Arms, Armour & Militaria

Two eye-catching but very different armours, one suited to royal palace style and the other more to purist taste, captured bidders’ attention at a London sale.

Armour made a strong showing at the sale held in Sarzana by Italian arms specialist Czerny (20% buyer’s premium) on September 19.

At Morphy Auction (20% buyer’s premium) in Denver, Pennsylvania, on August 19 it was an exceptional example of an icon of the pioneering life that had everyone expecting some strong bidding.

A north Italian close helmet for field use, c.1550-60, with etched decoration which made £13,000 at Thomas Del Mar (25% buyer’s premium) on July 30.

Lawrences’ (25% buyer’s premium) sale in Crewkerne on September 10 featured three swords that came to auction from the family of the ‘Father of the RAF’: Viscount Trenchard GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO (1873-1956).

This 12-bore self-opening sidelock ejector by James Purdey & Sons sold for £14,000 at the Gavin Gardiner (25% buyer’s premium) sale in Pulborough on September 2.

Firearms curiosa have long been a fascinating avenue for the collector to explore and this intriguing combined flintlock and lamp of c.1800 made €8500 (£7800) at Czerny (20% buyer’s premium) on September 19.

This 19th century Indian knife with a shaped and carved horn handle comes in its original morocco case.

London dealer Jack Webb, who died last year aged 94, was known for the variety of unusual pieces at his Camden Passage shop, but the D-Day veteran’s personal enthusiasm was for militaria.

As heroic a defence against the odds as Rorke’s Drift, and certainly more important, the twin battles of Imphal and Kohima are much less well known.

A Military Cross group awarded to a soldier who carried a fallen comrade through fierce gunfire in Iraq sold at £36,000 (plus 20% buyer ’s premium) in Macclesfield on September 11.

Sara Hughes is delighted that her Vintage, Antiques and Militaria Fair at Petersfield’s Festival Hall is finally going ahead on Sunday, September 27, with 50 dealers.

It is not unusual to see Victoria Crosses making huge sums at auction, but last week the man who made these medals of gallantry was the one in the spotlight.

According to his family, this French imperial naval eagle was purchased by the dealer Jack Webb (1923-2019) from a ‘totter’ in the early 1970s over the counter at his shop in Camden Passage.

The so-called Elcho bayonet was designed for the Martini-Henry rifle in 1870 by Lord Elcho, the 10th Earl of Wemyss & March.

A collection of Japanese arms and armour is a key feature of Cowan’s arms and armour auction to be held in Cincinnati on September 2.