A Most Rare Early19th Century, Georgian to William IVth Irish, Crum Castle Infantryman's Large Shako Helmet Plate

This is a super, and incredibly desirable large Bell-Top Shako helmet plate, from one of the small Irish Militia of the early 19th century. Their motto was 'Rebels Lie Down'. Surviving artefacts of this militia are so scarce that we know of only one other surviving piece of early uniform militaria, a shoulder belt plate, regimentally named and also bearing their motto.
Early 19th century Irish Militia helmet plates are incredibly rare, highly prized and very collectable indeed.

Crum Castle was the alternative old spelling of Crom Castle, County Fermanagh. Although the Yeomanry’s official existence ended in 1834, the last rusty muskets were not removed from their dusty stores till the early 1840s. With unintentional but obvious symbolism, they were escorted to the ordnance stores by members of the new constabulary. Although gone, the Yeomen were most certainly not forgotten. For one thing, they were seen as the most recent manifestation of a tradition of Protestant self-defence stretching back to plantation requirements of armed service from tenants then re-surfacing in different forms such as the Williamite county associations, the eighteenth-century Boyne Societies, anti-Jacobite associations of 1745 and the Volunteers. Such identification had been eagerly promoted. At the foundation of an Apprentice Boys’ club in 1813, Colonel Blacker, a Yeoman and Orangeman, amalgamated the siege tradition, the Yeomanry and 1798 in a song entitled The Crimson Banner:

Again when treason maddened round,
and rebel hordes were swarming,
were Derry’s sons the foremost found,
for King and Country arming.

Moreover, the idea of a yeomanry remained as a structural template for local, gentry-led self-defence, particularly in Ulster. When volunteering was revived in Britain in 1859, northern Irish MPs like Sharman Crawford tried unsuccessfully to use the Yeomanry precedent to get similar Irish legislation. Yeomanry-like associations were mooted in the second Home Rule crisis of 1893. The Ulster Volunteer Force of 1911-14—often led by the same families like Knox of Dungannon—defined their role like Yeomen, giving priority to local defence and exhibiting great reluctance to leave their own districts for training in brigades. Two loop mounts [one with old re-bedding] 6.25 inches high.  read more

Code: 23283

Original Ancient Imperial Roman ‘Cross-bow” Fibula Bronze Toga Pin Military Issue, Fine Piece For Higher Ranking Figures in the Legion, Such As a Centurion or Tribune

Bow Fibula with a folded or rolled sleeve hinge, c. Early Imperial - Beginning of 2nd Century. We acquired a very small collection of roman toga pins, from super, small collection of original, historical, Imperial Roman and Crusader's artefacts
Shaped in the form of a roman military crossbow fibula, in bronze.
It became the most popular form of closure for Roman fibulae, and is characteristic of the bow brooches from the early imperial times to the beginning of the 2nd century. Outside the Roman Empire and after that time, this type of hinge was seldom used. The sleeve hinge consists of a small sleeve at the top of the head which is forged from a square sheet metal plate and then rolled up. In a center-cut slot, the spiked needle is inserted and held by a shaft (usually iron) passing through the whole sleeve. At the ends of each of the Aucissa fibulae and their early successors were buttons holding the hinge axis; later, the hinge axis was clamped in the sleeve and needed no buttons. The needle always carries a thorn-like projection on its perforated oval plate, which beats against the head of the fibula and, by virtue of this resistance, causes the suspension to spring forth. The sleeve hinge is used exclusively in bow fibulae. The needle is primarily rectilinear, but bends hand in hand with the flattening of the bow to the outside to continue to leave enough space between the bracket and needle. The sleeve hinge is considered a typical Roman construction. The paludamentum was usually worn over one shoulder and fastened with a fibula (ancient version of a safety pin). Arguments abound over what shoulder was exposed, but it seems fairly clear that the garment was fastened loosely enough to move around, The paludamentum was a cloak that was specifically associated with warfare. A general donned one for the ceremonial procession leading an army out of the sacred precinct of the city of Rome and was required to remove it before returning to the city…a sign that he was no longer a general, but a common citizen. The paludamentum or sagum purpura (purple cloak) was the iconic red cloak worn by a Roman general (Legatus) and his staff officers. Originally, it’s distinctive red/purple color clearly delineated between these officers and the rest of the army, which sported the sagum gregale (cloak of the flock). Although the sagum gregale, worn by the rank and file, started out the color of the flock (i.e. undyed wool), it seems likely to have transitioned to a coarser version of the sagum purpura by the imperial period (27BCE – 476CE). Outfitting the entire army in red garments would have been a mark of the great wealth of Rome – well, that and the fact that the Romans controlled the source of purple dye by then.The pin is now frozen through two millennia in a fixed position. Fibula 58mm x 28mm not including pin , pin is now rigid in position.

For example; With regards to some expert conservation methods of bronze objects {and some other materials} The dirt from the surface of the object could be removed manually using a scalpel under magnification. Care would be taken not to dislodge the powdery, corroding surface. Where the surface was in particualrly bad condition the dirt will be left in situ and small areas might be locally consolidated using 2.5% HMG Paraloid B72 (methyl ethyl methacrlylate) in 50:50 Acetone (propan-1-one/dimethyl ketone) and Industrial methylated spirits ethanol,methanol.
The above practice is just one form of conservation method also used by the British Museum.  read more

Code: 24610

Wonderful 12th-13th Century Crusader & Pilgrim Knight's Heraldic Seal Ring Of a Fantastical Beast The Manticore, A Human Headed Tiger or Lion. Used In Medeavil Heraldry On Shields, Banner, Accoutrements & Indicated To Which Noble Family A Knight Belonged

A superb naturally patinated bronze, realistically engraved with an intaglio of the Manticore a Man-Tiger or Man-Lion. For example, in the 1400's it was the Heraldic Badge of William Lord Hastings. Often used as a supporter for a noble coat of arms. The ring is also very unusual in that it is designed to be sectioned on the inside ring so as to be self adjusting for finger size.

The royal supporters of England are the heraldic supporter creatures appearing on each side of the royal arms of England. The royal supporters of the monarchs of England displayed a variety, or even a menagerie, of real and imaginary heraldic beasts, either side of their royal arms of sovereignty, including lion, leopard, panther and tiger, manticore, antelope and hart, greyhound, boar and bull, falcon, cock, eagle and swan, red and gold dragons, as well as the current unicorn.

In ancient Greek culture, the manticore represented the unknown lands of Asia, the area it was said to inhabit. In later times, the manticore was recognized by many Europeans as a symbol of the devil or of the ruthless rule of tyrants. This may have originated in the practice of using manticores as royal decorations, and heraldic devices.

The Manticore In Art, Literature, And Everyday Life
During the Middle Ages, the manticore appeared in a number of bestiaries, books containing pictures or descriptions of mythical beasts.

The manticore was also featured in medieval heraldry—designs on armour, shields, and banners that indicated the group or family to which a knight belonged.

The medieval Maniticore is featured in numerous medieval manuscripts known as Bestiary, a book written in the Middle Ages containing descriptions of real and imaginary animals, intended to teach morals, religion and to entertain.
The bestiary — the medieval book of beasts — was among the most popular illuminated texts in northern Europe during the Middle Ages (about 500–1500). Medieval Christians understood every element of the world as a manifestation of God, and bestiaries largely focused on each animal's religious meaning. Much of what is in the bestiary came from the ancient Greeks and their philosophers. The earliest bestiary in the form in which it was later popularized was an anonymous 2nd-century Greek volume called the Physiologus, which itself summarized ancient knowledge and wisdom about animals in the writings of classical authors such as Aristotle's Historia Animalium and various works by Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, Solinus, Aelian and other naturalists.

Following the Physiologus, Saint Isidore of Seville (Book XII of the Etymologiae) and Saint Ambrose expanded the religious message with reference to passages from the Bible and the Septuagint. They and other authors freely expanded or modified pre-existing models, constantly refining the moral content without interest or access to much more detail regarding the factual content. Nevertheless, the often fanciful accounts of these beasts were widely read and generally believed to be true. A few observations found in bestiaries, such as the migration of birds, were discounted by the natural philosophers of later centuries, only to be rediscovered in the modern scientific era.

Medieval bestiaries are remarkably similar in sequence of the animals of which they treat. Bestiaries were particularly popular in England and France around the 12th century and were mainly compilations of earlier texts. The Aberdeen Bestiary is one of the best known of over 50 manuscript bestiaries surviving today.These bestiaries held much content in terms of religious significance. In almost every animal there is some way to connect it to a lesson from the church or a familiar religious story. With animals holding significance since ancient times, it is fair to say that bestiaries and their contents gave fuel to the context behind the animals, whether real or myth, and their meanings.

UK size R1/2  read more

Code: 25481

A Foyles Bookshop of London, 1939 London Publication by Hurst & Blackett Ltd. of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Published Just Following New York's Time Magazine Voting Him "Man of The Year" in 1938

English translation, published just before the outbreak of WW2.
Time Magazine’s designation of Adolf Hitler as “Man of the Year” for 1938 identified Hitler as “the newsmaker who most influenced world events for better or worse” { we think, worse, is actually the most likely of the two} and it was not an endorsement, the magazine has repeatedly clarified. Interestingly, Josef Stalin was awarded Time Magazine's "Man of The Year" twice, in 1939 and 1942.

With author's photograph and publication signature, and a further publication signature to the Author's Forward.

Very good condition for age, usual yellowing to pages, but areas of white staining and bruising to the front cover {however, naturally it’s price reflects this}.

Hurst and Blackett, in October 1933, just nine months after Hitler rose to power in Germany, started to publish, in English, Hitler's infamous biographical book, Mein Kampf. Probably the most famous biography in publishing history.

Hitler began dictation of the book while imprisoned for what he considered to be "political crimes" following his failed Putsch in Munich in November 1923. Although Hitler received many visitors initially, he soon devoted himself entirely to the book. As he continued, Hitler realised that it would have to be a two-volume work, with the first volume scheduled for release in early 1925. The governor of Landsberg noted at the time that "he hopes the book will run into many editions, thus enabling him to fulfil his financial obligations and to defray the expenses incurred at the time of his trial."

Hitler originally published his book in German in 1925. There was a little if any interest in Mein Kampf outside the country as he was an unknown Bavarian fringe candidate. When he unexpectedly vaulted to power in January 1933, European publishers rushed to obtain the contract to translate his work and publish it in other countries. Because the German Mein Kampf was so telling about the coming war and atrocities he would inflict on the French, the Soviet, and most of all the Jewish people, Adolf Hitler was hesitant to allow any translations or publishing rights in different countries. As most of you know, Hitler fought bravely during the entire four years of the Great War and he was wounded twice. During that time, as he later recounts in Mein Kampf, Hitler became convinced the French rather than the British were his true western enemies. In fact during the first three years of his chancellorship, Hitler tried repeatedly to secure a military alliance with England so they could help him destroy France, or at least stand by while Hitler obtained his sweet revenge for Germany's humiliation at the Versailles peace table. So the newly-appointed German leader authorised Mein Kampf to be translated into English and published by London's Hurst and Blackett in the spring of 1933. However, Hitler never allowed a complete translation. After an Englishman named Edgar Dugdale completed his work on the actual translation, the Nazis insisted on revising and censoring the 700 page book. Hitler employed Nazi party official Dr. Hans Thost to specifically go through and remove offending passages in Mein Kampf and to also surgically alter his original German words to make a direct appeal for his British alliance. Dr. Thost was the sole Nazi party official living in London at this time. He spent the summer of 1933 altering and removing over 400 pages from this new English translation and when he was finished, he finally allowed Hurst and Blackett to take this edition to print that September. Even though Hitler was now the leader of Germany, the British publishing house Hurst and Blackett was hesitant about printing too many copies of this book initially. 1933 was the height of the Great Depression, and books were only for the few. It wasn't until 1937 that Hurst and Blackett started printing, smaller versions of My Struggle because Europeans started to become nervous as Hitler was clearly rearming and reindustrializing Germany. Most copies were purchased by British intellectuals or those keenly interested in foreign policy. Most of those people lived in London, and quite a few of the copies of this book were destroyed in the Blitz. Indeed the Hurst and Blackett Publishing house was completely destroyed by German bombs in 1940.

The book was edited by the former Hieronymite friar, catholic priest and journalist, Bernhard Stempfle, who later died during the Night of the Long Knives.

The book was so successful around the world Hitler used the proceeds to fund his entire election campaign, tours and lectures. And due to its and the authors success he was named Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1938

The first 1933 Hurst and Blackett English edition can now achieve values up to £6,500  read more

Code: 25478

A Rare Original Roman Gladiatrix, {A Female Gladiator} Size Bronze Ring, Early Imperial Roman Period. Featuring A Coliseum Barbary Lion in a Combat Pose Around 1900 Years Old

An amazing original historical ancient Roman artefact featuring a detailed intaglio hand engraving of a lion, in a gladiatorial standing pose, with its large mane and proud tail, from such as the gladiator and gladiatrix's arena in the Colosseum in Rome, from the time just before the Emperor's Marcus Aurelias and Commodus. The era superbly depicted in Sir Ridley Scott's blockbuster movie, Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, and soon to be released Gladiator II.

The gladiatrix was a female gladiator of ancient Rome. Like their male counterparts, gladiatrices fought each other, or wild animals, to entertain audiences at games and festivals

Very little is known about female gladiators. They seem to have used much the same equipment as men, but were few in number and almost certainly considered an exotic rarity by their audiences. They are mentioned in literary sources from the end of the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire, and are attested in only a few inscriptions. Female gladiators were officially banned as unseemly from 200 AD onwards, but the word gladiatrix does not appear until late antiquity.
Tacitus writes of women of high status flaunting themselves in the arena during the time of Nero (Annals 15.32). Cassius Dio tells of the Emperor Titus putting on a combat where women were pitted against foes (Historia Romana, 67.8.4).

Petronius mentions a troupe of professional gladiators which included a woman fighting on a chariot (Satyricon 45). According to the gossipy Suetonius, the Emperor Domitian sponsored torch-lit combats at night between men and also between women (Domitian 4). Many Roman oil lamps feature gladiators, a handful of which show what seem to be female gladiators.

In copper bronze with stunning, natural age patination, in a regular female size of the time. By far the greatest percentage of rings from the Roman era were engraved in the stylised form, but a very small percent, perhaps less that .01 of a percent, were engraved in the realism form. This is one of those rare types of more realistic engravings.

The wearing of the ring was the prerogative alone of Roman citizens or those of high rank and esteem, that some gladiators always aspired to but rarely achieved due to their short life span within their violent craft. However some did achieve such great success and were rewarded with riches, freedom and the right to wear the traditional Roman bronze status ring.

Romans seem to have found the idea of a female gladiator novel and entertaining, or downright absurd; Juvenal titillates his readers with a woman named "Mevia", a beast-hunter, hunting boars in the arena "with spear in hand and breasts exposed", and Petronius mocks the pretensions of a rich, low-class citizen, whose munus includes a woman fighting from a cart or chariot.

Some regarded female gladiators of any class as a symptom of corrupted Roman sensibilities, morals and womanhood. Before he became emperor, Septimius Severus may have attended the Antiochene Olympic Games, which had been revived by the emperor Commodus and included traditional Greek female athletics. Septimius' attempt to give Romans a similarly dignified display of female athletics was met by the crowd with ribald chants and cat-calls.26 Probably as a result, he banned the use of female gladiators, from 200 AD.27

There may have been more, and earlier female gladiators than the sparse evidence allows; *McCullough speculates the unremarked introduction of lower-class gladiatores mulieres at some time during the Augustan era, when the gift of luxurious, crowd-pleasing games and abundant novelty became an exclusive privilege of the state, provided by the emperor or his officials. On the whole, Rome's elite authorities exhibit indifference to the existence and activities of non-citizen arenari of either gender. The Larinum decree made no mention of lower-class mulieres, so their use as gladiators was permissible. Septimius Severus' later wholesale ban on female gladiators may have been selective in its practical application, targeting higher-status women with personal and family reputations to lose. Nevertheless, this does not imply low-class female gladiators were commonplace in Roman life. Male gladiators were wildly popular, and were celebrated in art, and in countless images across the Empire. Only one near-certain image of female gladiators survives; their appearance in Roman histories is extremely rare, and is invariably described by observers as unusual, exotic, aberrant or bizarre.
The following historical quote from Antiquity is from Cassio Dios book of Roman History and is translated by Earnest Cary and Herbert Baldwin Foster. The succeeding quote is from Juvenals book Satire; which is translated by Niall Rudd.

“There was another exhibition that was once most disgraceful and most shocking, when men and women not only of the equestrian but even of the senatorial order appeared as performers in the orchestra, in the Circus, and in the hunting-theatre Colosseum, like those who are held in lowest esteem. Some of them played the flute and danced in pantomimes or acted in tragedies and comedies or sang to the lyre; they drove horses, killed wild beasts and fought as gladiators, some willingly and some sore against their will.”

“What sense of shame can be found in a woman wearing a helmet, who shuns femininity and loves brute force… If an auction is held of your wife’s effects, how proud you will be of her belt and arm-pads and plumes, and her half-length left-leg shin guard! Or, if instead, she prefers a different form of combat, how pleased you’ll be when the girl of your heart sells off her greaves! Hear her grunt while she practices thrusts as shown by the trainer, wiling under the weight of the helmet.”

A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their lives and their legal and social standing by appearing in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalised, and segregated even in death. However, success in the arena could mean riches and fame beyond their wildest dream. For many this was the greatest escape from slavery there was.

Irrespective of their origin, gladiators offered spectators an example of Rome's martial ethics and, in fighting or dying well, they could inspire admiration and popular acclaim. They were celebrated in high and low art, and their value as entertainers was commemorated in precious and commonplace objects throughout the Roman world.

The origin of gladiatorial combat is open to debate. There is evidence of it in funeral rites during the Punic Wars of the 3rd century BC, and thereafter it rapidly became an essential feature of politics and social life in the Roman world. Its popularity led to its use in ever more lavish and costly games.

The gladiator games lasted for nearly a thousand years, reaching their peak between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD the time of Emperor Commodus. Christians disapproved of the games because they involved idolatrous pagan rituals, and the popularity of gladiatorial contests declined in the fifth century, leading to their disappearance.

Commodus was the Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. His reign is commonly thought of as marking the end of a golden period of peace in the history of the Roman Empire, known as the Pax Romana.
Commodus became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. During his solo reign, the Roman Empire enjoyed reduced military conflict compared with the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Intrigues and conspiracies abounded, leading Commodus to revert to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership, culminating in his creating a deific personality cult, with his performing as a gladiator in the Colosseum. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, named Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander.

Commodus's assassination in 192, by a wrestler in the bath, marked the end of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors.

Most gladiators paid subscriptions to "burial clubs" that ensured their proper burial on death, in segregated cemeteries reserved for their class and profession. A cremation burial unearthed in Southwark, London in 2001 was identified by some sources as that of a possible female gladiator (named the Great Dover Street woman). She was buried outside the main cemetery, along with pottery lamps of Anubis (who like Mercury, would lead her into the afterlife), a lamp with the image of a fallen gladiator, and the burnt remnants of Stone Pine cones, whose fragrant smoke was used to cleanse the arena. Her status as a true gladiatrix is a subject of debate. She may have simply been an enthusiast, or a gladiator's ludia (wife or lover).17 Human female remains found during an archaeological rescue dig at Credenhill in Herefordshire have also been speculated in the popular media as those of a female gladiator

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity

*McCullough, Anna, “Female Gladiators in the Roman Empire”, in: Budin & Turfa (eds), Women in Antiquity: Real Women across the Ancient World, Routledge (2016), p. 958, citing Scholia in Iuvenalem Vetustiora, on Juvenal, Satire 6, 250-251 nam vere vult esse gladiatrix quae meretrix "for she really wants to be a gladiator who is a harlot"

Detail from the Villa Borghese gladiator and gladiatrix mosaic, AD 320, and discovered in 1834 (Galleria Borghese, Rome, Italy).

UK {female} size I approx. Slightly ovoid through ancient wear  read more

Code: 25465

An Earliest Independance Pattern Royal Swaziland Police Senior Officer's Sword. Commissioned From Wilkinson Sword In 1969. Superb Condition For Age With Field Service Scabbard

Perfect for the collector of rare patterns of Wilkinson service swords, or a worldwide police service collector, or, a collector of scarce African 20th century service swords. Overall in excellent condition, and Wilkinson serial numbered for its completion and issue in 1969. Made for the initial 1968 order from the King of Swaziland for the renaming of the Swaziland police service. Modeled entirely on the regulation 1897 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, but with the Royal Swaziland Police badge crest and motto, instead of the British sovereign's cypher, which would have been H.M.Queen Elizabeth IInd.

Founded in 1907 when the territory was under British rule, the Royal Swaziland Police Force initially consisted of 22 European officers along with 125 African Zulus, under Captain C.H. Gibson. A police training school was established in Mbabane in 1927 and a modern training college was built in 1965 at Matsapha. During the independence celebrations in 1968 King Sobhuza II renamed it into the Royal Swaziland Police Service, with the legal document that established the organization being the Police Act No. 29/1957.

The 1897 pattern Infantry officer's sword has remained unchanged to the present day.
By the time of its introduction, the sword was of limited use on the battlefield against rapid-firing rifles, machine guns and long-range artillery. However, the new sword was regarded, when needed, as a very effective fighting weapon. Reports from the Sudan, where it was used in close-quarters fighting during the Reconquest of the Sudan 1896-99, were positive.
Field Marshal Montgomery advanced with his 1897 Pattern drawn during a counter offensive in the First World War. The actual sword he carried is exhibited in the Imperial War Museum, London.

The blade is straight and symmetrical in shape about both its longitudinal axes. The thick blade has a deep central fuller on each side and is rounded on both its edge and back towards the hilt, giving a “dumbbell” or “girder” cross section. Through a gradual transition, the blade becomes double edged towards the tip, and the last 17 inches were sharpened when on active service. The blade ends in a sharp spear point.
The guard of the regular British officer’s sword is aldo a three-quarter basket of pressed, plated steel. But it is decorated with a pierced scroll-work pattern and had the royal cypher of the reigning monarch set over the lower knuckle bow, as opposed to the Swaziland Police crest and motto that this fine sword has.  read more

Code: 25477

A Very Good Current Service 1897 Pattern ERII Post 1953 Officer's Sword In Nickel Plated Dress Scabbard, with Its Original Buff Hide Knot

ERII period, ordnance issue, with fine nickle plated scabbard and buff hide knot, fine plated hilt with ERII royal cypher embossed thereon, and its original wire bound sharkskin grip. Plain bright steel blade. The scabbard bears the stamped matching number as it appears on the blade ricasso.

Overall in very nicely maintained condition, perfect for current service, and formerly the property of a ERII, post 1953, British Army regimental warrant officer. The plated basket surface has some microscopic surface age speckling

The 1897 pattern Infantry officer's sword has remained unchanged to the present day.
By the time of its introduction, the sword was of limited use on the battlefield against rapid-firing rifles, machine guns and long-range artillery. However, the new sword was regarded, when needed, as a very effective fighting weapon. Reports from the Sudan, where it was used in close-quarters fighting during the Reconquest of the Sudan 1896-99, were positive.
Field Marshal Montgomery advanced with his 1897 Pattern drawn during a counter offensive in the First World War. The actual sword he carried is exhibited in the Imperial War Museum, London.

The blade is straight and symmetrical in shape about both its longitudinal axes. The thick blade has a deep central fuller on each side and is rounded on both its edge and back towards the hilt, giving a “dumbbell” or “girder” cross section. Through a gradual transition, the blade becomes double edged towards the tip, and the last 17 inches were sharpened when on active service. The blade ends in a sharp spear point.
The guard is a three-quarter basket of pressed, plated steel. It is decorated with a pierced scroll-work pattern and had the royal cypher of the reigning monarch set over the lower knuckle bow.

One of the famous British officer's of WW2, who was a devoted exponent of hand to hand sword combat, using his 1897 pattern sword in battle, was infantry officer 'Mad' Jack Churchill. After fighting at Dunkirk, he volunteered for the Commandos. On one occasion, a general who had commented on his weaponry, Churchill is said to have replied "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

In his service in Norway (1941)
Churchill was second in command of No. 3 Commando in Operation Archery, a raid on the German garrison at Vågsøy, Norway, on 27 December 1941.  As the ramps fell on the first landing craft, he leapt forward from his position playing "March of the Cameron Men" on his bagpipes, before throwing a grenade and charging into battle. For his actions at Dunkirk and Vågsøy, Churchill received the Military Cross.

In Italy;
During the Allied invasion of Sicily
In July 1943, as commanding officer, he led No. 2 Commando from their landing site at Catania, in Sicily, with his trademark Scottish broadsword slung around his waist, a longbow and arrows around his neck and his bagpipes under his arm, which he also did in the landings at Salerno.

Leading 2 Commando, Churchill was ordered to capture a German observation post outside the town of Molina, controlling a pass leading down to the Salerno beachhead. 136–137  With the help of a corporal, he infiltrated the town, captured the post and took 42 prisoners including a mortar squad. Churchill led the men and prisoners back down the pass, with the wounded being carried on carts pushed by German prisoners. He commented that it was "an image from the Napoleonic Wars". He received the Distinguished Service Order for leading that action at Salerno.

Churchill later walked back to the town to retrieve his sword, which he had lost in hand-to-hand combat with the German regiment. On his way there, he encountered a disoriented American patrol mistakenly walking towards enemy lines. When the NCO in command of the patrol refused to turn around, Churchill told them that he was going his own way and that he would not come back for a "bloody third time"  read more

Code: 25476

Most Rare & Desirable, Status Ring, An Original Ancient Roman Bronze Ring Engraved With A Roman Legion’s Eagle Standard. An Image Of An Ancient Roman Legion's Standard Possibly For The Legion's Aquilfer {Standard Bearer} Circa 1700 Years Old

A fabulous Ancient Roman bronze Legionary's ring, from the era of Emperor Constantine The Great. The ovoid bezel is intaglio engraved with a Legionary Eagle, with its head turned to the viewers left (Aquila) with what appears to be the lightning bolt within its left claw. In superb, original, natural age patina of a rich dark bronze colour. The eagle was a powerful symbol to the Roman military. With each Roman legion a special eagle-bearer (aquilifer) had the honour of carrying the Legionary Eagle standard into battle and to guard its existence. Unusually, it is a comfortably wearable sized ring {which is somewhat rare due to original ancient Roman rings and armilla being usually smaller sized} In copper bronze with stunning, natural age patination.. By far the greatest percentage of rings from the Roman era were engraved in the stylised form, but a very small percent, perhaps less that .01 percent, were engraved in the realism form. This is one of those rare types of more realistic engravings. The wearing of the ring was the prerogative alone of Roman citizens or those of high rank and esteem, and legionaries. Some gladiators always aspired to but rarely achieved the ring likely due to their short life span within their violent craft. However, some did achieve such great success and were rewarded with riches, freedom and the right to wear the traditional Roman bronze status ring.

The decisive moment in the civil war of 312 ad came when Constantine I defeats his rival’s armies at the Battle of Turin – Constantine I also defeats forces loyal to Maxentius. At the Battle of Verona – Constantine I defeats more forces loyal to Maxentius. An on the 28 October – Battle of Milvian Bridge – Constantine I defeats Maxentius and takes control of Italy. Constantine was now in full control of the Roman West. But, more importantly, the victory over Maxentius marked a crucial threshold in the Roman Empire’s history. Apparently, prior to the battle, Constantine saw a cross in the sky and was told: “In this sign shall you conquer.” Encouraged by the vision, Constantine ordered his troops to paint their shield with the chi-rho emblem (initials symbolizing Christ). The Arch of Constantine, built to commemorate the victory over Maxentius, still stands in the centre of Rome.


The eagle was a powerful symbol to the Roman military. With each Roman legion a special eagle-bearer (aquilifer) had the honour of carrying the Legionary Eagle standard into battle and to guard its existence.

During a battle, the standard was carried by the aquilifer, or "eagle-bearer."

The standard was the mode of communication for generals and troops. A horn blast would instruct the soldiers to look to the emblem, then the aquilifer would wave, raise, or lower it to direct the troops on their next move.

The bearer was also tasked with guarding the standard. In terms of rank, aquilifers fell just underneath centurions. Within the legion, they received higher pay and better rations than the typical soldier.

The standard served as a symbol to place the legion as a collective above the individual. Losing a standard was emotionally devastating because of its intense symbolism. When one was lost in battle, the surviving legionaries were left in shame for failing their fallen brothers in arms. The group promptly disbanded and members devoted themselves to reacquiring the lost icon.
Standards often included an image of the reigning emperor or his name beneath the eagle, adding to the importance of the symbol. In many instances, the eagle on the standard was perched above an orb, signifying Rome's dominion over the entire world.

Subdivisions of legions each carried a smaller standard that identified their group number or name. These were used to quickly assemble the components of the legion when mobilizing for battle.
Some of the most famous standards in Roman history were the ones lost at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. During a long campaign to conquer Germania, the tribes lured three legions into the forest and launched a guerilla warfare campaign, slaughtering the Roman soldiers.

In 16 AD, General Germanicus led his Roman troops into Germania to seize the lost standards, crossing borders established by Augustus.
Eagles played a central role in Roman life and culture, right from the society's inception.

The aquila, or eagle, is one the most enduring symbols of Roman civilization.

While different animals and mythological creatures served as meaningful signifiers throughout the Republic and Imperial eras, the eagle continuously symbolized power and authority.

In the city's founding myth, the brothers Romulus and Remus agreed to settle their dispute over where to build their kingdom by letting the gods decide. Remus spotted six eagles and Romulus later spotted twelve of the birds.
The eagle was considered majestic and transcendent, to the point that live birds were often caged on emperors' funeral pyres. Once they broke free and flew skyward, the Romans considered it a manifestation of the deceased emperor's transition to godhood.

Ancient Romans esteemed the eagle and adopted it as a symbol of victory. Pliny the Elder wrote extensively on eagles, noting that they possessed excellent eyesight and were skilled parents.

Symbolically, he claimed eagles were the only creature immune to lightning strikes, underscoring their divinity. Up to modernity, eagles are depicted with lightning bolts clutched in their talons.
The earliest standard used by the Roman army was a bundle of straw affixed to a tall staff. Over time, the Romans began using emblems of eagles, wolves, minotaurs, horses, and boars.

Following a crushing defeat in 105 BC at the Battle of Arausio during the Cimbrian War, the Romans completed a self-assessment. The consul Gaius Marius led a reorganization of the military structure. Marius' reforms transformed the Roman legions from a loose militia into a professional fighting force.

As part of the restructure, he declared the eagle as the military's standard and retired the other four creatures mentioned above. Putting the emphasis on the eagle was meant to place its central qualities, bravery and power, at the forefront of the army's identity.

From the mid-Republican era onwards, the standard was a bronze or silver Aquila with spread wings.

Emperor Constantine the Great
Emperor Constantius died in York, England. The system of succession at the time demanded that another Caesar should become emperor but the soldiers in York immediately proclaimed Constantine their leader. It proved to be a pivotal moment in history. He is known as Constantine the Great for very good reasons.

After nearly 80 years, and three generations of political fragmentation, Constantine united the whole of the Roman Empire under one ruler. By 324 he had extended his power and was sole emperor, restoring stability and security to the Roman world.

Constantine also abandoned Rome as the most important city in the empire, building a new capital modestly named Constantinople (now Istanbul). In the next two centuries, Rome and Italy became vulnerable to barbarian invasions. The much more easily defensible Constantinople lasted for another thousand years.

Finally, and perhaps most famously, Constantine’s strong support for Christianity had an incalculable impact on European history. He is said to have been converted to the faith in AD 312, although this has not been corroborated.

At the time only around ten per cent of the Roman empire’s population was Christian. The majority of the ruling elite worshipped the old gods of Rome. Constantine was the first emperor to allow Christians to worship freely, helping to unite and promote the faith. He went on to instigate the celebration of the birth of Christ we call Christmas.

One image in the gallery is of The Battle of the Milvian Bridge that took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October AD 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the path that led him to end the Tetrarchy and become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle; his body was later taken from the river and decapitated, and his head was paraded through the streets of Rome on the day following the battle before being taken to Africa.
*Note behind the mounted figure of emperor Contantine is the emperor's legion's eagle standard, held aloft by his aquilfer.

Outside diameter: 22mm, UK size Q1/2, US 8.25 Signs of light wear consistent with age and use, yet still wearable.  read more

Code: 25475

A Household Division, Welsh Guards, Drum Major's, Vintage Pace Stick. E.R II Period

Formerly used by the Welsh Guards Drum Major of H.M.Queen Elizabeth II . A pace stick is a long stick usually carried by warrant officer and non-commissioned officer drill instructors in the British and Commonwealth armed forces as an aid to military drill.
A pace stick usually consists of two pieces of wood, hinged at the top, and tapering towards the bottom, very similar to large wooden drafting compasses used on school blackboards. They are usually shod and fitted with highly polished brass. They can open so that the tips separate at fixed distances, corresponding to various lengths of marching pace, such as "double march", "quick march", "step short", etc. When opened to the correct pace length, the pace stick can be held alongside the holder's body by the hinge, with one leg of the stick vertical to the ground, and the other leg pointing forward. By twirling the stick while marching, the stick can be made to "walk" alongside its holder at the proper pace.

Otherwise, while on parade or when marching, it is normally carried tucked tightly under the left arm and parallel to the ground, with the left hand grasping the stick near the top.

The objective of the pace stick drill is to ensure uniformity in the use of the stick, as well as to maintain a high standard of steadiness and cohesion among the instructors. This meticulous display of drill prowess highlights the discipline and precision that are hallmarks of military training. Photo by David Friel - originally posted to Flickr as Colour Sergeant, Welsh Guards, with pace stick
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.  read more

Code: 25474

A Fantastic and Phenomenally Powerful Two Handed Viking War Hammer Axe. Weighing Just Under Four Pounds. Wheeler {1927} A, Type I Circa 840 AD

This is a monstrously powerful axe of incredible heft. Used with the long haft somewhat akin to the axe of a Huscarl, the Danish Viking mercenaries that were famously the personal guard of King Harold at the battle of Hastings. Incredibly well preserved for its age, and remarkably still bears the remains of the wooden haft in the affixing aperture. Axes like this are categorized by the 1927 Wheeler classification system of Viking armaments, which groups pieces based off their shape, size, and intended use.


Introduced by King Cnute, The Huscarls were the Royal Bodyguard and the elite fighters in the English field armies of the time. Highly trained, highly paid and highly motivated, they were the best and most highly feared troops in Europe, armed with long two handed axes, often in the later Viking age, with a broader cutting edge, but the earlier Viking age they had narrower cutting edges, as has this one, and it is said especially good for smashing helmets and piercing or crushing chain mail armour. In the early Viking Age, the cutting edge of big axes measured 7cms, {as is this one} to 15 centimetres, while later Viking and Danish axes became wider. The later Danish Huscarl axe had a crescent-shaped cutting surface that measured 22 to 45 cms.
Royal huscarls are thought to have numbered three thousand - a great number of men to pay in those days. A special tax of one silver mark per ten hides was levied to pay the huscarls. Further to their pay in coin (deemed to have been monthly) they were housed and fed initially from the king's coffers. Whether the king armed them as well is not known for certain. Gifts of weapons and equipment would have been made periodically to maintain their loyalty, in the manner of Scandinavian kings being 'ring-givers' in the early days of the Vikings. They would have had to have means of their own, as a king might easily dismiss them from his service for 'conduct unbecoming', to pay for their own armament and at least one horse to take him to fight (although in common with most other warriors of the northern world they fought on foot in time-honoured fashion). A huscarl's equipment amounted to mail-shirt (later mail-coat similar to the Normans' hauberk), one or more helmets, shields, spears and 'Dane-axe', the very effective long-shafted, two-handled fighting axe.

Knowledge about the arms and armour of the Viking age is based on archaeological finds, pictorial representation, and to some extent on the accounts in the Norse sagas and Norse laws recorded in the 13th century. According to custom, all free Norse men were required to own weapons and were permitted to carry them all the time. These arms were indicative of a Viking's social status: a wealthy Viking had a complete ensemble of a helmet, shield, mail shirt, and sword. However, swords were rarely used in battle in the same quantity as axes, as few Vikings were of the status to own or carry a sword, A typical bondi (freeman) was more likely to fight with a spear, axe, with shield and most also carried a seax as a utility knife and side-arm. Bows were used in the opening stages of land battles and at sea, but they tended to be considered less "honourable" than a melee weapon.

The warfare and violence of the Vikings were often motivated and fuelled by their beliefs in Norse religion, focusing on Thor and Odin, the gods of war and death. In combat, it is believed that the Vikings sometimes engaged in a disordered style of frenetic, furious fighting known as berserkergang, leading them to be termed berserkers. Such tactics may have been deployed intentionally by shock troops, and the berserk-state may have been induced through ingestion of materials with psychoactive properties, such as the hallucinogenic mushrooms, Amanita muscaria, or large amounts of alcohol. Perhaps the most common hand weapon among Vikings was the axe swords were more expensive to make and only wealthy warriors could afford them. The prevalence of axes in archaeological sites can likely be attributed to its role as not just a weapon, but also a common tool. This is supported by the large number of grave sites of female Scandinavians containing axes. Several types of larger axes specialized for use in battle evolved, with larger heads and longer shafts.

Vikings most commonly carried sturdy axes that could be thrown or swung with head-splitting force. The Mammen Axe is a famous example of such battle-axes, ideally suited for throwing and melee combat.
An axe head was mostly wrought iron, possibly with a steel cutting edge. This made the weapon less expensive than a sword, and was a standard item produced by blacksmiths, historically.

Like most other Scandinavian weaponry, axes were often given names. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, axes were often named after she-trolls. A bearded 10th century Viking battle axe that could double as a throwing axe from the time of the last Viking, English King, Eric Bloodaxe, King of Northumbria. Probably the eldest son of King Harald Finehair The first King of all Norway. Eric's name probably derives from the legend that he murdered most of his 20 brothers, excepting Hakon. This was an unfortunate error as, upon Haralds death, Hakon returned to Norway from Britain to claim Harald's throne, and removed Eric from his Kingship. His elder brother Eric then fled Norway to Britain and to King Athelstan, an old friend of his father's, whereupon he took the Kingdom of Northumbria in around 947 a.d. While the sagas call him 'Bloodaxe', one of the Latin texts calls him fratris interfector (brother-killer), but, for whatever reason his name was derived, it was certainly a fine example of the descriptive titles the Viking warriors had, and that we are told of in the Viking sagas.

Weighing just under 4 pounds, 9 inches {23 cms} x 2.5 inches {7cms}  read more

Code: 25471