A Very Good Queen's South Africa Medal Lancashire Fusiliers

3 Clasps. A superb medal from one of the great British Regiments of the Line. Known for their valour, determination and courage. The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many centuries and wars, including the Second Boer War both World War I and World War II, and had many different titles throughout its 280 years of existence.During the Second Boer War, the 2nd Battalion saw action at the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 and the Relief of Ladysmith in February 1900. The 6th (Militia) Battalion also served in the war, leaving for South Africa with 650 men on 10 February 1900. All three Volunteer Battalions also found 'service companies' of volunteers who served alongside the Regulars, and gained the battle honour South Africa 1900?1902 for their battalions. The Lancashire Fusiliers Boer War memorial is to be found in Whitehead Gardens, known as Clock Tower Gardens,
in front of the Town Hall bordered by Manchester Road and Knowsley Street,
Bury, Greater Manchester. It was originally situated in Market Place,
Bury. It takes the form of a bronze statue of a soldier standing in Fusilier's
dress, waving his cap, on a plinth upon which is the inscription. It
lists the men who died from the Lancashire Fusiliers, regular, militia
and volunteers, in South Africa 1900-1902. There are 170 brave souls names listed.
The memorial was unveiled on 18th March 1905 by the 17th Earl of Derby;
the sculptor was Sir George James Frampton.  read more

Code: 21373

A Miniature Waterloo Period 'Brown Bess' Musket Bayonet

Original hand engineered miniature, made post war by renown miniaturist engineer Ronald Platt. Photographed alongside the original bayonet to show perspective. the Third or India Pattern became the standard British musket in use throughout the remainder of French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and was used in almost every theatre in which the British were present. It was the musket that the British soldier carried during the Peninsular War and the Hundred Days campaign including both the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo. It was also used in the War of 1812 in North America.  read more

Code: 21596

An Early Fine Miniature Single Shot Bolt Action Rifle

Showing all the minute detail of the original bolt action rifle. European armies continued to develop bolt-action rifles through the latter half of the nineteenth century, first adopting tubular magazines as on the Kropatschek rifle and the Lebel rifle, a magazine system pioneered by the Winchester rifle of 1866. The first bolt-action repeating rifle was the Vetterli rifle of 1867 and the first bolt-action repeating rifle to use centerfire cartridges was the weapon designed by the Viennese gunsmith Ferdinand Fruwirth in 1871. Ultimately, the military turned to bolt-action rifles using a box magazine; the first of its kind was the M1885 Remington Lee, but the first to be generally adopted was the British 1888 Lee-Metford. World War I marked the height of the bolt-action rifle's use, with all of the nations in that war fielding troops armed with various bolt-action designs. Probably a Colt or Remington pattern. 6 inches long Non working original hand engineered miniature, made post war by renown miniaturist engineer Ronald Platt.  read more

Code: 21285

Officer's Kriegsmarine Visor Cap Eagle Wreath and Cockade

(Schirmmutze Adler, Eichenlaubkranz und Korkade)

Visor caps were a standard item for all personnel during the Third Reich period and regulations dictated the form of dress they were to be worn with based on the individuals rank. Officer and senior NCO ranks could purchase their caps from the army clothing depots but were also permitted to wear privately purchased visor caps of higher quality. The Kriegsmarine adopted wear of the new national eagle on the front of the headgear and the right breast of the uniform on March 24th 1934. Originally Kriegsmarine personnel wore the Weimar Reichsheer pattern oak-leaf wreath and cockade until a new more detailed pattern wreath and cockade were introduced in March 1935. The insignia consists of a separate national eagle and a wreathed cockade. Nice quality hand embroidered national eagle in gilt wire threads with navy blue accent threads on a cut-out navy blue wool base.
the wreathed cockade is die struck gilt metal with separate red grey and black centre cockade. both in excellent condition for age.  read more

Code: 24235

A Georgian 18th century Carved Horn Primer or Pistol Flask

made in the 18th and used into the early 19th century. With powder measure screw on cap. Cow horn with wooden base plate.
Firearms became more and more sophisticated during the 16th-century but still required a number of accessories to load and operate them. The main charge, placed in the barrel with the shot, was carried in the powder flask. Smaller priming flasks contained fine-grain powder for priming the pans of wheel-lock firearms. Flasks were attached to a bandolier, a type of sling worn over the shoulder or around the waist, from which hung the various accessories required for a weapon including spanners for the mechanism, measured charges, powder flasks and priming flasks.  read more

Code: 21666

A Victorian Durham Light Infantry Helmet Plate Ist Volunteer Battalion

In white metal with black centre. The 1st Durham Rifle Volunteer Corps was formed at Stockton-on-Tees in 1860, and in 1880 was amalgamated with other Durham corps, from Darlington, Castle Eden and Middlesbrough, to form a battalion of eight companies.

The 1st Durhams later became the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry and as such gained the battle honour `South Africa 1900-02' for the services of its members during the Boer War.  read more

Code: 16734

An Edwardian West Yorkshire Regt. Large Helmet Plate

World War I saw numerous battalions of The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) serving at Neuve-Chappelle, Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele, Ypres, Marne, Arras, Cambrai and Gallipoli. At its peak The West Yorkshire Regiment numbered 37 battalions, 66 Battle Honours were bestowed and four Victoria Crosses were awarded.

The four TF battalions formed the West Yorkshire Brigade, which mobilised as 146 Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division on the outbreak of World War I and served in France 1915?18. They raised duplicate battalions (2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th, 2/8th) that constituted 185 Bde in 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division, which also served in France 1917?18. In 1915 they formed further reserve battalions (3/5th, 3/6th, 3/7th, 3/8th) Battle honours in WW1 The Great War [31 battalions]: Aisne 1914 '18, Armenti?res 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Hooge 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Pozi?res, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Bullecourt, Hill 70, Messines 1917 '18, Ypres 1917 '18, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Rosi?res, Villers Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Marne 1918, Tardenois, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Drocourt-Qu?ant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, ?p?hy, Canal du Nord, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917-18, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915-16  read more

Code: 19251

A Pair of WW2 Gas Shield Eye Protectors, Afrika Korps Dessert Campaign Souvenirs, 'Rommel' Type

Made for the British forces in the earliest part of the war, initially as gas protectors, but actually soon realised to be far better as sand storm eye protection, made of an early form of clear celluloid with elastic.

Used to great effect by our so-called Desert Rats in North Africa, but many were captured in the early part of the war in Afrika by the German forces, and re-issued and used by them. In fact Rommel used the very same protectors for that purpose as one can see from the numerous photos of Rommel taken in Africa.

Part of a collection of Afrika Korps campaign souvenirs, including the tinted celluoid goggle type, and a complete pack of goggles, in all original packing, very rare to survive complete packet and contents  read more

Code: 19025

An Edo Period, 1603 -1867 Tanto Tsuba, Tetsu With Silver Inlaid Rim

A charming tsuba with traces of silver inlays around the entire rim. Probably made around 1680.
Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.

A tanto would most often be worn by Samurai, and it was very uncommon to come across a non samurai with a tanto. It was not only men who carried these daggers, women would on occasions carry a small tanto called a kaiken in their obi which would be used for self-defence. In feudal Japan a tanto would occasionally be worn by Samurai in place of the wakizashi in a combination called the daisho, which roughly translates as big-little, in reference to the big Samurai Sword (Katana) and the small dagger (tanto). Before the rise of the katana it was more common for a Samurai to carry a tachi and tanto combination as opposed to a katana and wakizashi.
46mm

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Code: 24234

Set of Three German Mutterkreuz, Early Ist Pattern in Silver, Two 2nd Patterns in Gold & Silver

The first is a very rare example of the first pattern Mutterkreuz [Mother's Cross] in silver in good condition.
The Cross is more or less identical to the more common later pattern, except that on the back is stamped "Das Kindadelt dir Mutter' and the early style signature of Adolf Hitler. Later models have '16 Dezember 1938' and the later version of his signature. From 1933 to 1945 Hitler's signature changed a few times.
The 2nd is the gold cross 2nd pattern and the third a silver 2nd pattern.
The first pattern only existed for a very short time thus,. as a result, it is one of the rarest non military awards.
It was Adolf Hitler’s joint experiences of witnessing the manpower losses on the Western Front in WWI and deaths in his immediate family that were the behind a desire to encourage German mothers to have large families.
Three of Adolf’s siblings died as children and even his mother, who he doted on, died when he was just 18. By the time the National Socialists gained power Hitler had already formulated plans for expansion in the east with Lebensraum, or living space. The army, as well, would need those large families to provide a stream of new recruits. The honouring of motherhood was also another way of encouraging traditional German values to counter what Hitler, and many saw as the decadence of the more liberal, roaring ‘20s and early 1930s.

The result was a civil award that recognised the contribution of German mothers to the nation. The Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter, translated as the Cross of Honour of the German Mother, or as it more informally known, the Mother’s Cross, was instituted by statutory order on 16 December, 1938 by Adolf Hitler. The Cross was originally to be awarded on the second Sunday in May, or Mother’s Day, but as some three million German women were already eligible this was extended to include other important national occasions. It did mean that the first awards weren’t given until May 1939. The Mother’s Cross came in three grades, as follows:
Gold Cross – for mothers with eight or more children
Silver Cross – for mothers with six or seven children
Bronze Cross – for mothers with four or five children
Size: 36 x 46mm
Acquired from the estate of a late collector, acquired by him from his collecting period that commenced in the 1950's. Please note 90% of the value of this small collection is the the most rare ‘1st pattern’ silver example, these single and highly rare medals can easily achieve over £1000 today, 10 times the value of the 2nd patterns as we show here.

Photo 5 in the gallery shows the rear view of this 1st pattern mutterkreuz medal used to illustrate the versions in Militaria History published in 2018  read more

Code: 23744