederates considered the knife an essential accoutrements in the early months of the war, but as the conflict wore on the knife was replaced with the bayonet. The knives had hickory or hardwood handles and iron mounts, and were worn in heavy leather sheaths with throats and tips of tin, iron, or brass. Blades had scratch engravings and crude acid etchings, with such patriotic motifs as "Sunny South," "Confederate States Defender," or "Death to Yankees." A few Confederate Bowie knives were made by experienced cutlers and exhibited excellent workmanship. Union soldiers generally wore Sheffield or British made Bowie knives.

"In the history of American arms," wrote historian Harold L. Peterson (1958), "three weapons stand out above all the rest: the Kentucky rifle, the Colt's revolver, and the Bowie knife." Each became a part of the "great American Legend."

Overall in scabbard approx. 13 inches long, Blade approx. 8 inches long.  read more

Code: 25263

A Superb Quality, Antique, Edwardian Hallmarked Repoussé Silver Handled Sword-Stick. A Most Elegant & Sophisticated Beauty In Near Mint Condition.

A wonderful repoussé silver long handle in super condition, a long bamboo haft with superb patination and a quatrefoil four sided edged blade.

Repoussé silver came into popularity during the rococo revival period in decorative arts. Silversmiths nationwide used the technique, but Baltimore was its greatest champion. The silversmiths there created a regional style featuring masses of repoussé flowers with chased details. (Chasing is opposite to repoussé, as it refines the front of the piece, and the two techniques are often used together). Known today as “Baltimore repoussé,” Samuel Kirk introduced this type of decoration in 1828. It was thoroughly copied soon after, but unlike his competitors, Kirk’s iconic pattern, simply called Repoussé, is still made today under the name Kirk Stieff.

And while America fell under the spell of neoclassicism, art nouveau, and other decorative styles, repoussé silver—outfitted in its rococo glory—has never fallen out of favour. When accounting for the style’s longevity, writer Jack Tanis noted the following in an article for Silver magazine: “What you see is what you get, and what you get is an eyeful of pretty—drippingly saturated pretty.”

Lord Byron's was a most exponent of the use and carrying of the gentleman’s sword stick. His was exhibited in King's College London, bearing a mercurial gilt collar bearing his name, coronet and adopted surname Noel. Upon the death of Byron's mother-in-law Judith Noel, the Hon. Lady Milbanke, in 1822, her will required that he change his surname to "Noel" so as to inherit

An interesting 19th century conversation and collector's piece, and one can ponder over of the kind of gentleman who would have sought and required such a piece of personal defence paraphernalia. Although one likes to think that jolly old England had a London full of cheerful cockneys and laddish chimney sweeps, it was also plagued with political intrigue, nefarious characters and caddish swine prowling the endless foggy thoroughfares and dimly lit passageways. The swordstick was a popular fashion accessory for the wealthy during the 18th and 19th centuries. While the weapon's origins are unknown, it is apparent that the cane-sword's popularity peaked when decorative swords were steadily being replaced by canes as a result of the rising popularity of firearms, and the lessening influence of swords and other small arms.

The first sword canes were made for nobility by leading sword cutlers. Sixteenth century sword canes were often bequeathed in wills. Sword canes became more popular as the streets became less safe. Society dictated it mandatory that gentlemen of the 18th and especially 19th centuries would wear a cane when out and about, and it was common for the well-dressed gentleman to own and sport canes in a variety of styles, including a good and sound sword cane. Although Byron was proficient in the use of pistols, his lameness and his need to defend himself in some potentially dangerous situations made a swordstick doubly useful to him. He received lessons in London from the fencing master Henry Angelo and owned a number of swordsticks, some of which were supplied by his boxing instructor Gentleman John Jackson.

On Byron’s sword cane was the name NOEL BYRON, upon the ferrule of his one indicated that it was used after 1822, when Byron added the surname Noel after the death of his mother-in-law.

There are several references to sword sticks in the correspondence of Byron and his circle. Byron wrote to Hobhouse from Switzerland on 23 June 1816 asking him to Bring with you also for me some bottles of Calcined Magnesia a new Sword cane procured by Jackson he alone knows the sort (my last tumbled into this lake ) some of Waite's red tooth-powder & tooth-brushes a Taylor's Pawrsanias Pausanias and I forget the other things. Hobhouse responded on 9 July: Your commissions shall be punctually fulfilled whether as to muniments for the mind or body pistol brushes, cundums, potash Prafsanias Pausanias tooth powder and sword stick.

In the entry for 22 September 1816 in Byron's Alpine Journal he describes how, at the foot of the Jungfrau,
"Storm came on , thunder, lightning, hail, all in perfection and beautiful, I was on horseback the Guide wanted to carry my cane I was going to give it him when I recollected it was a Sword stick and I thought that the lightning might be attracted towards him kept it myself a good deal encumbered with it & my cloak as it was too heavy for a whip and the horse was stupid & stood still every other peal."

In a letter to Maria Gisborne of 6-10 April 1822, Mary Shelley described the "Pisan affray" of 24 March, in which Sergeant-Major Masi was pitch-forked by one of Byron's servants. She recounted how Byron rode to his own house, and got a sword stick from one of his servants.

Sword sticks came in all qualities, and for numerous purposes, from the simplest bamboo sword cane personal defender to stout customs officer’s ‘prod’, to offensive close quarter stiletto dagger canes and even to the other side of the world in the form of Japanese samurai’s shikome-sue, hidden swords.

We show two famous sword sticks in the gallery, one that belonged to Lord Byron, and another in a Presidential Centre Library collection, a historic sword stick is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Centre Library collection in Fremont, Ohio from the Waggoner family, the sword-cane was said to have been presented to Mr Waggoner by General George Washington in honour of Waggoner's service in Washington's Life Guard during the American Revolutionary War.  read more

Code: 25262

A Beautiful 20th Century Bespoke Mahogany Locking Display Case For a 19th Century Revolver, Such As a Colt Navy or a Remington Beals Navy. Superbly Made and Fitted in Mahogany With Facsimile Tools

A superb piece of craftsmanship, that although is not an original case of the 1860's, it is a stunning display case for any suitable sized revolver, that simply elevates it's display beautifully for a collector or interior decorator.

Polished mahogany case lined in burgundy velvet with five sections for the revolver, tools and equipment. And fitted with an embossed 20th century copper powder flask, and a 20th century double, 'bullet and ball', .36 bullet mould, and working lock and key.

The photos show a suitable Remington .36 and a Colt Navy .36 fitted in the case for demonstration purposes only.

15.75 inches x 7.5 inches x 3.5 inches  read more

Code: 25260

A Superb, Wonderful, & Highly Amusing, Antique Edwardian, Carved Automata Bulldog's Head Gadget Cane. That Is Not Only A 'Glove Holder' Handled Walking Stick, But A Superbly Secretly Concealed Sword-Stick

Superbly carved wooden bulldog's head, that has a finger trigger operated opening & closing jaw, that is spring tensioned, and upon release of the trigger it can grip a pair of gentleman's gloves. The head is superbly hand carved wood with glass eyes, carved horn ears. Inside the bulldog's mouth, the jaw is painted red and each individual tooth painted white.

The wooden haft is beautiful dark red, with black striping decoration, to simulate rosewood, and the stick contains a secret, a superbly hidden, long, quatrefoil {four sided} long sword blade. Hallmarked London silver ferrule dated 1906,
Gadget or system canes by inventive spirits are perhaps the most fascinating and most collected canes. These quirky creations feature hidden devices such as a fan, an umbrella, a bottle and drinking glass, a perfume bottle or a sword.
Sometimes also scalpels and syringes in canes for
doctors. Also, musical instruments, fishing rods, telescopes, sewing kits and corkscrews can be
hidden in the head of a cane. More than 1500 patents were applied for during the 18th and 19th
centuries. The two essential properties of the gadget cane are something hidden and a combination
of several tools or functions. In addition to the official term gadget cane, there are also the more
romantic expressions such as canes with inner life or canes with soul.
Findings from the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as medieval bishopric staffs, prove that specially
shaped or ornate sceptres have served as symbols of power since time immemorial. But it was Louis XIII who brought the cane to importance as a royal accessory. The king, as his portraits depict, supposedly always held one in his hands. He also gave them – along with valuable snuffboxes – as gifts of honour. Accordingly, gentlemen who wanted to be fashionable never went without this accessory from that time on. At the time, these were sort of ornate rods without a curved handle that were held in the hand or carried under the arm.

The 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century became the age of the cane. The tremendous popularity then created the desire to be seen with a cane. And so a wealth of unique
pieces with practical and strange handles and a mysterious inner life were created. The painter
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, for example, owned a cane containing a bottle that held a pint of absinthe.
In the mid-18th century Saxony's prime minister, Heinrich Graf von Brühl, possessed 300 sticks to go with 300 suits, together with just as many snuffboxes which he weared in turn. King Friedrich II, too, had a huge collection of luxurious walking sticks and snuffboxes. After the Seven-Years War one particular type of sticks with a handle formed like a rope, which was King Friedrich’s constant companion, became so popular, that it was dubbed the "Fritz crutch".

Also at the end of the 19th century the "gadget cane" with additional functions was discovered. Sometimes elegant, sometimes plain, but curious and unrecognisable from the exterior, and the most varied objects and gadgets were concealed in the handle or shaft - out of expediency, or just for fun, or because the owner of the stick wanted to hide something from the general public, such as a hidden sword blade. In fact this one is especially ingenious in that it has two diversely separate functions, the main, the carved bulldog's head glove holder would amuse and thoroughly entertain, but its second secret would never even be guessed at, for gadget canes never usually have another hidden side, that would turn it from a fabulous curiosity into a defender of life in times of severe threat. One could easily imagine Dr Watson's ejaculation, " My Lord Holmes, that cane is simply ingenious! "

There was no limit to the genius of the inventors. There have been canes assigned to a certain profession: like one to the locksmiths to the doctor or one to the horse trader. With this can the height of a horse could have been measured. This explains the existence and meaning of the word “Stockmaß”.
Catherine Dike described 1600 different systems and functionings of canes in her book “Cane Curiosa”. She presents a great variety which reaches from useful canes to witty ones. On the same time have been automatic sticks invented. The handle were formed as a human or an animal head made of ivory or wood. When you press a knob they turn her eyes or her ears and they open their mouth.


The first sword canes were made for nobility by leading sword cutlers. Sixteenth century sword canes were often bequeathed in wills. Sword canes became more popular as the streets became less safe. Society dictated it mandatory that gentlemen of the 18th and especially 19th centuries would wear a cane when out and about, and it was common for the well-dressed gentleman to own and sport canes in a variety of styles, including a good and sound sword cane. Although Byron was proficient in the use of pistols, his lameness and his need to defend himself in some potentially dangerous situations made a swordstick doubly useful to him. He received lessons in London from the fencing master Henry Angelo and owned a number of swordsticks, some of which were supplied by his boxing instructor Gentleman John Jackson.

Sword sticks came in all qualities, and for numerous purposes, from the simplest bamboo sword cane personal defender to stout customs officer’s ‘prod’, to offensive close quarter stiletto dagger canes and even to the other side of the world in the form of Japanese samurai’s shikome-sue, hidden swords.

We show two famous sword sticks in the gallery, one that belonged to Lord Byron, and another in a Presidential Centre Library collection, a historic sword stick is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Centre Library collection in Fremont, Ohio from the Waggoner family, the sword-cane was said to have been presented to Mr Waggoner by General George Washington in honour of Waggoner's service in Washington's Life Guard during the American Revolutionary War.

An original antique collectors item for display purposes only.

36 inches long overall, blade 26.25 inches.  read more

Code: 25259

19th Century 1850's English Tranter .36 calibre Double Trigger Revolver One of the Most Favoured Revolver's of The US Civil War Confederates

The Tranter revolver is a double-action cap and ball (percussion) revolver invented around 1856 by English firearms designer William Tranter (pictured below). The original Tranter’s operated with a special dual-trigger mechanism (one to rotate the cylinder and cock the gun, a second to fire it)
The revolvers in .36 and .44 calibre were popular with Confederate troops during the American Civil War and thousands of them were shipped from Birmingham, England to New Orleans under contract to the Griswold Company.

Tranter’s most successful series of arms were his “self-cocking” revolvers, which were initially introduced in 1853. The earliest revolvers utilized Robert Adams’ patent for a solid, one-piece frame and barrel that were machined from a single forging. Tranter’s initial production run of revolvers included both Adams 1851 Patent lock works, and Tranter's own patented lock works. The original “Tranter” type revolvers, known to collectors as 1st Model Tranter or sometimes “Adams-Tranter” revolvers due to the frame marking, had no provision for a fixed loading lever. The lever swiveled on a stud that projected from the left side of the frame, which had no provision to retain the lever when it was mounted on the revolver. The lever was intended to be stored in a case or carried in the pocket; hardly a practical solution if the user actually had to reload the revolver in the field. Most of these guns were manufactured on Adams Patent frames
Famous Tranter owners

Major Heros Von Borcke, CSA
The Pinkerton Detective Agency
General J.E.B. Stuart, CSA
Capt Charles Green, CSA
Chief Inspector Donald Swanson, Scotland Yard
Sherlock Holmes
Thomas Knowles
Murder of Peter Clark

The frame, under the grip bears a serial number 7 and another matching 7 partially under the spring , and another 7 on the wooden grip. The cylinder rotates sporadically and fires on the second trigger, the left side inverted Y safety spring has a thin arm crack, single nipple lacking. No maker engravings present, with regular view and proof stamps on every cylinder and barrel, both of which are standard features on all Confederate UK contract arms,  read more

Code: 24576

Superb Large Signed Bronze Sculpture by Julius Schmidt Felling Circa 1900's of a Standing Youth

The large bronze statue shows wonderful patination, and this work shows amazing skill and definition.

Likely based on an Ancient Greek Olympian

Julius Paul Schmidt-Felling (1835–1920) was a hugely talented German sculptor who worked during the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century. The subject matter of his work was most wide and varied.
He produced, among others, bronze statues of heroic warriors, athletes, blacksmiths, and farmers.

A number of his sculptures of young children were in the Dutch colonial style, some being whimsical in nature.

His oeuvre included a wide array of sculptures, ranging in subject matter that included heroic warriors (often mounted on horseback), athletes, blacksmiths, and farmers. He sculpted a number of pieces featuring young children in primarily the Dutch colonial style. His output included some animal sculpture, too, but in lesser volume compared to other subjects. Some of his better known sculptures are small whimsical models of young boys smoking cigarettes and pipes. Schmidt-Felling was a very versatile sculptor.

The majority of Schmidt-Felling's work was cast in bronze and most pieces can be classified as being within the realism or art nouveau genres. Late in his career, however—during the art deco era—he produced a number of chryselephantine sculptures whereby both ivory and bronze were used together in the casting and construction process.

57 cm high  read more

Code: 24458