A Superb Original Imperial Roman Legionary's "Whistling" Sling Bullet Circa 1st to 2nd century AD.

Identical to the few found at an archaeological dig at a Roman Fort site in southwestern Scotland a few years ago, and one of a very small collection of fine original sling bullets of antiquity we acquired.
Over 1,800 years ago, Roman troops used "whistling" sling bullets as a "terror weapon" against their barbarian foes, such as were in Scotland and the Celts in England, according to archaeologists who found the cast lead bullets at a site in Scotland.

Weighing about 1 ounce (30 grams), each of the bullets had been drilled with a 0.2-inch (5 millimeters) hole that the researchers think was designed to give the soaring bullets a sharp buzzing or whistling noise in flight.

The bullets were found recently at Burnswark Hill in southwestern Scotland, where a massive Roman attack against native defenders in a hilltop fort took place in the second century A.D. These holes converted the bullets into a "terror weapon," said archaeologist John Reid of the Trimontium Trust, a Scottish historical society directing the first major archaeological investigation in 50 years of the Burnswark Hill site.

"You don't just have these silent but deadly bullets flying over; you've got a sound effect coming off them that would keep the defenders' heads down," Reid told Live Science. "Every army likes an edge over its opponents, so this was an ingenious edge on the permutation of sling bullets."

The whistling bullets were also smaller than typical sling bullets, and the researchers think the soldiers may have used several of them in their slings — made from two long cords held in the throwing hand, attached to a pouch that holds the ammunition — so they could hurl multiple bullets at a target with one throw.

"You can easily shoot them in groups of three of four, so you get a scattergun effect," Reid said. "We think they're for close-quarter skirmishing, for getting quite close to the enemy." Onasandrius wrote the 1st C. BC, in his book "Strategy". "The Sling is the deadly weapon used by light infantry because lead is of the same colour as the air and therefore not visible, thus the impact is unexpected and not only smites hard, but the bullet penetrates deeply into the victims flesh". Used by Roman auxiliary troops like Greeks, Sicilians, North Africans, but after the Roman conquest of the Balearic Islands elite slingers were always the Balearic that fought in the legions of Julius Caesar.

Together with arrows and catapults, sling-shots formed a key part of the long-range fire of the Roman army.
Lead bullets were cast in the shape of lemons or 'acorns', which would weigh around 1.7 ounces (50g).
Weighing around 0.7 ounces (20g), the holes were around a fifth of an inch (5mm) wide and the same deep.
While the size of these bullets would have made them not terribly dangerous, experiments using replicas of these small bullets showed that they produced a whistling noise while in flight.
It is thought the sound is produced by the air moving over the small opening, much like when blowing over the top of a milk bottle.
This has led some theories that these smaller bullets were used to invoke terror in the enemy.
It is a tactic that has been used by military forces around the world.About 20 per cent of the lead sling bullets found at Burnswark Hill had been drilled with holes.
This was a significant amount of effort to prepare enough ammunition for an assault, Dr Reid said. 'It's a tremendous amount of work to do, to just chuck them away.'

'Even more intriguingly, the mysterious holes proved to confer an aerophonic quality,' Dr Reid said in Current Archaeology.

'In flight, these lead shot whistled, or more accurately gave off a mechanical buzzing sound eerily reminiscent of an agitated wasp.' In Livy’s History of Rome, which was completed in 9 A.D., he states,

A hundred slingers were recruited from Aegium and Patrae and Dymae. These peoples were trained from boyhood … Having been trained to shoot through rings of moderate circumference from long distances, they would wound not merely the heads of their enemies but any part of the face at which they might have aimed.  read more

Code: 24505

A Very Fine and Beautiful, Original 16th Century ‘Conquistadors.’ Type Morion Helmet, Captured From the Spanish Armada Attempted Invasion of Britain. Used by All Ranks, Commanders and Warriors Alike

The traditional 'pear stalk crown' with wide upslanting brim. All the lining rivets intact. Small hole in the rear brim to attach feather plumes or to hang the helmet behind the soldiers backplate armour when not worn. The form of helmet worn by the Spanish during the attempted invasion of England, and by the Spanish explorer warriors [conquistadors] that colonised much of South America. Taken as war booty, often using early diving bell technology, from the sunken Spanish fleet's attempt to destroy the British using its seemingly unstoppable Armada of 130 ships against Queen Elizabeth Ist.
Met by the British fleet, under Sir Francis Drake's commanded, he engaged the superior gunned Spanish during a storm, that ultimately led to his fleet to victory against the Spanish fleet, and effectively crushed the planned invasion. The Spanish fleet fled in fear and mostly met its doom on the coast of Ireland, and North Britain, caught in persistant storms and foul weather. The Spanish Armada campaign of 1588 changed the course of European history. If Medina Sidonia, the Spanish commander, had managed to escort Philip II’s 26,000-strong invasion army from Flanders, the future of Elizabeth I and her Protestant England would have looked very black indeed.

After landing near Margate in Kent, it is probable the battle-hardened Spanish troops would have been in the streets of London within a week. England would have reverted to the Catholic faith, and there may not have been a British empire to come. We might indeed still be speaking Spanish today.

But Medina Sidonia suffered one of the most signal catastrophes in naval history.

The Spanish were not only defeated by the queen’s plucky sea dogs fighting against overwhelming odds: it was utterly destroyed by appalling weather, poor planning and flawed strategy and tactics. Interestingly at least four of Medina's so-called gentlemen adventurers were English, and there were 18 among the salaried officers.

Inevitably, some of the traitorous swine paid the heavy price of disloyalty to the British crown: five Catholics slipped away by boat from the stricken Rosario before Drake’s arrival, but two Englishmen were captured on board and taken to the Tower of London as rebels and traitors to their country.

One, identified as the Cornishman Tristram Winslade, was handed to officers employed by Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, who were ordered to interrogate him using torture at their pleasure. Miraculously, Winslade survived the rack and Elizabeth’s justice, and died in the Catholic seminary at Douai in France in November 1605).

On board the battle-damaged San Mateo, beached between Ostend and Sluis after the battle of Gravelines, two Englishmen were killed by Dutch sailors one named as William Browne, a brother of Viscount Montague. The local commissioner for the Protestant States of Zeeland reported that the second man killed was very rich, who left William as his heir.

Other Englishmen were reported to having been aboard this ship, eating with her captain, Don Diego Pimentel. One was called Robert, another Raphael, once servant to the mayor of London. We do not know their surnames. They may have been among those forcibly drowned or hanged by the Dutch who were rebelling against Spanish rule. Medina, however, was no fool and although a great commander, and considering his appointment as admiral of the Armada for two days, Medina Sidonia made clear his absolute conviction that the Armada expedition was a grave mistake and had little chance of success. Only a miracle, he added in a frank and outspoken letter, could save it.

King Philip of Spain’s counsellors, horror-struck at its electrifying contents, dared not show it to the king. ‘Do not depress us with fears for the fate of the Armada because in such a cause, God will make sure it succeeds” they begged the new admiral.
As for his suitability for command, “nobody knows more about naval affairs than you “ they stated.
Then their tone became menacing: “Remember that the reputation and esteem you currently enjoy for courage and wisdom would entirely be forfeited if what you wrote to us became generally known (although we shall keep it secret)”. The Spanish Armada was not the last Armada sent against England. Two more were despatched in 1596 and 1597, but these fleets were also dispersed by storms.

Cannon and armour such as this were in fact recovered from the Spanish wrecks using diving bell technology in the 1590’s. Effectively huge bronze church bells.

Staying submerged began as a simple trick, a novelty meant mostly for spectacle. But like most human exploration, the underwater landscape became appealing for its latent revenue opportunities. At first, diving bells appear to have been most heavily used in the pearl and sponge industries. Then, in 1531, the Italian inventor Guglielmo de Lorena came up with a new application. Using slings to attach a bell to his body, he could collect treasure from capsized Roman ships. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, according to Francis Bacon, Spanish prisoners spread the word that their captors’ riches had sunk off the coast of Scotland; industrious divers used bells to recover cannon armour and booty.
The first account of diving bells comes from Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. Legend has it Aristotle’s pupil Alexander the Great went on to build “a very fine barrel made entirely of white glass” and used it in the Siege of Tyre in 332 B.C. However, the facts of Alexander the Great’s adventures come mostly from depictions in fragments of ancient art and literature, which render him as a demigod who conquered the darkness and returned to the dry realm of historians and poets.
 read more

Code: 21777

Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) OR's fur cap grenade circa 1890

Die-stamped brass, the ball bearing Eagle on a tablet inscribed '8'.
The Eagle and '8' represents the flagstaff eagle of the 8th French Light Infantry captured by Sgt Patrick Masterson of the 87th Fusiliers at Barossa on 5th March 1811. It is 3.75 inches long. The French Imperial Eagle was the emblem of the Grande Armee of Napoleon I, and during the Peninsular War of 1808-1814 and the Battle of Waterloo, the capture of an eagle by enemy troops was a massive blow to any regiment.

In the instance of the Battle of Barrosa, in 1811, the British captured their first ever eagle. The captor was an Irish Sergeant of the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot. Looking at the history of the battle  read more

Code: 20306

Original Ancient Roman ‘Cross-bow” Fibula Bronze Toga Pin Military Issue, Fine Piece For Higher Ranking Figures in the Legion, Such As a Centurion or TribuneBow Fibula with a Folded Spring Hinge, c. Early Imperial - Beginning of 2nd Century.

We acquired a very small collection of different forms of original Roman toga pins, A super, small collection of original, historical, Imperial Roman, Viking, and Crusader's artefacts has just been acquired by us.
Bow Fibulae with spring
The spring winds in one or more loops on one side of the pin and then crosses over, or under, the bow and continues with more loops on the other side. The distinction between the spring-chord crossing over (external) versus under the bow head (internal) can help determine type and age. In some cases the spring-chord is fixed by a hook as it passes over, or under the bow. The spring can have one, two, three, four or even ten or more loops on each side of the bow. Very wide springs tend to have axis-pins inserted to help them retain their shape. In some cases the ends of the axis-pins are fitted with small knobs.
Bow Fibula with the Spring Tendon Below the Bow, c. 250 B.C. - 50 A.D., Rare
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 colour 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 colour 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.
This fibula has a short bilateral spring. It has three loops per side for six total. The spring-chord passes under the bow and is thus an internal chord. lovely condition for age with fine natural colour patination.
Fibula 60mm long  read more

Code: 24047

A Superb Excavated ‘Grand Tour’ Fine Bronze Age Lance Head, Trojan War Period 3200+ Years Old. From the Legendary Age of Hector, Agamemnon,Paris, Helen of Troy and Achilles

Dominant central rib, graduating long triangular blade and engraved socket. A lance or spear head traded with the Eastern Mediterranean Scythians, Persians and Greeks during the 2nd to Ist millennium B.C. around 2700 to 3200 years ago. Copper alloy circa 1200 B.C. A beautiful Bronze Age battle spear, probably the most used and popular weapon of all the ancient wars of antiquity. Items such as this were oft acquired in the 18th and early 19th century by British noblemen and women touring famous battle sites and their regions in Europe, especially Northern France, Italy and the Middle East on their Grand Tour. Originally placed on display in the family 'cabinet of curiosities', within their country house upon their return home. A popular pastime in the 18th and 19th century, comprised of English ladies and gentlemen traveling for many months, or even years, througout classical Europe, and Middle East, acquiring antiquities and antiques for their private collections.
One such family’s descendants have been allowing us to purchase such wonderful pieces from their family collection for around the past 30 years.
This is a most handsome ancient bronze weapon from the era of the so called Trojan Wars. The ancient Greeks believed the Trojan War was a historical event that had taken place in the 13th or 12th century BC, and believed that Troy was located in modern day Turkey near the Dardanelles. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey . "The Iliad" relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy, while the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the Achaean leaders. Other parts of the war were told in a cycle of epic poems, which has only survived in fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets such as Virgil and Ovid.

The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years due to Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern day Italy. Made in copper bronze in the Western Asiatic region. Western Asiatic bronzes refer to items dating from roughly 1500-500 BC that have been excavated since the late 1920?s in the Harsin, Khorramabad and Alishtar valleys of the Zagros Mountains especially at the site of Tepe Sialk. Scholars believe they were created by either the Cimmerians or by such related Indo-European peoples as the early Medes and Persians. Weapons from this region were highly sought after by warriors of many cultures because of their quality, balance and durability. Graduating blade with socket. Rich deep age patination with superb natural encrustations This piece is 14 1/2 inches long overall. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 23019

One of The Earliest Pieces of Its Kind You May See Anywhere In the World, An Original Man-Made Weapon and Tool A Most Fine, Large, Palaeolithic 300,000 Year Old Stone Age Hand Axe

A most fine and impressive axe of large size and in superb condition. An axe one could only normally expect to see in the British Museum or the Smithsonian. Only a few months ago, another very similar example, also determined to be 300,000 years old, was found in Kent, and it made world news, appearing in hundreds of newspapers and news programmes around the globe.

It is simply incredible to try to comprehend just how long human kind walked the earth with so little improvement in weapon and tool making. from the Palaeolithic right through to the Neolithic age covering around 300,000 years and it wasn't until less than 5,000 years ago that the move from stone to bronze enabled the incredible leap forward right through to the modern day. From bronze age axes and spears to flights to Mars, in under 5000 years, yet for the previous 295,000 years we made little or no progress at all, such as from big knapped flint axes, to small polished ones.

To put the time frame in today's context, when Anthony and Cleopatra were conducting their famous affair in ancient Egypt, over 2000 years ago, this flint axe would have still been 298,000 years old to them.

Precisely when and where did our species emerge Anthropologists have struggled with that question for decades, and scattered clues had suggested the answer lay somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa about 200,000 years ago.

However, new evidence now exists as outlined in two papers published in the journal Nature that challenges that hypothesis. Instead, the authors describe recently discovered remains that suggest the first Homo sapiens showed up more than 100,000 years earlier than we thought in a place many experts didn't suspect.

The fossils could represent the earliest known examples of H. sapiens ever found (if confirmed by further research), and they serve as evidence that members of our species lived beyond sub-Saharan Africa. As with all our items it will be accompanied with our lifetime guarantee Certificate of Authenticity. 8.25 inches long very substantial & weighty  read more

Code: 22746

Royal Bronze Battle Mace From 2,500 to 3,200 Years Old. From the Era of Rameses the Great of Egypt, to Darius, King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire

13th-6th century BC. This is a classic style royal baton mace head of the ancient Bronze Age culture. Examples of this mace can be seen in several of the world's finest ancient Near Eastern bronze collections. The shaft is elaborately decorated with raised striking knobs of a herringbone design. This was an effective striking weapon likely used by high-ranking soldiers or royal subjects due to its extremely decorative design. In battle, maces like this were often used by commanders to display rank when giving orders in battle and leading soldiers, inspiring leadership and power. A substantial bronze cudgel and mace with tubular body, ribbed collar, flared rim and panels of raised herringbone ornament. Ist to 2nd Millennium B.C. In use it would have slotted onto a wooden haft. Items such as this were oft acquired in the 18th century by British noblemen touring the Middle East, Northern France and Italy on their Grand Tour. Originally placed on display in the family 'cabinet of curiosities', within his country house upon his return home. A popular pastime in the 18th and 19th century, comprised of English ladies and gentlemen traveling for many months, or even years, throughout classical Europe, and the Middle East, acquiring antiquities and antiques for their private collections. The use of the stone headed mace as a weapon and a symbol od status and ceremony goes back to the Upper Palaeolithic stone age, but an important, later development in mace heads was the use of metal for their composition. With the advent of copper mace heads, they no longer shattered and a better fit could be made to the wooden club by giving the eye of the mace head the shape of a cone and using a tapered handle.

Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom, itself the most powerful period of Ancient Egypt.

The Shardanas or warriors from Sardinia who fought for Ramses II against the Hittities were armed with maces, exactly as this fabulous example, consisting of rounded wooden hafts with the bronze mace heads slotted upon the hafts. Many bronze statuettes of the times show Sardinian warriors carrying swords, bows and original maces.

Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of Western Asia, parts of the Balkans (Thrace–Macedonia and Paeonia) and the Caucasus, most of the Black Sea's coastal regions, Central Asia, the Indus Valley in the far east, and portions of North Africa and Northeast Africa including Egypt (Mudrâya), eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.

Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the legitimate Achaemenid monarch Bardiya, whom he later fabricated to be an imposter named Gaumata. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time; a major event in Darius' life was his expedition to subjugate Greece and punish Athens and Eretria for their participation in the Ionian Revolt. Although his campaign ultimately resulted in failure at the Battle of Marathon, he succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace and expanded the Achaemenid Empire through his conquests of Macedon, the Cyclades and the island of Naxos as well as the sacked Greek city of Eretria.

Persians used a variety of maces and fielded large numbers of heavily armoured and armed cavalry (cataphracts). For a heavily armed Persian knight, a mace was as effective as a sword or battle axe. In fact, Shahnameh has many references to heavily armoured knights facing each other using maces, axes, and swords. The enchanted talking mace Sharur made its first appearance in Sumerian/Akkadian mythology during the epic of Ninurta. Roman though auxiliaries from Syria Palestina were armed with clubs and maces at the battles of Immae and Emesa in 272 AD. They proved highly effective against the heavily armoured horsemen of Palmyra. Photos in the gallery of original carvings from antiquity in the British Museum etc.; Ashurbanipal at the Battle of Til-Tuba, Assyrian Art / British Museum, London/ 650-620 BC/ Limestone,, An Assyrian soldier waving a mace escorts four prisoners, who carry their possessions in sacks over their shoulders. Their clothes and their turbans, rising to a slight point which flops backwards, are typical of the area; people from the Biblical kingdom of Israel, shown on other sculptures, wear the same dress, on a gypsum wall panel relief, South West Palace, Nimrud, Kalhu Iraq, neo-assyrian, 730BC-727BC.
A recovered tablet from Egypt's Early Dynastic Period (3150-2613 BC) shows a Pharaoh smiting his foe with a war mace. Part of an original collection we have just acquired, of antiquities, Roman, Greek, Middle Eastern, Viking and early British relics of warfare from ancient battle sites recovered up to and around 220 years ago. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity. This wonderful piece would have been made and traded throughout the Western Asiatic region. 551 grams, 24cm (9 1/4").  read more

Code: 23421

An Amazing Samurai Sword Katana. Signed, Hizen kuni Dewa no kami Yukihiro Circa 1670 Made For the Nabeshima Clan

A fabulous, signed, samurai katana of the Nabeshima clan lords.
All original Edo fittings to compliment the blade. A sword made circa 1670, with fine iron Higo school mounts with pure gold inlaid Imperial chrysanthemum mon to the fushi and kashira. Round iron Edo tsuba. Original Edo period urushi lacquer saya.

Yukihiro was a swordsmith of Hizen province, and as we believe this sword was made by him around 1670, he was making his swords for the Nebeshima at this time, so we believe it is very likely this was created intially for one of that family clan.
He was the Second son of Hashimoto Yoshinobu.
Yukihiro acquired the title of Dewa Daijo in 1648 and was ranked up to Dewa (No) Kami in 1663.
He travelled to Nagasaki to learn under Hisatsugu and Tanenaga who were highly informed about western steels brought to Japan by the Dutch. Yukihiro also studied Bizen-den style under the swordsmith that belonged to the Ishido School and sometimes added the character Ichi to his signature. Later he became a retained swordsmith of the Nabeshima family and lived in Nagase town. He passed away in 1683, aged 66. The clan controlled Saga Domain from the late Sengoku period through the Edo period.

The Nabeshima clan was a cadet branch of the Shoni clan and was descended from the Fujiwara clan. In the late 12th century, Fujiwara no Sukeyori, a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato in the 9th generation, received the title of Dazai Shoni (equivalent to that of vice-governor of the military government of Kyushu) from Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and the title became the family name.

The clan played an important role in the region as early as the Muromachi period, when it helped suppress opposition to the Ashikaga shogunate's control of Kyushu. It did not take the name Nabeshima, however, until the late 15th century, when Shoni Shigenao established himself at Nabeshima in Hizen province (today part of Saga City, Saga prefecture). Later, in the Sengoku period (1467-1603), the Nabeshima were one of a number of clans which clashed over the island. The Nabeshima sided with the Ryuzoji clan against the Otomo clan, though this ultimately ended in failure and the death of Ryuzoji Takanobu at the 1584 battle of Okita Nawate. Several years later, however, the Nabeshima recovered power and prominence by aiding Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his 1587 invasion of Kyushu; Nabeshima Naoshige was granted the region of Saga as his fief, as a reward for his efforts. Naoshige also contributed to Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea in the 1590s.

The clan initially aided Ishida Mitsunari against Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Sekigahara Campaign in 1600. However, they switched sides to support the Tokugawa, who were ultimately victorious, before the campaign had ended, battling and occupying the forces of Tachibana Muneshige, who was thus prevented from contributing directly to the battle of Sekigahara. Though regarded as tozama daimyo ("outside" lords), and assigned particularly heavy corvee duties, the Nabeshima were allowed to keep their territory in Saga, and in fact had their kokudaka increased. The clan's forces served the new Tokugawa shogunate loyally in the years which followed; they remained in Kyushu during the 1615 Osaka Campaign as a check against a possible rebellion or uprising by the Shimazu clan, and aided in the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637. In recognition of their service, members of the clan were granted the prestigious family honorific name of Matsudaira in 1648, Matsudaira being the original Tokugawa family name, the ruling Shogun of Japan for almost 300 years. 29.75 inch blade from tsuba to tip. Overall 39 inches long in saya. No p/x or layaway available on discounted items.  read more

Code: 19598

PRICE DROP AN AMAZING SPECIAL 50% OFF A Very Rare US Civil War 'C.Howard' Rimfire Long Gun with Underlever Action

Only the second we have seen in the past 10 years.
The Howard-Whitney Thunderbolt. This is undoubtedly one of the scarcest patent action guns made in the 1860's used in the American Civil War. .44 Cal Rimfire cartridge. There are elements of similarity in this rifle to the profile of Jean Baptiste Revol's of New Orleans patent breech loading rifle of 1853. In America around this time all manner of new gun actions and mechanisms were being created, in order to utilize the latest breech loading cartridges that had been designed to replace the outdated percussion muzzle loading system. This rifle, although not in pristine condition, and showing an overall russet finish, is a mighty rare gun and a must for collectors of rare patented long guns from this incredible era. For it was this very time, when no one new for certain which way the new cartridges could be made to function to their best advantage, that probably the most significant weapons were being created, and those systems and actions were to mould the whole industry of arms production even until today. Great and legendary gunsmiths, such as Henry who sold out to Winchester, were striving to create the best, most efficient, and indeed most marketable methods to evolve the rifle into the next level of development and progress, and this is likely one of those that simply failed to make the grade. This gun is one of only 2000 Mr. C. Howard's patent guns ever made, including the examples made under contract by Whitney Arms of Conn. USA. Made from the 1862 patent by Howard from the Civil War and by Whitney from 1866 to 1870. Most examples are marked by Whitney but just a few earlier examples were completely unmarked, and this is one of those. Some came to England in the late 19th century some after the war, so although a very rare gun, it is far rarer here in the UK. As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 22921

A Wonderful 500 Year Old Koto Period Samurai 'Dragon' Wakizashi Samurai Short Sword, Another Absolute Beauty From Our latest collection

Based entirely around the legendary Japanese dragon, Bearing the dragon on all of its fittings and mounts including its kozuka utility knife. All of the fittings are original Edo period, of very nice quality the dragon tsuba is iron with gold highlights, of a chiselled takebori dragon signed by a very good tsuba maker, Kinai.

One has to bear in mind this tanto has been used by numerous samurai over more than a dozen generations, since the era, in England, when King Henry the VIIIth was a child.

The tsuka is superb and has its original, beautiful mid blue silk binding, that is patterned damask silk with a clan mon design theme. It is a very rare, and most infrequently seen form of deluxe quality tsuka-ito, that is wrapped over black samegawa giant ray-skin, over the gold dragon menuki. The fuchi is fine Soten school, of a pure gold decor takebori dragon, over a shakudo Nanak o ground. The kashira is hand carved and polished black buffalo horn.

The saya has its incredible Edo period urushi lacquer in a stippled ishime stone finish. and within its saya pocket is the kozuka utility knife, with a sinchu handle, decorated with a takebori carved sea dragon in crashing waves, the saya bears a shakudo mount of a deep and crisp, rare type takebori mythical flying sea dragon with a fishtail. The blade is in super and beautiful polish, showing a delightful light notare, based on suguha, hamon.

The original Edo period urushi lacquer on the saya is in simply excellent condition for age and shows most elegant patterning, it reveals within that intricacy the finest craftsmanship and beauty worthy of a master of the art of urushi decor. Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has traced it origins, and been refined, for over several thousands of years.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords

Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.

The varnish used in Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree, also known as the lacquer tree or the Japanese varnish tree (Rhus vernacifera), which mainly grows in Japan and China, as well as Southeast Asia. Japanese lacquer, 漆 urushi, is made from the sap of the lacquer tree. The tree must be tapped carefully, as in its raw form the liquid is poisonous to the touch, and even breathing in the fumes can be dangerous. But people in Japan have been working with this material for many millennia, so there has been time to refine the technique!

Flowing from incisions made in the bark, the sap, or raw lacquer is a viscous greyish-white juice. The harvesting of the resin can only be done in very small quantities.
Three to five years after being harvested, the resin is treated to make an extremely resistant, honey-textured lacquer. After filtering, homogenization and dehydration, the sap becomes transparent and can be tinted in black, red, yellow, green or brown.  read more

Code: 24556