A Cased Pair Of Attractive, Antique, Victorian, Belgian Percussion Boxlock Pistols. A Pair of 'Barkers' Set in a Walnut Box Case In The French Style. Walnut Bag-Shaped Pistol Grips

Just returned from the workshop in order to have considerable conservation to both pistols, taking several days, in order to have both their surface finishes hand cleaned, polished, re-blued and conserved, plus, their actions oiled. Walnut box is a later casing in the French style.

The nickname 'Barkers' was popularized in 19th-century literature. For example, in Charles Dickens' 1837 novel Oliver Twist, a character prepares for a robbery by arming himself with a pair of "barkers".

A very similar percussion 'Barker' appears in a photograph, in the book 'Crimean Memories', by Hutchinson, Vice and Small, {Page 169} used by Surgeon M.B. Munro of the 93rd {Sutherland Highlanders} of Foot in the Crimean war, as one of a pair of his personal defence weapons. Now in the Regimental Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum.

Boxlock pistols were pocket pistols popular in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Effectively the first Derringers. The most unique feature of their design was the boxlock mechanism. Unlike most firearms which have the hammer located off to the side of the pistol, a boxlock pistol had the hammer located directly on top of the pistol. They were called a boxlocks because all of the working mechanisms for the hammer and the trigger was located in a box or receiver directly below the top mounted hammer. While the hammer obstructed the aim of the user, this system had the advantage of making the gun more compact and concealable than other pistols. The first boxlock pistols were flintlock and where later made in percussion lock. Unlike modern firearms, these pistols were not mass produced, but were hand made in gunsmith's workshops.

In 18th and 19th-century slang, a pistol was called a
barker because its loud explosion was thought to resemble the "bow-wow" or barking of a dog.

The term originated as "barking iron," an Irish expression recorded in the 1785 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Over time, it was shortened simply to "barker." It was initially "cant" (thieves' slang) used by footpads and highwaymen during robberies.
The term was also adopted by Royal Navy seamen to refer to both small Sea Service pistols and larger lower-deck artillery pieces.

While other colourful nicknames like "pops," "snappers," and "meat in the pot" were also used during this era, "barker" remained a common term until the end of the 19th century.

Overall blued with light natural aged russet surface beneath, both actions are tight with good springs, one action fires well on double cocking, the second just on first cocking. The walnut box is good, with some old surface scratching, key lock works well.

Box case 8 inches x 10 1/5 inches x 2 inches, pistols, overall 8 1/2 inches each, barrel's 4 inches each.

Priced once the conservation cast has been calculated  read more

Code: 26088

A Superb Later 19th Century French Chassepot M1866 Sword Bayonet, Post Franco Prussian War Issue, Manufactured at the Armoury of St Etienne. Japanese Purchase Import Used In The Japanese Russian War 8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905

Stunning example, with very good steel and brass, manufactured at the French arsenal at St Etienne to mount upon the service issue Chassepot rifle. Acquired by us from an exclusive high quality and rare service use bayonet collection, and this bayonet was bought by the collector in Japan as one of the rare survivors after service in the Russian- Japanese War, {as well as his Enfield Yataghan bayonets bought by Japan from America after the Civil War}. Although by the time of the war the Japanese generally used the type 22 Murata, some naval land troops were still in service with the 1880's French Chassepot-Murata conversions with Chassepot bayonets.

The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the Liaodong Peninsula and near Mukden in Southern Manchuria, with naval battles taking place in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan.

Its inventor was, Antoine Alphonse Chassepot, and it became the French service weapon in 1866. It was first used at the battlefield at Mentana, November 1867, where it inflicted severe losses on Garibaldi's troops. The event was reported at the French Parliament: "Les Chassepots ont fait merveille!", {The Chassepots did marvelous execution !} In the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) it proved greatly superior to the German Dreyse needle gun, outranging it by 2 to 1. Although it was a smaller caliber but the chassepot ammunition had more gunpowder and thus faster muzzle velocity. The Chassepots were responsible for most of the Prussian and other German casualties during the conflict. This is the most widely copied of all the sword bayonets. Many countries - including the United States, Egypt, Belgium, and Argentina - have manufactured or used very similar bayonets. The French model was designed to fit on the French Model 1866 Chassepot Rifled Infantry Musket (the musket was revolutionary in itself). It was manufactured from 1866 to about 1874 and was replaced by the French Model 1874 "Gras" Bayonet.
The bayonets are brass-hilted The crossguard is iron (steel) and has a screw-type tightening arrangement on the muzzle-ring. The lower quillon is a hooked "blade-breaker" type.
The blade is steel, single-edged, fullered (both sides), with a re-curved or "yataghan-shape." The blades marked on the back-edge (opposite the cutting edge) with the arsenal, month, and year of manufacture; this is done in engraved cursive fashion
Arsenals encountered may be such as Chatellerault, Mutzig, St. Etienne, Paris-Oudry, Tulle, and perhaps Steyr (not confirmed on the 1866). The French wars during the life-span of this bayonet were: French Intervention in Mexico (1861-1867);
Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 - May 10, 1871)
French Indo-China (1873-1874, 1882-1883);
Sino-French War (1883-1885);
Madagascar Wars (1883-1885, 1895);
1st Mandingo-French War (1883-1886);
1st Dahomeyan-French War (1889-1990);
2nd Dahomeyan-French War (1892-1894);
Franco-Siamese War of (1893)
2nd Mandingo-French War (1894-1895);
Conquest of Chad (1897-1914);
3rd Mandingo-French War (1898);
Japanese Russian War ( 8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905)
Moroccan War (1907-1912);
The Wadai War (1909-1911);
World War I (early).

These bayonets were widely copied and used by many countries - including the United States, Belgium, and Germany. Many of the actual French-marked bayonets can be found with German manufactured blades. It is believed some of these were used during the American Civil War when many European arsenals were emptied of their surplus arms.
These bayonets are the French Model 1866 "Chassepot" Bayonet.
The crossguard are iron (steel) and with a "cock's comb" muzzle-ring finial. The lower quillon is a hooked "blade-breaker" type.
The blade is steel, single-edged, fullered (both sides), with a re-curved or "yataghan-shape." One blade is marked on the back-edge (opposite the cutting edge) with the arsenal, month, and year of manufacture; this is done in engraved cursive fashion.

France sold large quantities of Chassepot rifles to Japan during the late 19th century, which Japan used alongside other imported arms, eventually leading to their conversion and adaptation into the indigenous Murata rifle, Japan's first domestically produced standard infantry rifle. Japan acquired Chassepots as part of broader efforts to modernize its military after opening from isolation, initially using them with their needle-fire system before converting them for metallic cartridges

Picture in the gallery {photo 7} of an anti-Russian satirical map that was produced by a Japanese student at Keio University during the Russo–Japanese War. It follows the design used for a similar map first published in 1877.  read more

Code: 26092

A Beautiful, Signed (山城守藤原秀辰) Hidetoki, Shinto Chisa Katana With Exceptional, Original Edo Period, Nashiji Gold & Contrasting Brown and Red Ground Urushi Lacquer Saya, Decorated With Representations of Longevity, Strength, Loyalty, & Good Fortune

A katana signed Hidetoki (山城守秀辰) a respected swordsmith from the Seki (Tokuin school), with several generations known, particularly the second-generation Hidetoki from the Early Edo period (Shōhō era, 1644–1648), known for producing sharp, highly-rated blades (Wazamono). These signatures often appear as "Seki-jū Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Hidetoki" (関住山城守藤原秀辰) for the first generation, and later as just "Yamashiro no Kami Hidetoki" by the second generation.

The katana is mounted in superb original Edo koshirae, with a Higo school iron kashira, and a tetsu fuchi, made in two slotted together parts, with a brass rimmed inner liner. Also, including a pair of shakudo menuki of dragons wrapped beneath beautiful, blue, tsuka-ito. A superb round tetsu tsuba with gold and copper filled kodzukana. With {two holes} udenuki no ana for the tying of an udenuki no O {wrist cord} that is done in a specific way, that requires these two holes in a specific position. It should be fastened/looped (called shirushizuke) on the fuchi part of the sword (the metal bordering piece between the swords tsuba (guard) and the tsuka (handle). Ideally, for both short and long swords- they should be the same length. It stops the samurai from dropping their katana during combat
It further assists the samurai in holding the strap in his mouth when dismounting or mounting a horse)

The original Edo saya of the sword is utterly amazing, it is decorated in dark brown and mid red urushi lacquer to simulate the bark of the pine tree with tiny speckles of abilone shell representing minuscule snow flakes, above that decor ground are nishiji lacquer pine-cones with their elongated bunched fascicle which are actually pine tree leaves, but physically, more greatly resemble elongated needles. The quality of the craftsmanship to create such a desgn is breathtaking.

In the gallery is a powerful Japanese woodblock print attributed to Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892), from the 100 Aspects of the Moon series (1885–1892).
It depicts a samurai with his attendant beneath a pine tree, gazing toward a moonlit sky, embodying Yoshitoshi’s fascination with loyalty and reflection.


Japanese decor featuring pine cones often highlight the tree's symbolism of longevity and resilience, appearing in traditional kacho-ga (bird-and-flower) art by masters like Kono Bairei (1844–1895)

Pine (Matsu): Represents longevity, strength, and good fortune, often used in New Year's decorations and art for its evergreen nature.
Pine Cones: A specific symbol of fertility and the continuation of life, beautifully complementing the pine's overall meaning.

The chisa katana was able to be used with one or two hands like a katana (with a small gap in between the hands) and especially made for double sword combat a sword in each hand. It was the weapon of preference worn by the personal Samurai guard of a Daimyo Samurai war lord clan chief, as very often the Daimyo would be often likely within his castle than without. The chisa katana sword was far more effective as a defence against any threat to the Daimyo's life by assassins or the so-called Ninja when hand to hand sword combat was within the castle structure, due to the restrictions of their uniform low ceiling height. But in trained hands this sword would have been a formidable weapon in close combat conditions, when the assassins were at their most dangerous. The hilt was usually around ten to eleven inches in length, but could be from eight inches or up to twelve inches depending on the Samurai's preference. Chisa katana, Chiisagatana or literally "short katana", are shoto mounted as katana. It is fair to say wakizashi are shoto which are mounted in a similar way to katana, but in this instance we are considering the predecessors of the daisho. In the transitional period from tachi to katana, katana were called "uchigatana", and shoto were referred to as "koshigatana" and "chiisagatana", in many cases quite longer than the later more normal length wakizashi.

There are many reasons why people enjoy collecting swords. Some people are drawn to the beauty and craftsmanship of swords, while others appreciate their historical and cultural significance. Swords can also be a symbol of power and strength, and some collectors find enjoyment in the challenge of acquiring rare or valuable swords.

One of the greatest joys of sword collecting is the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of different civilisations. Swords have been used by warriors for millennia, and each culture has developed its own unique sword designs and traditions. By studying swords, collectors can gain a deeper understanding of the people who made and used them.

Another joy of sword collecting is the sheer variety of swords that are available. There are swords in our gallery from all over the world and from every period of history. Collectors can choose to specialize in a particular type of sword, such as Japanese katanas or medieval longswords, or they can collect a variety of swords from different cultures and time periods. No matter what your reasons for collecting swords, it is a hobby that can provide many years of enjoyment. Swords are beautiful, fascinating, and historically significant objects.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 26080

An Original, Antique, Continental 'Derringer' Back-Action Percussion Lock Pocket Pistol Circa 1840. Fancy Engraved Lock. Blued Steel Finish

This pistol is singularly attractive. It was acquired with a pair of cased, Belgian, percussion 'Barkers' boxlock pistols. This pistol required full servicing, and hand conservation by our artisans, and after three intensive days work it has been completed and looks dramatically improved and very charming indeed. The percussion action has now been hand cleaned and conserved to be as tight and crisp as it was 185 years ago.

This 'Derringer type of pocket pistol was actually made before the Philadelphia, US, Henry Deringer pistol, by varied makers, but the Henry Deringer pistol was made famous, by being used in the notorious assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

This is the very same style and form as the Lincoln Deringer pistol, and it is not known if the American, original Henry Deringer pistol example was a design made first, by his company, or other way round.

One of the scarcest and most collectable small pistol of American history, is the original US, Philadelphia manufactured, Henry Deringer's back action lock 'Deringer' pistol. The pistol that was used by Henry Wilkes Booth to assassinate probably the most famous American President to have ever lived, Abraham Lincoln. It was this Deringer gun after which all small pocket pistols have since been named. A pistol and name that shall live on in memory, for as long as American history is recorded.
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In the century and a half since it happened, populist history has largely boiled down the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the story of a single perpetrator: John Wilkes Booth. Four of the eight convicted for participating in the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln in April of 1865 died on the gallows three months later.
But in his appearance at the Camden County Historical Society, Lincoln scholar Hugh Boyle made clear that the real story is a sprawling epic. It involves a gang of Confederate operatives and sympathizers that first plotted to kidnap the President and, when that failed, decided to murder not only him, but the Vice President and Secretary of State as well. Their goal was to decapitate and destabilize the federal government in hopes of forcing a settlement to the war that would avoid the South's total defeat. In the end, they managed to kill Lincoln and seriously injure Secretary of State William Seward.

By 1865, the South was a vast swath of utter destruction.
It was a time of massive upheaval, great danger and high emotion for the South, so the idea that someone might be thinking about attacking the President or other high government officials was not a crazy one in the atmosphere of the times."
The frustrations and angst of the Southern cause came to a boil in April of 1865. Its capital, Richmond, Va. -- now a burned out hulk of a city -- was captured and occupied by Ulysses S. Grant's forces on April 3. Six days later, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia surrendered and was disarmed at Appomattox. Three days after that -- April 11 -- President Lincoln, standing in a second-story window of the White House, spoke to a huge crowd in a city gone wild in celebration of the Appomattox surrender. But among those listening in that crowd were John Wilkes Booth and 21-year-old Lewis Thornton Powell.

John Wilkes Booth, one of America's most famous actors of the time, and Lewis Thornton Powell were enraged by the President's White House speech on April 11. Three days later, Booth killed Lincoln in Ford's Theater while Powell tried to kill Secretary of State William Seward in his home. Booth was one of the country's most famous actors and an ardent supporter of the Confederacy. His young companion, Powell, was a Confederate army veteran and a second cousin of Confederate general John B. Gordon
The gang leader -- 27-year-old John Wilkes Booth -- was tracked down and shot to death by Union soldiers in Virginia. Eight others were convicted of being conspirators with Booth. Four were sentenced to death and hung, including the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government. The other four were sent to a remote prison island off the coast of Florida.
John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln with a shot in the back of the head near his left ear. The Henry Deringer pistol was the weapon he used. Manufactured by Henry Derringer. The weapon was found on the floor of the State Box in Ford's Theatre after the assassination, but it located today in the basement of Ford's Theatre.

10.8cm / 4 1/4 inches barrel length, 8 inches / 20cm long overall

Priced once the conservation cast has been calculated  read more

Code: 26091

Napoleonic Wars Era, Flintlock 'Brown Bess' Musket. A Mighty & Strong Musket Of Substantial Heft, Presence and Beauty. The ‘Brown Bess’ Musket Is Likely The Most Famous Service Musket of All Time In The Napoleonic Wars, Stalwart of The British ‘Square’

A King George IIIrd period 'Brown Bess', Dublin Castle flintlock. Extra strength example which is typical of muskets from Dublin Castle, as their assembled muskets frequently had stronger grade stocks than the equivalent Tower of London examples, made in London.

In the gallery a depiction of a Napoleonic-era British infantry square at the Battle of Quatre Bras, Belgium, 1815.
An infantry square, also known as a hollow square or square formation, was a musket-era historic close order formation used in combat by British infantry units, usually when threatened with cavalry attack. To deploy its weapons effectively, a traditional infantry unit would generally form a line; but the line was vulnerable to more nimble cavalry, which could sweep around the end of the line, or burst through it, and then attack the undefended rear or simply sweep along the line attacking the individual footsoldiers successively. By arranging the unit so that there was no undefended rear or flank, an infantry commander could organise an effective defense against cavalry attack. With both the development of modern repeating firearms and the demise of cavalry in warfare, the square formation is considered obsolete and is effectively never used in modern day warfare.

It has a good and fine patinated walnut stock, good action, and good traditional third pattern brass furniture, trigger guard. 32" barrel. Often the shorter barrel length of 32-33" were supplied for sergeants of the line within the regiments. Dublin Castle mounted flintlocks are scarce and are now and are very highly prized and esteemed, especially by the collectors of early Irish weaponry.

This is a very handsome piece, and it is often described as a joy to own a fine looking 'Brown Bess' musket. Such muskets were frequently issued to regiments formed in Ireland, the famed birthplace of the renown ‘Iron Duke’, the victor over Napoleon at Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington.

The story of the Irish regiments under Wellington's command, such as in in the famous and renown 27th Regiment of Foot, the Enniskillen Inniskilling,. It was a descendent entity from one of the Enniskillen militia raised during the War of the Two Kings, which had become an established unit during the many wars of the 18th century. Against France in this round of fighting, the “Inniskilling” regiment fought in Flanders before helping to take islands in the Caribbean, as many Irish regiments did, suffering terribly from the heat and tropical diseases they were soon unsuited to deal with. Later came greater glory, with the regiment taking part in the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 and then the Battle of Maida in Italy, both crucial victories in the respective campaigns. The regiment entered into the Peninsular Wars in dribs and drabs, with its 1st Battalion joining Wellesley nearly everywhere, and the 3rd only arriving in 1813, but the regiment still had the opportunity to inflict heavy casualties on the French enemy at the Battle of Castalla, before suffering the same a few months later at Ordal, one of the last significant French victories of that campaign. In 1815, the regiment took its place at Waterloo. The 27th Foot bore the brunt of Napoleon’s frontal assault and suffered 481 men killed or injured. The course of the French Revolutionary Wars and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars bears little going into. Between 1792 and 1815, France fought numerous conflicts against a series of opposing coalitions. What began as a conflict of mere survival for the Revolution soon morphed into a more imperialistic venture when France fell under the control of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799: he would eventually lead France to control a huge chunk of Europe, stretching all the way to Moscow in the east and to the Portuguese coastline in the west. But it couldn’t last, with the French state practically dependent on constant expansion to sustain itself, and Napoleon suffered two major falls, the first in 1813 when British, Austrian, Russian and Prussian overran France, and the second in 1815, after the titanic clash at Waterloo. Throughout the entire conflict, Irish troops were heavily involved, in numerous armies, but none more so than the British.The 1st Battalion went on to fight at the Battle of Waterloo as part of John Lambert's 10th Brigade in the 6th Division. At about 6:30 PM, the French captured the key strongpoint of La Haye Sainte farm. After this success, they brought up several cannon and took the Anglo-Allied lines under fire at extremely close range. At this period, the 698-strong battalion was deployed in square at the point where the Ohain road crossed the Charleroi to Brussels highway. At a range of 300 yards (270 m), the French artillery caused the unit enormous casualties within a short time. At day's end, the 1st Battalion had lost 105 killed and 373 wounded, a total of 478 casualties, without breaking. The unit was described as "lying dead in a square". At the time of Waterloo, the soldiers of the 27th were dressed in red, short-tailed jackets, overall trousers, and a high-fronted shako. The facing colour was buff and it was displayed on the collar, cuffs, and shoulder-straps. The lace on the cuffs and jackets had square-ended loops.

The muskets barrel shows clearly where, during its later working lifetime, it has travelled with the East India Company Army and served in India, and thus been struck with their armoury’s stamps.
Due to the vagaries of intense war and the inevitable short supply of arms, often muskets and pistols had to be supplied by the board of ordnance from gun parts in stores, and thus assembled as and when urgency demanded, or guns returned to the ordnance to replace parts damaged in combat, guns of some mixed part types were inevitable. Therefore, typically this musket has a 'Brown Bess' new land style butt plate, and a transitional period {central screw} sideplate.
A photo in the gallery shows a photograph of one section of the collection in the museum of Waterloo, taken in around 1900, showing all the weapons used at Waterloo en situ, including all the protagonists {British Brown Bess, French, Prussian and Belgian muskets, swords, pistols, armour uniforms, etc}. The museum was founded and owned by a veteran of the 7th Hussars that fought at Waterloo. Overall the musket is in very a nice condition, and an impressive looking and nicely composed musket, and with, as to be expected, signs of usual combat use. A service musket that likely would have seen many decades of faithful service use in combat. Nice condition for age, barrel rear site dovetail fitted later, fires from single cocking.  read more

Code: 23209

A Wonderful, Original, Antique Victorian Helmet of the 2nd Dragoon Guards {The Queen's Bays}

Superb condition with gilt finish skull and decor, all original lining present and chin chain. One of the best surviving examples one can see in our out of a museum

Following a long period of policing and garrison duties at home, the unit next deployed to India after the outbreak of mutiny there in 1857. It went on to help capture Lucknow in 1858.

It then spent most of the remainder of the 19th century garrisoning India or on home service. It also deployed to the Boer War (1899-1902) in 1901, taking part in the anti-guerrilla operations there, and sustaining heavy losses at Leeuwkop in 1902.

The outbreak of the First World War (1914-18) saw it deploy to the Western Front with the 1st Cavalry Division. It fought in both a mounted and infantry role in many engagements, including the Retreat from Mons, (1914), Le Cateau (1914), the Marne (1914), Ypres (1914), the Somme (1916), Arras (1917), Cambrai (1917) and the Scarpe (1918).

How Major George Harold Absell Ing, Of The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), Won The D.S.O. At The Second Battle Of Ypres

On the evening of Wednesday, May 12th 1915, the 28th Division which held that part of our line from a point northeast of Verlorenhoek to the Bellewaarde Lake, and which had been fighting continuously since April 22nd, went into reserve, its place being taken by the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, under general de Lisle. It was a difficult line to defend, since there were no natural advantages and our trenches were to a large extent recently improvised. This cavalry were very speedily to discover to their cost, for early on the following morning a terrific bombardment began against their front, shells of every description raining down in a continuous stream. The brunt of the bombardment fell on the 3rd Division, and the 3rd Dragoon Guards, I the 6th brigade, were almost buried alive beneath the debris of their parapet. But farther north, where the 2nd Dragoon Guards were posted, close to the Ypres-Zonnebeke road, the shelling was also very heavy, and about 8 a.m. part of the regiment on their right began to retire, their trenches having been rendered untenable. The retirement might easily have become a general one, had not a brave officer of the Queen?s Bays, Major Ing, at great personal risk, saved the situation. Leaving his own trench, he ran out into the open road, standing there, with shells every moment bursting around him, stopped the retirement of some forty men and directed them to take shelter, some in shell holes and others in ditch beside the road on their flank. By this prompt and gallant action, for which he was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Major Ing rendered a most invaluable service. Major Ing entered the 2nd Dragoon Guards in September 1900, and served in the South African War, in which he was slightly wounded, and for which he received the Queen?s Medal with five clasps. He was promoted captain in February 1914, and attained his present rank in August 1911. He is thirty-five years of age, and his home is at Crockham Hill, Kent. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire'

The regiment was renamed the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) in 1921 and spent the inter-war period in Egypt, India and England, where it mechanised with light tanks in 1937. Two years later, it joined the Royal Armoured Corps.

It fought in northern France in May and June 1940, before evacuating from Brest. By November 1941, it had recovered and re-equipped, deploying to North Africa and fighting at Gazala and the First and Second Battles of Alamein in 1942. At one point in the campaign, it remained in action continuously for a record 19 days - longer than any other armoured regiment in that theatre.

After taking part in the Tunisian campaign in 1943, it moved to Italy in May 1944, fighting in several engagements including the Battle of Argenta Gap (1945).  read more

Code: 25327

Archaic Zhou Dynasty Bronze Halberd or ‘Ge’ Circa 5th Century BC the Period of the Great Military Doctrine 'The Art of War' by General Sun-Tzu

Another from our collection of stunning ancient Chinese swords and weaponry that we recently acquired, including halbeard axe called a 'Ge'.

This is the very type of original ancient ceremonial halberd, defined by the ancient Chinese as a dagger axe 'Ge' and exactly the type as used by the warriors serving under the world renowned General Sun Tzu, in the Kingdom of Wu, who is thought by many to be the finest general, philosopher and military tactician who ever lived. His 2500 year old book on the methods of warfare, tactics and psychology are still taught and highly revered in practically every officer training college throughout the world.

In excavated condition, cast in one piece, slightly curved terminal blade of flattened-diamond section, pierced along a basal flange with three slots, and a hole with fabulous areas of crystallized malachite, blue/green patina.

We also show in the gallery a painting of how this 'Ge' halbard would have been used once mounted 2500 odd years ago on its long haft, and used by a Zhou warrior, there is also one depicted being carried in a painting that we show in the gallery being used in an infantry charge in the Zhou dynasty.

This is a superb original ancient piece from one of the great eras of Chinese history, it is unsigned but near identical to another that was signed and inscribed with details that have now been fully translated, deciphered and a few years ago shown at Sothebys New York estimated to a sale value of $300,000. Its research details are fully listed below, and it is photographed within our gallery for the viewers comparison. Naturally, our un-inscribed, but still, very rare original version, from the same era and place, is a much more affordable fraction of this price

The signed and named Sotheby's of New York example that we show in the gallery, was formerly made for its original warrior owner, Qu Shutuo of Chu, it is from the same period and in similar condition as ours. We reference it's description below, and it is photographed within the gallery, it is finely cast with the elongated yuan divided by a raised ridge in the middle of each side and extending downward to form the hu, inscribed to one side with eight characters reading Chu Qu Shutuo, Qu X zhisun, all bordered by sharply finished edges, the end pierced with three vertically arranged chuan (apertures), the nei with a further rectangular chuan and decorated with hook motifs, inscribed to one side with seven characters reading Chuwang zhi yuanyou, wang zhong, and the other side with five characters reading yu fou zhi X sheng, the surface patinated to a dark silver tone with light malachite encrustation
An Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes. Loaned by C.T. Loo & Co., The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, 1940, pl. XXXIII.
New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, March - June 1948.

This inscribed bronze halberd blade, although typical in form, is uniquely important as its inscription serves as a critical primary source that reveals the name of its original owner: Qu Shutuo of Chu. The only known close counterpart to this blade is a damaged bronze halberd blade, missing the yuan, and inscribed on the hu with seven characters, which can be generally translated to ‘for the auspicious use of Qu Shutuo of Chu’. That halberd is now in the collection of the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, and published in Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou qingtongqi mingwen ji tuxiang jicheng Compendium of inscriptions and images of bronzes from Shang and Zhou dynasties, vol. 32, Shanghai, 2012, no. 17048

The remaining thirteen inscriptions can be translated as: 'Qu Shutuo of Chu, Qu X's grandson, yuanyou of the King of Chu'. Based on the inscription, the owner of this blade can be identified as such.

See for reference; The Junkunc Collection: Arts of Ancient China / Sotheby's New York
Lot 111

We also show in the gallery a photo of another similar halberd from a museum exhibition, of a Chinese ancient king bodyguard’s halberd gilt pole mounts for his personal charioteer

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age weaponry we have just acquired. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China. As with all our items, every piece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Approx 9.75 inches across.  read more

Code: 24390

A Wonderful Original 16th Century Map of America By Giovanni Antonio Magini

A fabulous original historical artifact ideal for the collector with an interest in early maps and the earliest period of modern America. Magini (Giovanni Antonio), Plate XXXIIII, Descrittione Dell'America, O Dell'India Occidentale, no date [ printed in 1598], engraved map of America [North and South] with Italian text below, map plate 140mm x 180mm, uncoloured, mounted, framed and glazed. Giovanni Antonio Magini (in Latin, Maginus) (13 June 1555 11 February 1617) was an Italian astronomer, astrologer, cartographer, and mathematician. He was born in Padua, and completed studies in philosophy in Bologna in 1579. His father was Pasquale Magini, a citizen of Padua. Dedicating himself to astronomy, in 1582 he wrote Ephemerides coelestium motuum, translated into Italian the following year.

In 1588 he was chosen over Galileo Galilei to occupy the chair of mathematics at the University of Bologna after the death of Egnatio Danti. He died in Bologna. Magini supported a geocentric system of the world, in preference to Copernicus's heliocentric system. Magini devised his own planetary theory, in preference to other existing ones. The Maginian System consisted of eleven rotating spheres, which he described in his Novo colestium orbium theoric congruentes cum observationibus N. Copernici (Venice, 1589).

In his De Planis Triangulis (1592), he described the use of quadrants in surveying and astronomy. In 1592 Magini published Tabula tetragonica, and in 1606 devised extremely accurate trigonometric tables. He also worked on the geometry of the sphere and applications of trigonometry, for which he invented calculating devices. He also worked on the problem of mirrors and published on the theory of concave spherical mirrors. Framed 38cm x 30.5cm  read more

Code: 19811

A Simply Captivating & Outstanding Solid Silver Mounted ‘Mermaid’ Shell Guard Hilted Sword, Likely of of an Admiral or Vice Admiral, Such as Admiral Lord Nelson’s Walpole-Suckling Silver Hunting Hanger Sword

A wonderfully pulchritudinous sword of extraordinary quality, of chiselled and engraved silver, that bears numerous embellishments in full relief of mermaids, on the shell guard and the pommel. The pommel appears to have silver hallmarks that sometime in its life have been struck out, {see photo 7 in the gallery}. there also appears to be a mermaid in the knuckle bow midsection.

The sword of choice for senior officer's {Admirals, Vice Admirals & Rear Admirals } serving in the Royal Navy during the 17th and early 18th century. We show three portraits in the gallery of admirals of the age each bearing their same swords, especially the silver hilted shell guard hilted sword of Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovel
It is also very similar to the the Walpole-Suckling Hunting Hanger Sword believed Carried by Capt. Horatio Nelson, sold by Sotheby's special treasures sale in 2003, see photo 10 in the gallery.

Double fullered blade, cast and chiselled silver hilt with a solid antler grip made of antler of a male deer, called “hartshorn,” silver single knuckle bow bar hilt with shell guard decorated with two mermaids ether side of the anthus leaf bordered edge, and a 17th century bewigged mounted nobleman mounted on a horse possibly in combat with an armoured figure on another creature, possibly a horse but it has horns coming from its head. At the base of the shell guard is a clam shell form. Silver mounted leather scabbard with mermaid head silver frog belt mount, and long, top and bottom mounts, very finely and profusely engraved with scrolling acanthus leaves, possibly during the Georgian era. Likely made during the reigns of King William and Queen Mary or Queen Anne.

William and Mary were the co-regnants over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, namely the Dutch Prince of Orange King William III (& II) and his spouse (and first cousin) Queen Mary II. Their joint reign began in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament irregularly summoned by William after his victorious invasion of England in November 1688, the so-called Glorious Revolution. They replaced James II (& VII), Mary's father, who fled the country. Parliament offered William and Mary a co-regency, at the couple's behest. After Mary died in 1694, William ruled alone until his death in 1702. William and Mary were childless and were ultimately succeeded by Mary's younger sister, Anne.
This was the most popular form of sword used by the early British Naval Commanders when at sea. There are numerous great portraits in the National Gallery, and at the National Maritime Museum, of 17th and 18th century Admirals adorned with identical swords. Such as Admirals Benbow, Shovel et al. we show three such portraits in our gallery, of Hopsonn, Shovel and Benbow. Shovel in particular had a near identical silver shell guard hilted sword just as this one.

Vice-Admiral John Benbow (10 March 1653 – 4 November 1702) was an English Royal Navy officer. He joined the Navy in 1678, seeing action against Barbary pirates before leaving to join the Merchant Navy in which Benbow served until the 1688 Glorious Revolution, whereupon he returned to the Royal Navy and was commissioned.

Benbow fought against the French Navy during the Nine Years' War, serving on and later commanding several English warships and taking part in the battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur and La Hogue in 1690 and 1692. He went on to achieve fame during his military accomplishments, which included fighting against Barbary pirates such as the Salé Rovers, besieging Saint-Malo and seeing action in the West Indies against the French during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 or 23 October 1707) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and then at the Battle of Texel during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. As a captain he fought at the Battle of Bantry Bay during the Williamite War in Ireland.

As a flag officer Shovell commanded a division at the Battle of Barfleur during the Nine Years' War, and during the battle distinguished himself by being the first to break through the enemy's line. Along with Admiral Henry Killigrew and Admiral Ralph Delaval, Shovell was put in joint command of the fleet shortly afterwards.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, Shovell commanded a squadron which served under Admiral George Rooke at the capture of Gibraltar and the Battle of Málaga. Working in conjunction with a landing force under the Earl of Peterborough, his forces undertook the siege and capture of Barcelona. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Navy while at Lisbon the following year. He also commanded the naval element of a combined attack on Toulon, base of the main French fleet, in coordination with the Austrian army under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the summer of 1707. Later that year, on the return voyage to England, Shovell and more than 1,400 others perished in a disastrous shipwreck off the Isles of Scilly.

Thomas Hopsonn enjoyed a naval command on 18 May 1688, when James II appointed him to the Bonaventure. This ship was part of the fleet sent to The Nore under Strickland to prevent the Dutch invasion. However, Hopsonn was one of the conspirators within the fleet who supported William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution.

Following the revolution, Hopsonn retained command of the Bonaventure and was part of the squadron that relieved the siege of Derry in June 1689. On 28 October 1689, he was posted to the York, and commanded that vessel during the battle of Beachy Head the following year. Hopsonn's immediate commander in the battle was Sir George Rooke, who formed a high opinion of his gallantry and was afterwards much associated with him. He commanded Royal Katherine for two months starting in August 1690, before moving to command the St Michael. It was aboard the latter that he followed Rooke in the battle of Barfleur on 19 May 1692. In the same year, he was promoted to become a captain in the foot guards on the recommendation of admiral Edward Russell.

Overall 25 inches long in the scabbard, the blade 19 inches long  read more

Code: 25373

A Superb and Very Rare Imperial German Naval Service Issue Straw Hat From SMS Emden One of The Most Famous Warships of WW1, It Sunk or Captured 23 Allied Ships, and 60 Allied Ships Took Part in the ‘Hunt-for-the-Emden’ Before She Was Sunk.

Bearing the wide, imperial black silk straw cap band with the embroidered badge of [SMS] Emden, with a crown over the imperial battle flag, and from family history it was used, during it's service life, on the SMS Emden's barge to transport the Kaiser to his ship before WW1, and by their sailors serving on land based duties in the concessions at Tsingtao, China from 1910. The Emden and her crew has a most significant status within German Naval history for in only three months service it sank or captured 23 ships. It fought with such valiant heroism before it was finally destroyed by the Royal Australian Navy, in November 1914, that all the surviving crew were given the singular and unique honour of having the ship's name, Emden, added as a suffix to their family surname in purpetuity. The SMS Emden was a Dresden class light cruiser launched in 1908 and posted to the East Asia squadron based at Tsingtao in 1910. She took part in the suppression of the Sokehs Rebellion on Ponape in 1910-11 and in 1913 (along with British and Japanese ships) shelled a rebel Chinese fort on the Yangtze.

When the First World War broke out the Emden, under the command of Korvettenkapitan Karl von Muller, set sail from Tsingtao to cause mayhem amongst allied shipping in the Indian Ocean and bombard enemy ports (including Madras in British India). The allies put vast efforts into catching the SMS Emden (at one point having over 60 warships involved in the search) but she eluded them, capturing and sinking thousands of tons of Entente shipping along the way. In November 1914 she was finally cornered off the Cocos Islands and sunk by the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney. The surviving crew of the SMS Emden were uniquely honoured for their bravery by being allowed to add the suffix '-Emden' to their surnames. To this day some of their descendants still carry this additional name. She sank eighteen merchantman, converted another to an armed merchant cruiser and captured and used three colliers. She had also raided two allied ports and sank a cruiser and a destroyer as well as causing major disruption to shipping and tying down a large number of enemy warships. Throughout the voyage she had maintained an excellent reputation for "gentlemanly" behaviour, not a single person from the merchant ships she sank was killed, prisoners were well treated and released at the earliest opportunity, enemy wounded were treated as best they could and neutral ships were treated as such.SMS Emden ("His Majesty's Ship Emden") was the second and final member of the Dresden class of light cruisers built for the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine). Named for the town of Emden, she was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Dockyard) in Danzig in 1906. Her hull was launched in May 1908, and completed in July 1909. She had one sister ship, Dresden. Like the preceding Konigsberg-class cruisers, Emden was armed with ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and two torpedo tubes.

Emden spent the majority of her career overseas in the German East Asia Squadron, based in Tsingtao, in the Kiautschou Bay concession in China. In 1913, she came under the command of Karl von Muller, who would captain the ship during World War I. At the outbreak of hostilities, Emden captured a Russian steamer and converted her into the commerce raider Cormoran. Emden rejoined the East Asia Squadron, after which she was detached for independent raiding in the Indian Ocean. The cruiser spent nearly two months operating in the region, and captured nearly two dozen ships. In late October 1914, Emden launched a surprise attack on Penang; in the resulting Battle of Penang, she sank the Russian cruiser Zhemchug and the French destroyer Mousquet.Muller then took Emden to raid the Cocos Islands, where he landed a contingent of sailors to destroy British facilities.
Emden then set of to raid the important wireless/cable station at the Cocos Islands, arriving at 0600 on November 9. A forty man landing party was put ashore unopposed and the Buresk was signalled to join Emden. Buresk did not reply but the the island started to transmit "S.O.S. Emden is here" both by wireless and cable. Only fifty miles to the north east the was the Anzac convoy which intercepted the transmission. HMAS Sydney (Captain Glossop) was detached from the convoy. Sydney was a modern light cruiser, her 6 inch main guns outgunning the 4.1 inch armed Emden. She left the convoy at 0700 and by exceeding her designed speed arrived at the Cocos after 0900.

At first Emden's lookouts thought Sydney was Buresk but when she was identified as a cruiser the landing party was recalled but were too slow and so at 0930 Emden pulled out of the lagoon without them.

Ten minutes alter Emden opened fire with her starboard guns at 10,000 yards, hitting with her third salvo, knocking out Sydney's range finder. Emden continued to score hits, knocking out a gun and starting a fire but by 1000 Sydney had found Emden's range. By 1020 Emden had lost her wireless station, a forward gun, her electrics and steering. She then received damage to her shell hoists and her firing became ragged. Sydney was a faster ship than Emden and throughout the action maintained a range best suited to her heavier guns. Emden's forward funnel fell across deck causing her to be shrouded in smoke and to reduce speed below twenty knots. For the next half an hour Emden was hit repeatedly, over 100 times during the entire action, and Captain Muller decided to beach her before she sank. At 1115 she was beached, Sydney ceasing fire five minutes later and setting off after Buresk which had just arrived. Buresk scuttled herself to prevent capture and Sydney returned to the Emden. She signalled Emden to ask for surrender but received no reply and as Emden was still flying her battle flag she opened fire again. Emden hauled down her battle flag and raised a white flag, ending the battle.

Sydney dropped off medical supplies then headed back to the main island to capture the landing party but when she arrived they had left in the commandeered schooner Ayesha. They eventually made it to Turkey in May 1915.
Emden lost 131 killed and sixty five wounded whilst Sydney suffered three killed and eight wounded. Karl von Muller was the last to leave Emden and spent the remainder of the war as a P.O.W.. Over a raiding career spanning three months and 30,000 nautical miles, Emden had destroyed two Entente warships and sank or captured sixteen British steamers and one Russian merchant ship, totaling 70,825 gross register tons. Another four British ships were captured and released. Another very rare surviving Imperial German Navy straw hat, from the Kaisers Yacht [the SMY Hohenzollern] but with it's Kaisersciffe title SMS Hohenzollern, we show it in our photograph gallery just as it is now exhibited in the The International Maritime Museum Collection, Hamburg  read more

Code: 20572