Arms, Armour & Militaria

A Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal group of 10 Second World War honours coming up in a New Zealand auction recognised not just one but two successful escapes from captivity.

The highlight of the latest Militaria and Ethnographica sale at Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) was an extraordinarily detailed first-hand account of shipwreck in the Indian Ocean.

North East Museums (NEM) has acquired a Union Flag that was flown from HMS Royal Sovereign, flagship of Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, after it was barred from export.

Several bidders set their sights on a late 18th century flintlock hunting rifle which was offered by Dawo (25.95% buyer’s premium) in Saarbrücken.

Bonhams offered the Contents of Monreith House: A Historical Seat of Clan Maxwell in two July sales from its Edinburgh saleroom.

A steel Katar dagger, made in the Tanjore region of India in the 17th or 18th century, hammered way above hopes at Ripley Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Indianapolis.

Unusual models brings strong demand as the RAF Museum sold off items it viewed as no longer needed

If The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers are to your liking, a large single-owner collection of military medals comprising nearly 100 lots dedicated to the regiment offered in Somerset on May 28 would have caught your eye.

“The Russians opened fire on our right, on our left, and then in front...

The Spink (20% buyer’s premium) sale on April 23 that included the Rorke’s Drift medal awarded to ‘Ammunition Smith’ (see News, ATG No 2742) also featured several other notable lots.

Personal stories grab the attention of militaria collectors, transforming dry histories of dates and names, facts and figures into real-life flesh and blood tales.

During the First World War aviators of the Royal Flying Corps suffered from the cold over the Western Front. A solution was the ’fug boot’.

Richard Winterton (22% buyer’s premium) offered what was described simply as a “post Second World War” leather flying helmet with goggles and gas mask on May 21 in Tamworth.

Auction lots for a while now have demonstrated a factor which may be termed a ‘Malta premium’.

Pictures from the ‘Dam Busters’ collection which sold at West Sussex auction house Denhams earlier this year are on display at Darnley Fine Art before travelling abroad to their new private collections.