The Lanes Armoury, Described To Us Every Day, Including, By President Ronald Reagan Over 40 Years Ago, As, Probably, The Best Shop In Britain.

Thousands of worldwide visitors to the UK come to visit us every week, and the most consistant and much appreciated comment includes they believe we are the most amazing and interesting shop in Britain, like a museum, but everything is for sale! If we were a National museum, we would likely be the smallest, but, we contain thousands upon thousands of collectables and books, ancient, antique and vintage from a 20 million year old megaladon shark's tooth, to a samurai sword made almost 800 years ago {we have at any one time, up to 350 original samurai weapons in stock to view }. From an Ancient Greek 'Wreath, or Crown Of Victory' in solid hammered gold, made around 2300 years ago from the time of Alexander the Great, to a cased sporting gun made for a prince, or a cannon of Admiral Nelson's period, from Port Royal in Jamaica, to a 'Great Gatsby' or Charles Dickens Ist Edition.

We always try to have an intriguing selection of Ist Editions, this month it's rare James Bond books, plus up to 2,000 other history based books in stock, all vintage and hardback. We stock magical and wondrous artefacts, many arcane or esoteric, such as a Dyak head-hunter shaman’s sword of Pusaka magic, or Tibetan shaman’s, ‘sky-iron’ ghost or demon killa dagger called a Phurba, and each with a history that could likely be beyond compare.

In the previous 104 years our past and present clients have included persons from all fields of interest, such as, Hollywood legends, of film and theatre, the British royalty and aristocracy, academics in all fields including curators of museums such as the British museum and Tower of London, and politicians of all types, and from all manner of countries around the world.

Our oldest regular collector is now over 102 years old, and our most regular customer has been coming to us for over 77 years! Every month over 60,000 of our regular followers around the world request our weekly stock updates by our updates email. and it is so easy to join in with them, just go to our home page, enter your regular email address in the box, and click go!. you will then get an update email every weekend, if you don't, just check your spam or junk box.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 plus years or more of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 22898

The Lanes Armoury's Specialist Museum Grade Restoration, Cleaning & Conservation

For generations we have prided ourselves on commissioning and providing the finest quality artisan restoration and conservation services available in the UK. Sadly, over the decades, many of these, and our, genius artisans have passed away, and there are so few that have today decided to follow in their esteemed footsteps, but we still have a few. Our late gunsmith, Dennis Ottery joined us as a gun restorer after his demobilisation from the British Army 'Green Jackets' Rifles Regt. in 1946, and he was our master gunsmith for more than 55 years, till the early 2000's.

Restoration is often a vital part to saving and preserving fine, rare or even regular pieces that have been neglected or damaged over the past decades or even hundreds of years, and by doing so we have had fantastic results that are incredibly satisfying and created a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. However, these specialist arts can progress slowly, and can be expensive, and are thus time-consuming but incredibly worth the wait and effort. Thus we do not actively undertake third-party restoration at all due to the often excessive costs and considerable time involved. It is not unknown for a specialist restoration and conservation project of a single piece to take several years

Another important factor though, is that bad and poorly executed restoration can be far worse than doing nothing at all.

Restoration is a magnificent art, and often well worthwhile for important pieces when successful, but it is not to be undertaken lightly without all due consideration.
It is important to understand all factors when considering such improvements to fine antique pieces.
We were once advisers for the restoration of our magnificent 16th century 'Brussels' tapestry, that we sold to one of the great American collectors some decades ago.
You can see it in our photo gallery, photographed on display in our Prince Albert Street shop, with Judy Hawkins, Mark’s incredibly talented and beloved late wife, standing in the foreground. Another photograph is of a specialist lady restorer's hands, working upon the tapestry. The eventual restoration cost, in today’s terms, was over £600,000, and it took over 3 years to complete. A sobering sum, often outside of the deep pockets of national collections resources, but incredibly worthwhile none the less, as that tapestry would now likely be valued in the millions of pounds.

When we undertake restoration and conservation of our pieces, it will only be on items that we have decided would richly benefit from such attention, and we will also undertake this work often for posterity, in order to save, for future generations, pieces that may well might have been discarded in their poor, previously un-restored, neglected state.

We will often contribute towards, and therefore subsidise, these conservation costs ourselves, in order to save a piece of rarity, beauty, or historical significance, for this very reason. The improvement of 'value' alone is never, ever, our primary concern, and should, ideally never be the principle desire for collectors either. It should be for the preservation of fine past craftsmanship, and to restore fine cultural heirlooms for posterity, and for the benefit of all the generations to come.

If we restore an item that was acquired from us by a client, pre restoration, be they a museum, a private collector or specialist dealer, the results can be not only spectacular, but also incredibly satisfying to know that a fine piece has been saved for generations to come, and will be an ancestral heirloom for the future  read more

Code: 23682

A Stunning Gold Onlaid Presidential Grade Large Calibre 1855 French Single Action Revolver of Royal Quality, Worthy of the French Emperor.

A finest French 6 shot 12mm Lefaucheux pinfire Model 1855 single action pin-fire revolver, number 2XXXX round barrel 157mm (6¼) with etched panel beautifully inscribed in gothic script “E. Lefaucheux Bte. a Paris”, the fluted breech, frame, hammer and trigger guard chiselled and engraved with panels of flowers and foliage overlaid in gold, with ejector rod, spur trigger guard, plain ebony grips, and lanyard ring. Good Working Order and Condition, with dark brown patina (some wear to the gold overlay). This is an example of the highest grade quality revolver one could commission in the 19th century, presentation grade that one could easily identify as worthy of ownership by Emperor Napoleon IIIrd. Two of most similar quality pin fire pistols belonging to Emperor Napoleon the third were kept in the armoury Chateau de Prangin and sold auction in 1950.
Napoleon III
Franz Xaver Winterhalter Napoleon III.jpg Emperor of the French
Reign from 2 December 1852 – 4 September 1870
1st President of France
In office
20 December 1848 – 2 December 1852
Born 20 April 1808
Paris, French Empire period, Died 9 January 1873 (aged 64) in Chislehurst, Kent, England
Burial at St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough
Spouse Eugénie de Montijo ​(m. 1853)​
Issue Louis Napoléon, Prince Imperial
Full name
Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte
House Bonaparte
Father Louis I of Holland
Mother Hortense de Beauharnais
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 1808 – 9 January 1873), the nephew of Napoleon I, was the first president of France, from 1848 to 1852, and the last French monarch, from 1852 to 1870. First elected president of the French Second Republic in 1848, he seized power by force in 1851, when he could not constitutionally be re-elected, and became the emperor of the French. He founded the Second French Empire and was its only emperor until the defeat of the French Army and his capture by Prussia and its allies in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He worked to modernize the French economy, rebuilt the center of Paris, expanded the French overseas empire, and engaged in the Crimean War and the Second Italian War of Independence. The revolver has a good and tight, crisp, action.  read more

Code: 23327

An Absolutely Superb,& Signed, Samurai’s Large Sunobi-Tanto or Wakazashi Late Koto to Early Shinto Period. Mutsu no Kami Daido School

The blade, around 400 years old, is very wide and powerful, and has horimono carved to both sides, of ancient Buddhist ken swords, one with a varjira a Buddhist god's lightning creator and the swirling grain in the hada looks absolutely stunning, but it has to be viewed in the right light, with a typical narrow suguha hamon. Beautiful shakudo and pure gold Mino Goto school fuchigashira of takebori water dragon on a nanako ground, with an iron ground matching water dragon tsuba.

Nanako Ji: "fish roe ground" A surface decoration produced by forming very small raised bosses by a sharply struck punch or burin called 'nanako tagane'. Shakudo is the metal most often used, but copper and gold are quite often employed. The harder metals, shibuichi, silver and iron are rarely decorated in this way. The size of the dots vary from 0.04" to 0.008" (25 to 125 and inch) and the regularity of the work is marvelous as the dots must be spaced entirely by touch. The dots are usually arranged in straight lines or in lines parallel to the edge of the piece being decorated, but sometimes in more elaborate patterns. Used on guards since the Momoyama period although the technique existed since much earlier periods. Usually done by specialist 'nanako-shi', but sometimes done by the maker of the guard himself.

A pair of pure gold and shakudo flowering menuki under the tsukaito, and are of wonderful quality, and a stunning shakudo decorated kozuka utility knife with the Nabeshima clan mon of the Daki Myoga ginger plant, and the blade is also fully signed, is set within the saya pocket. The original Edo saya is fabulously decorated with kairagi polished giant rayskin. "Kairagi" means "Ume Blossom Skin".
When you polish the skin, Ume Blossom patterns will appear. Kairagi-same is very rare. The saya is polished samegawa. Polished giant ray skin, samegawa, was, at the time of the Samurai, some one of the most expensive and highly prized forms of decoration to be used on sword scabbards Saya. It was the same material as is used on sword hilts under the binding, but the large and small protruding nodules were hand polished, for hundreds of hours, to create a highly polished flat surface, that was then hand dyed and thus created a decorated scabbard with immense natural beauty, and huge expense for the time. The name Daido is most interesting, his early name is Kanemichi, and he changed to “O”Kanemichi when he received the “O” or “Dai” kanji from the Emperor Ogimachi. Later he called himself “Daido” and then received the title of “Mutsu No Kami” in Tensho 2. It is also believed that he was the personal swordsmith to Oda Nobunaga and the fact that he moved to Kyoto at the same time Nobunaga established his residence in Kyoto seems to support this idea. There are Juyo-Token by him, as well as joint effort works with Horikawa Kunihiro. The Horimono are double edged Buddhist ken straight sword, and a Bonji of 'Fudo' warrior deitie. Fudō-myōō (不動明王) is the full Japanese name for Acala-vidyaraja, or Fudō (o-Fudō-sama etc.) for short. It is the literal translation of the Sanskrit term "immovable wisdom king". The sword engraved on this sword is as a kongō-ken (金剛杵 "vajra sword"), which is descriptive of the fact that the pommel of the sword is in the shape of the talon-like kongō-sho (金剛杵 "vajra") of one type or another. It may also be referred to as "three-pronged vajra sword. The blade 17.5 inches long tsuba to tip, overall 25.5 inches long in saya  read more

Code: 24449

A Very Good Deactivated Heckler & Koch G3 Assault Rifle. 1990's SAS Type Use

With almost all it's original finish. As used by the SAS special forces of the British Army in the 1990's. The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME (Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales). The origin of this rifle can be traced back to the final years of World War II when Mauser engineers at the Light Weapon Development Group (Abteilung 37) at Oberndorf am Neckar designed the MKb Gerät 06 (Maschinenkarabiner Gerät 06 or "machine carbine device 06") prototype assault rifle chambered for the intermediate 7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge, first with the Gerät 06 model using a roller-locked short recoil mechanism originally adapted from the MG 42 machine gun but with a fixed barrel and conventional gas-actuated piston rod. It was realized that with careful attention to the mechanical ratios, the gas system could be omitted. The resultant weapon, the Gerät 06H (the "H" suffix is an abbreviation for halbverriegelt or "half-locked") was assigned the designation StG 45(M) (Sturmgewehr 45(M) or assault rifle) but was not produced in any significant numbers and the war ended before the first production rifles were completed.

Out of interest, the new rifle for the British army, the ArmaLite rifle, designed to boost the lethality of some of its specialist forces, according to a deal announced Sept. 7. 23, are being supplied at a cost of over.... £11,000 gbp, each.
To be known as the Alternative Individual Weapon System, or L403A1, in British service, the weapons will be manufactured in the United States by Knights Armaments, but assembled in the U.K. by Macclesfield, northwest England-based arms company Edgar Brothers.

Deactivated, Non EU sales Only. Can be redeactivated to EU/ UK spec. Not suitable for export shipping, for sale to over 18's only.

Any 20th century deactivated weapon sold by The Lanes Armoury is deactivated in the United Kingdom and hold London or Birmingham proof marks and a certificate stating that the weapon has been deactivated correctly, and complete with certificate.  read more

Code: 25098

A Very Good & Attractive, Continental, Historical American Revolutionary War 18th Century Infantry Military Musket

The form of musket used by the Continental forces sent to fight in the American Revolutionary War, such as the Netherlander's, Hessian's and Prussians. Walnut stock with all steel furniture. A direct competitor to the English 'Brown Bess' Long Land and Short Land pattern muskets, however as it doesn’t have the fame of the Brown Bess of that period it is up to 70% less expensive today, thus makes a tremendous value collector’s piece from that era and conflict, despite actually being a rarer musket to find. The term "Hessians" refers to the approximately 30,000 German troops hired by the British to help fight during the American Revolution. They were principally drawn from the German state of Hesse-Cassel, although soldiers from other German states also saw action in America. (At the time, Germany was not a unified country but a collection of individual states that shared a language and culture.)

Hiring a foreign army was not unusual in the eighteenth century. For Hesse-Cassel, soldiers were a major export. By renting its army to the British, Hesse-Cassel took in an amount equal to about thirteen years' worth of tax revenue Life in the Hessian Army was harsh. The system aimed to instill iron discipline and the punishments could be brutal. Still, morale was generally high. Officers were well-educated, promotion was by merit, and soldiers took pride in serving their prince and their people. Furthermore, military service provided economic benefits. The families of soldiers were exempt from certain taxes, wages were higher than in farm work, and there was the promise of booty (money earned through the sale of captured military property) and plunder (property taken from civilians). In spite of such action, some 3,000 Hessians decided they liked the country well enough to make it their new home after the war, and they declined returning to Europe. In America, they lived side by side—and perhaps shared a Christmas drink—with their former foes. 44 inch long barrel, overall 60 inches long  read more

Code: 23406

Wonderful High Grade, Samurai Dagger From The Koto Era, Armour PiercingTanto By Kanesada Of Takeda Shingen Clan. Around Around 500 Years Old

Likely used by a high ranking samurai retainer in service of the great samurai commander of legend, Takeda Shingen.
Armour piercing Koto blade circa 1530, with superb original Edo period fittings koshirae, including silver copper alloy mounts and a gilt dragon saya ornament. Hammered gold over copper alloy oval tsuba, and silver clan mon menuki within the tsuka hilt wrap of the four interlocking diamonds of the Takeda clan.
The saya is decorated in superb cinnabar lacquer, the favoured colour and symbol of Takeda Shingen his armour was entirely based on this colour and the tsuka wrapped in black silk over Takeda kamon on giant rayskin.

In 1548, Shingen defeated Ogasawara Nagatoki in the Battle of Shiojiritoge and then took Fukashi in 1550.
After conquering Shinano, Shingen faced another rival, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo. The feud between them became legendary, and they faced each other on the battlefield five times in the Battles of Kawanakajima. These battles were generally confined to controlled skirmishes, neither daimyo willing to devote himself entirely to a single all-out attempt. The conflict between the two that had the fiercest fighting, and might have decided victory or defeat for one side or the other, was the fourth battle, during which the famous tale arose of Uesugi Kenshin's forces clearing a path through the Takeda troops and Kenshin engaging Shingen in single combat. The tale has Kenshin attacking Shingen with his sword while Shingen defends with his iron war fan or tessen. Both lords lost many men in this fight, and Shingen in particular lost two of his main generals, Yamamoto Kansuke and his younger brother Takeda Nobushige. In 1563, allied with Hojo Ujiyasu, he captured Matsuyama Castle in Musashi Province. Takeda Shingen then took Kuragano in 1565 and Minowa Castle. He then moved against the Hojo by attacking Hachigata Castle then engaged in the Siege of Odawara (1569). He successfully withdrew after Hojo Ujiteru and Hojo Ujikuni failed to stop him in the Battle of Mimasetoge.Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu "came to terms" and occupied the "former Imagawa territory." They both fought against Yoshimoto's heir, Imagawa Ujizane. After defeating the intervention forces commanded by Hojo Ujimass of Sagami, Shingen finally secured the Suruga, formerly base of the prestigious Imagawa clan, as a Takeda asset in 1569.
Upon securing Takeda control over Suruga, northern Shinano, and western Kozuke, Shingen moved to challenge the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, leading a formidable force of over 30,000 into the latter's territories in Totomi, Mikawa, and Mino in 1572.  read more

Code: 21324

A Most Rare 17th to 18th Century, Scottish Form, Ram's Horn Powder Flask Carved Geometric Design

Very much the form of geometric circular based engraving and ram's horn that was very popular in Scotland in the early Jacobite period. Rare curved square ram's horn powder flask with primitive geometric engraved decoration, inset wooden heel, with partial iron re-enforced support at the base also engraved and an engraved brass cap having side rings, long dispensing neck with pouring shut-off thumb gate, 8.5 inches tall overall. Wonderful age and use patination. Made for use with the early wheel lock muskets and earliest flintlocks. Several flasks of this form of carved horn flask travelled across the Atlantic and were used by the early colonial settlers in Pennsylvania, in fact a few American domestically made versions used into the American revolution are in museum collection in the States.

Arms and armour are rarely associated with art. However, they were influenced by the same design sources as other art forms including architecture, sculpture, goldsmiths' work, stained glass and ceramics. These sources had to be adapted to awkwardly shaped devices required to perform complicated technical functions. Armour and weapons were collected as works of art as much as military tools.

Like the pistols and guns that accompanied them, decorated flasks were costly items. Inlaid firearms and flasks reflected the owners' status and were kept as much for display as for use. Daggers, firearms, gunpowder flasks and stirrups worn with the most expensive clothing projected an image of the fashionable man-at-arms. The most finely crafted items were worn as working jewellery.  read more

Code: 22841

A Super Roman Dagger Pommel and Scabbard Mount. Around 2000 Years Old, From 100 bc to 100 ad

From the Roman Republican to Imperial Rome era. Made for and used by a Roman noble, senator or gladiator. It may even be the same form of dagger that was used to assassinate Caeser on the Ides of March. The blade grip and scabbard have not survived as is more than usual. A superb pair of Roman dagger mounts from the historical time of Julius Caeser, the first Emperor, Augustus, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra, and last, but not least, Jesus of Nazareth. The Ides of March comes from the ides, a term the Romans used to note the middle of a month. Every month has an ides around the middle (as well as a calends at the beginning of the month and nones eight days before the ides). The Ides of March feels special for a couple of reasons: it's the day Caesar was murdered, and it's the subject of a soothsayer's spooky prophecy in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Before Caesar, Roman nobility and military were free to plunder the provinces they ruled. But under Caesar, Rome controlled the process and sent inspectors to check up on everything, so they could only exploit their provinces under Caesar's supervision.

That slight was compounded by Caesar's rebranding of political real estate in his name ? he built statues in his image and renamed monuments for himself. He brought power to his family by giving them political appointments and honorifics, and drew allies outside the charmed circle of Roman nobility, like his soldiers and leaders in the provinces. As far as epic betrayals go, we tend to imagine Brutus in the same league as Judas. In reality, that infamy should be reserved for someone called Decimus.

Caesar trusted Decimus much more than he trusted Brutus ? and that made his betrayal more shocking. Misspelled in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar as "Decius," Decimus was much more important than most of us realize. "There were three leaders of the assassins' conspiracy, Brutus, Cassius, and Decimus." Decimus dined with Caesar the night before his assassination and convinced Caesar to leave his house the next morning (he was staying home because his wife, Calpurnia, was worried). Decimus' betrayal followed an adult life spent at Caesar's side. Brutus, however, had often fought against Caesar, like when he took Pompey's side against Caesar in the Civil War that lasted from 49 to 45 BC. He only came over to Caesar's side after a handsome cash award and profitable political appointment. When he was stabbed, most of the sources say he tried to get up and escape. Unfortunately for Caesar, the conspirators were trained soldiers, so they'd formed a tight perimeter. "They knew how you carry out an ambush,and some of the senators were assigned the job of crowd control."

As far as what Caesar said when he died, "Et tu, Brute" is a Renaissance invention. But Caesar did perform a few resonant gestures. He tried to escape, like any soldier would, but when death was near, he covered his face before he died. It may have been an attempt to preserve his dignity. Bibilography; Professor Strauss, Cornell, Classics and History. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 21864

A Superb, Original, Long Viking Spear Head 1000 to 1100 Years Old, In Superb Excavated Condition. A True Museum Piece

Overall in superb and well preserved condition. Only deeper pitting on the socket, and small impact damage to one outer edge of the diamond form blade. Remarkably the socket still has it remaining rivet for fixing to the wooden haft at the base on the inside. This almost certainly may be a traditional Viking pattern welded blade, in the traditional 'Wolf's Teeth' form, but the surface is too intact to tell, however its shape is very similar to the most famous recovered 'Wolf's Teeth' Viking spear head in Helsinki Museum see gallery. According to the older parts of the Gulating Law, dating back to before the year 900 AD covering Western Norway, a free man was required to own a sword or ax, spear and shield. It was said that Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway from 995-1000 AD, could throw two spears at the same time. In chapter 55 of Laxdæla saga, Helgi had a spear with a blade one ell long (about 50cm, or 20in). He thrust the blade through Bolli's shield, and through Bolli. In chapter 8 of Króka-Refs saga, Refur made a spear for himself which could be used for cutting, thrusting, or hewing. Refur split Þorgils in two down to his shoulders with the spear. The spearheads were made of iron, and, like sword blades, were made using pattern welding techniques (described in the article on swords) during the early part of the Viking era . They could be decorated with inlays of precious metals or with scribed geometric patterns
After forming the head, the smith flattened and drew out material to form the socket . This material was formed around a mandrel and usually was welded to form a solid socket. In some cases, the overlapping portions were left unwelded. Spear heads were fixed to wooden shafts using a rivet. The sockets on the surviving spear heads suggest that the shafts were typically round, with a diameter of 2-3cm (about one inch).

However, there is little evidence that tells us the length of the shaft. The archaeological evidence is negligible, and the sagas are, for the most part, silent. Chapter 6 of Gísla saga tells of a spear so long-shafted that a man's outstretched arm could touch the rivet. The language used suggests that such a long shaft was uncommon.

Perhaps the best guess we can make is that the combined length of shaft and head of Viking age spears was 2 to 3m (7-10ft) long, although one can make arguments for the use of spears having both longer and shorter shafts. A strong, straight-grained wood such as ash was used. Many people think of the spear as a throwing weapon. One of the Norse myths tells the story of the first battle in the world, in which Oðin, the highest of the gods, threw a spear over the heads of the opposing combatants as a prelude to the fight. The sagas say that spears were also thrown in this manner when men, rather than gods, fought. At the battle at Geirvör described in chapter 44 of Eyrbyggja saga, the saga author says that Steinþórr threw a spear over the heads of Snorri goði and his men for good luck, according to the old custom. More commonly, the spear was used as a thrusting weapon. The sagas tell us thrusting was the most common attack in melees and one-on-one fighting, and this capability was used to advantage in mass battles. In a mass battle, men lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with shields overlapping. After all the preliminaries, which included rock throwing, name calling, the trading of insults, and shouting a war cry (æpa heróp), the two lines advanced towards each other. When the lines met, the battle was begun. Behind the wall of shields, each line was well protected. Once a line was broken, and one side could pass through the line of the other side, the battle broke down into armed melees between small groups of men.

Before either line broke, while the two lines were going at each other hammer and tongs, the spear offered some real advantages. A fighter in the second rank could use his spear to reach over the heads of his comrades in the first rank and attack the opposing line. Konungs skuggsjá (King’s Mirror), a 13th century Norwegian manual for men of the king, says that in the battle line, a spear is more effective than two swords. In regards to surviving iron artefacts of the past two millennia, if Western ancient edged weapons were either lost, discarded or buried in the ground, and if the ground soil were made up of the right chemical composition, then some may survive exceptionally well. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity 13.5 inches long 350 grams weight.  read more

Code: 23143