Antique Arms & Militaria

A Most Powerful Rare Romano-Frankish Iron Socket Spear 1900 to 1500 Years Old. A Stunning Original Antiquity Of Great Heft & Presence, This Would Make A Fabulous Addition or Any Collection of Ancient Roman Empire Artifacts From The Era Of Emperor Commodus

To the invasions of Rome by the Huns and Visigoths.

Recovered many centuries ago from a Merovingian warrior's excavation of the 6th century. Roman to Frankish period 2nd to 6th century AD. Diamond form blade which would have incredible penetrative power, strong enough to pierce the strongest armour or breastplate of the time. Romano-Germanic cultural contact begins as early as the first Roman accounts of the Germanic peoples. Roman influence is perceptible beyond the boundaries of the empire, in the Northern European Roman Iron Age of the first centuries AD. The nature of this cultural contact changes with the decline of the Roman Empire and the beginning Migration period in the wake of the crisis of the third century: the "barbarian" peoples of Germania Magna formerly known as mercenaries and traders now came as invaders and eventually as a new ruling elite, even in Italy itself, beginning with Odoacer's rise to the rank of Dux Italiae in 476 AD.

The cultural syncretism was most pronounced in Francia. In West Francia, the nucleus of what was to become France, the Frankish language was eventually extinct, but not without leaving significant traces in the emerging Romance language. In East Francia on the other hand, the nucleus of what was to become the kingdom of Germany and ultimately German-speaking Europe, the syncretism was less pronounced since only its southernmost portion had ever been part of the Roman Empire, as Germania Superior: all territories on the right hand side of the Rhine remain Germanic-speaking. Those parts of the Germanic sphere extends along the left of the Rhine, including the Swiss plateau, the Alsace, the Rhineland and Flanders, are the parts where Romano-Germanic cultural contact remains most evident.

Early Germanic law reflects the coexistence of Roman and Germanic cultures during the Migration period in applying separate laws to Roman and Germanic individuals, notably the Lex Romana Visigothorum (506), the Lex Romana Curiensis and the Lex Romana Burgundionum. The separate cultures amalgamated after Christianization, and by the Carolingian period the distinction of Roman vs. Germanic subjects had been replaced by the feudal system of the Three Estates of the Realm. 11.85 inches long 250 grams Almost every iron weapon that has survived today from this era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one, because only the swords of kings, that have been preserved in national or Royal collections are today still in a good state and condition.  read more

Code: 21964

A Fine & Rare Celtic Iron Axe Head 1800 to 2300 Years Old. The Form of Axe Faced By The Legionnaires of Caesar in His Wars in Gaul

3rd century BC-2nd century AD. An iron axehead with rectangular-section socket, flared blade with gently curved cutting edge. Celtic armies first came to the attention of historians when the Gauls, led by their king Bran (Brennus), sacked Rome in 390 BCE, and again in 279 BCE when they looted Delphi as they passed through Greece on their way to Asia. The Celts attacked the Romans again in 225 BCE and were frequent mercenary allies of Carthage during the Punic Wars. The Celts thus gained a reputation with Latin and Greek writers for being fierce warriors and skilled horsemen who also fielded chariots in battle. Julius Caesar faced them when he invaded Gaul. They were light, pulled by two horses, and had an open front and back with double hoops at the sides. Containing two men they were used to attack enemy cavalry first by throwing javelins and then one man dismounted to fight on foot while the rider drove the chariot to a safe distance to await a retreat if necessary. Caesar describes them as driven with great skill and so were a highly manoeuvrable weapon of disruption and attack.

Celtic warriors were known for their long hair and imposing physique. They are depicted in Greek art with their distinctive long shields (wooden panels covered in decorated hide) and long swords. Such was the respect for Celtic warriors that Hellenistic kings who defeated Galatian armies were given the title of soter, meaning ‘saviour’. Although Galatian armies were almost always defeated by their more disciplined and better-equipped enemies in single battles, once conquered, they did fight successfully as mercenaries in many Hellenistic and Roman armies.156 grams, 82mm (3 1/4").  read more

Code: 23412

A Wonderful Quality, Original, Victorian, Deluxe Grade Antique Light Infantry Rifles Officer's Combined Combat and Dress Service Sword. In Excellent Plus Condition.

Traditional, all steel pierced basket hilt, bearing the Victorian crown and Light Infantry bugle. Fully etched blade in super condition. Used by a volunteer officer that served in the Somerset Light Infantry in several conflicts including the Zulu war of 1879. The Somerset Light Infantry served in the Zulu War Battle of Ulundi with distinction.

The Regiment next saw active service in the Crimean War and played its part in suppressing the Indian Mutiny. It was at Azimgurh in 1858 that the Regiment earned its first two Victoria Crosses. They were awarded to Pte Patrick Carlin and Sgt William Napier - both for exceptional bravery in rescuing wounded colleagues under heavy enemy fire. It was also in 1858 that the Regiment formed its 2nd battalion at Winchester.

The 1st Battalion fought in the Zulu War (1877-79) when, at the Battle of Ulundi, it carried its Colours into battle for the last time. Maj William Knox Leet was awarded the Victoria Cross during this campaign.

The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu capital of Ulundi (Zulu: oNdini) on 4 July 1879 and was the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. The British army broke the military power of the Zulu nation by defeating the main Zulu army and immediately afterwards capturing and burning the royal kraal of oNdini.


In 1885-87 the 2nd Battalion saw its first action when it took part in the Burma War. A memorial to all those members of the Regiment who lost their lives in this conflict was erected by the Regiment and now stands in the centre of Taunton, having been moved to its present position in 1997. Meanwhile in Taunton a new Barracks was built on the site of an old and rather smaller Barracks. This new Barracks was known as Jellalabad Barracks. Apart from the Keep, which still stands much as it has ever done, most of the Barracks has been demolished and new housing, has been built on the site.

The British Light Infantry were formed during Napoleonic Wars to counter the French Voltiguers, and their training was much based on the Guerrilla tactics first used against the British Army, by the early Americans, in the Revolutionary War. They were hand picked, expertly trained specialist troops, equipped with highly accurate rifles, and adorned in the first British Army dark green uniforms, in order to blend into the natural background during combat. These were men that fought at the very forefront of battle, in many cases with the 'Forlorn -Hope', and frequently behind the enemy lines. Casualties were often very high, and their well recorded acts of bravery are legendary in the annals of British Army history. During the Siege of Delhi the 8th (Sirmoor) Local Battalion along with the 60th Rifles defended Hindu Rao's House during which a strong bond developed. After the rebellion, the 60th Rifles pressed for the Sirmoor Battalion to become a rifle regiment. This honour was granted to them the following year (1858) when the Battalion was renamed the Sirmoor Rifle Regiment. Later all British Army Gurkha regiments were designated rifle regiments a nomenclature maintained to this day with the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

The Crimean War (1853–1856) was fought between Imperial Russia on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other. Most of the conflict took place on the Crimean Peninsula, with additional actions occurring in western Turkey, and the Baltic Sea region and is sometimes considered to be the first "modern" conflict and "introduced technical changes which affected the future course of warfare."

A Light Division was again formed for service. The division was involved in the Battle of the Alma (20 September 1854), which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War, took place in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan defeated General Menshikov's Russian army, which lost around 6,000 troops. They were also engaged in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855), and the battle of Battle of Inkerman (5 November 1854) before the end of hostilities.  read more

Code: 25506

A Wonderful 18th Century French Small-Sword of Parcel Gilt and Blued Steel A Simply Stunning Museum Grade Piece

A sword that is certainly worthy of a finest collection of all forms of object d'art, antiquities, antiques and militaria.
Likely made at Versailles, at the royal workshops, by a royal swordsmith of King Louis XVIth, such as the master swordsmiths of the king, Lecourt, Liger or Guilman. A very finest grade sword of the form as was made for the king to present to favoured nobles and friends. He presented a similar sword to John Paul Jones see painting in the gallery now in the US Naval Academy Museum.

Three near identical swords to this now reside in the Metropolitan A simply superb small-sword, with stunningly engraved chiselled steel hilt, overlaid with pure gold over a fish-roe background,, decorated with hand chiselled scenes in the rococo Italianate renaissance style depicting various hunting scenes, of hunting hounds and game birds. The multi wire spiral bound grip is finest silver, in with Turks head finials. The blade is in the typical trefoil form, ideal for the gentleman's art of duelling. The degree of craftsmanship of this spectacular sword is simply astounding, worthy of significant admiration, it reveals an incredible attention to detail and the skill of it's execution is second to none. Other similar swords are in also in the British Royal Collection and in Les Invalides in Paris. Trefoil bladed swords had a special popularity with the officers of the French and Indian War period. Even George Washington had a very fine one just as this example. For example of the workmanship in creating this sword for such as the King and Marie Antoinette we show the keys for the Louis XVI Secretary Desk (Circa 1783) made for Marie-Antoinette by Jean Henri Riesener, one of the worlds finest cabinetmakers, and whose works of furniture are the most valuable in the world. The steel and gold metalwork key for Marie Antoinette's desk, is attributed to Pierre Gouthoire (1732-1813), the most famous Parisian bronzeworker of the late eighteenth century who became gilder to the king in 1767. This sword bears identical workmanship and style to that magnificent key. This is the quality of sword one might have expected find inscribed upon the blade 'Ex Dono Regis' given by the King. Very good condition overall, with natural aged patination throughout. This painting, entitled John Paul Jones and Louis XVI, by the American artist Jean Leon Gerome Ferris depicts John Paul Jones and Benjamin Franklin at the court of Louis XVIth and being presented a similar sword now in US Naval Academy Museum.
39.1/4 inches long overall.  read more

Code: 23138

Native American Plains Indian Stone War-Club Hunting-Maul, Wood Handle Raw Hide Bound

Basalt stone head, held and bound with rawhide with tassles and a small tail of beadwork. Possibly, Lakota, Dakota, Nakoda style. Known as an iwatajinga, they can have conical pointed stone heads, right through to round stone heads. The term Nakota (or Nakoda or Nakona) is the endonym used by those native peoples of North America who usually go by the name of Assiniboine (or Hohe), in the United States, and of Stoney, in Canada.

They are Dakotan-speaking tribes that broke away from the main branches of the Sioux nation in earlier times. They moved farther from the original territory in the woodlands of what is now Minnesota into the northern and northwestern regions: Montana and North Dakota in the United States, and Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in Canada. Later they became competitors for resources and enemies of their former language-family "allies". (In each of the dialects, nakota, dakota and lakota means "friend" or "ally".).
Probably late 19th early 20th century. 19 inches long, stone head 4.75 inches across.
Importing this indigenous native item into the USA is not possible. It is completely understandable that it is no longer possible to export American indigenous native art and artifacts from America in order to preserve the cultural integrity of Native US artifacts within America, but taking this rule to an entirely mystical level of curiousness, it is no longer legal to import such pieces back into America either, ie to return them from whence they came.??? Thus American bureaucracy insists nothing of such valuable early native history is allowed to leave anymore, but they don’t want anything back either.  read more

Code: 23688

A Mid 19th Century, Crystal Witch Ball Scrying Glass On A Fabulous, Bronze Figure of the Ancient Greek Titan, Atlas Bearing The Armillary Celestial Sphere. A Most Intriguing Classic Antique Collector's Item Of The Esoteric Mystical Arts and Occultism

A simply fabulous original antique collectors item, probably Italian, from a Grand Tour, is of a bronze ‘after the antique’ statue of the Titan, Atlas bearing the heavens, set upon a polished wood pediment. A stunning piece that would look absolutely wonderful upon a desk or set upon a mantle. The crystal skrying ball is removed by simply lifting it from its armillary. An armillary is a spherical framework mounted atop a figure or stand, with which a sphere could be held or mounted within. If a metal sphere was within it, it could be plain, or engraved, with stars or celestial bodies { see a Grand Tour variant version in the gallery}

The crystal ball was used by gazing into their centre, for the divination of the future, and the answering of questions. As well as the warding off of evil spirits and misfortune. A fascinating treasure - of great artistic quality. Antique bronze sculpture of Atlas, set with a Louis XVI style armillary sphere

War and punishment of the Titanomachy
Atlas and his brother Menoetius sided with the Titans in their war against the Olympians, the Titanomachy. When the Titans were defeated, many of them (including Menoetius) were confined to Tartarus, but Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of the earth and hold up the sky on his shoulders. Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas", and became a doublet of Coeus, the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve.

A common misconception today is that Atlas was forced to hold the Earth on his shoulders, but Classical art shows Atlas holding the celestial spheres, not the terrestrial globe;

Witch balls were found in England in the 1600 and 1700s originally to ward off evil spirits and spells. By the 1800s witch balls crossed the Atlantic to New England. They also spread to other parts of Europe, being found in Italy, France, and Constantinople. The witch ball originated among cultures where harmful magic and those who practiced it were feared. They are one of many folk practices involving objects for protecting the household. The word witch ball may be a corruption of watch ball because it was used to ward off, guard against, evil spirits. They may be hung in an eastern window, placed on top of a vase, or for the very wealthy set upon a decorative gold stand, either pedestal, or figural, or suspended by a cord (as from the mantelpiece or rafters). They may also be placed on sticks in windows or hung in rooms where inhabitants wanted to ward off evil.

Superstitious European sailors valued the talismanic powers of the witch balls in protecting their homes. Witch balls appeared in America in the 19th century and larger, more opaque variations are often found in gardens under the name gazing ball. This name derives from their being used for divination and scrying where a person gazes into them dreamily to try to see future events or to see the answers to questions. However, gazing balls contain no strands within their interior. The witch ball holds great superstition with regard to warding off evil spirits in our particular English counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The tradition was also taken to overseas British colonies, such as the former British colonies of New England, and remains popular in coastal regions. Apparently, our Hawkins forebears ship’s that sailed across to the New World in the 1600’s, for both trade, emigres, and pilgrims, would carry at least one witch ball hung within a net on board. Our paternal grandmother hung one such in a net from her home’s East window all her life until her death in the 1980’s.

The history of the crystal ball as a device can be traced as far back as to the Medieval Period in central Europe (between 500 – 1500 AD) and in Scandinavia (1050 – 1500 AD). The very ancient art of using reflective surfaces in divination is called scrying and is almost as old as man himself. Queen Elizabeth I consulted Dr John Dee, philosopher, mathematician and alchemist for advice in government and a smoky quartz ball that belonged to Dee is now in the British Museum. Any antique crystal spheres are very desirable especially if a well-known reader has used them. This is the best one we have ever seen quite simply and it must have belonged to someone who took their craft incredibly seriously as it would have been tremendously expensive to make at the time.

Occultism, a group of esoteric religious traditions emerging primarily from 19th-century Europe. In particular, the term occultism is associated with the ideas of the French Kabbalist and ceremonial magician Éliphas Lévi as well as the various figures, both in France and abroad, who were strongly influenced by his writings. In the academic study of esotericism, the term is often used in a broader sense to characterize all esoteric traditions that have adapted to an increasingly secular, globalized, and scientific world, including Spiritualism, Spiritism, Wicca, and the New Age milieu.
History
The term occultism derives from occult, itself adopted from the Latin word occultus, meaning “hidden” or “secret.” In medieval and early modern Europe this term had been used in reference to “occult properties,” or forces that, even if invisible to the human eye, were believed to exist within material objects. In the 16th century the term occult gained additional meanings, coming to also describe specific traditions of thought, usually called “occult sciences” or “occult philosophies.” Among the traditions repeatedly labeled under these terms were alchemy, astrology, and magia naturalis (“natural magic”), all of which are now typically regarded as forms of esotericism.
The earliest known use of the term occultism comes from French, where l’occultisme appears in Jean-Baptiste Richard’s 1842 work Enrichissement de la langue française (“Enrichment of the French Language”). The word’s popularization nevertheless results largely from its use by Alphonse Louis Constant, a French author who published a series of books under the pseudonym Éliphas Lévi in the 1850s and ’60s. Sometimes referred to as the “founder of occultism,” Lévi was a committed Roman Catholic and socialist interested in many older esoteric traditions, including ceremonial magic, Kabbalah, and the use of the tarot. In his writings, most notably his highly influential Dogme et rituel de la haute magie (The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic; 1854–1856), he wrote about a purported ancient and universal tradition of spiritual wisdom, the knowledge of which could help bridge the modern divide between science and religion. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the influential French figures who were inspired by Lévi—including Stanislas de Guaita, Joséphin Péladan, and Papus—also went on to describe their beliefs and practices as occultisme.
Scrying, also referred to as "seeing" or "peeping," is a practice rooted in divination and fortune-telling. It involves gazing into a medium, hoping to receive significant messages or visions that could offer personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, or inspiration

Scrying has been practiced in many cultures in the belief that it can reveal the past, present, or future. Some practitioners assert that visions that come when one stares into the media are from the subconscious or imagination, while others say that they come from gods, spirits, devils, or the psychic mind, depending on the culture and practice. There is neither any systematic body of empirical support for any such views in general however, nor for their respective rival merits; individual preferences in such matters are arbitrary

Undoubtedly, Nostradamus is the most recognized of scryers. In the sixteenth century, in ancient France, he was an astrologer and physician. He wrote in poetic quatrains which referenced future events. In his day, working as a magician conflicted with the law. His predictions were veiled to allow him to fly under the radar in that sense.

The Crystal Ball is a painting by John William Waterhouse completed in 1902. Waterhouse displayed both it and The Missal in the Royal Academy of 1902. The painting shows the influence of the Italian Renaissance with vertical and horizontal lines, along with circles "rather than the pointed arches of the Gothic".

Another painting in the gallery. Part of a private collection, the painting, by Pieter Claesz circa 1628, Still Life with Crystal Ball which depicts a crystal ball, a wand, a book of ceremonial magic, and a woman "weaving a spell", has been restored to show the skull which had been covered by a previous owner.

Yet another painting is Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' Circa 1500, of Jesus Christ bearing a crystal ball in his left hand.

Another photo in the gallery is an extremely similar study, a 17th century patinated bronze version of the same study, after the antique, yet bearing within an armillary a bronze sphere. That slightly older and taller variant version was recently valued at around 8,000 gbp.


Overall the the crystal ball is very good indeed but just the odd near invisible age marking. 25.5 cm high  read more

Code: 25501

A Stunning, Large, Original, Roman Classical Carved Carnelian Intaglio Seal of the Goddess Laetitia . This Amazing Roman Intaglio Could Make A Beautiful Ring With A Bespoke Mount

With the figure of the Goddess Laetitia leaning upon a shield of nine stars, with an anchor at her feet. A delightful object d'art in the typical classical Greco-Roman form, probably mounted in a pinchbeck type mount in Georgian England circa 1770, but the carnelian is probably 1st century bc to 2nd, 3rd century Roman, mounted in a gilded metal oval mount in the 18th century. Roman carved intaglio carnelian stone seals were very popular in the era of the English aristocracy's 'Grand Tours' with many brought back from trips to Rome and mounted as rings or seals in the time of King George IIIrd. Laetitia is the Roman Goddess of joy, gaiety, and celebration, and is especially linked with holidays and festivals. She was often shown with an anchor, as a representation of stability. Laetitia was given several epithets depending on the type of joy the Emperor was attempting to take credit for bringing to the Empire. On coins of the Emperors Gordian III and Gallienus, who both reigned in the mid 3rd century CE, She is Laetitia Augusta, "the Joy of the Emperor", which, in propaganda-style, can be taken to mean "the joy the Emperor brings to the people", though it may also have been a way of announcing the birth of a child into the imperial family. On these She is shown standing in Her typical pose, with a garland in one hand and an anchor supporting the other; The red variety of chalcedony has been known to be used as beads since the Early Neolithic in Bulgaria. The first faceted (with constant 16+16=32 facets on each side of the bead) carnelian beads are described from the Varna Chalcolithic necropolis (middle of the 5th millennium BC). The bow drill was used to drill holes into carnelian in Mehrgarh in the 4th-5th millennium BC. Carnelian was recovered from Bronze Age Minoan layers at Knossos on Crete in a form that demonstrated its use in decorative arts; this use dates to approximately 1800 BC. Carnelian was used widely during Roman times to make engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence or other important documents. Hot wax does not stick to carnelian. Sard was used for Assyrian cylinder seals, Egyptian and Phoenician scarabs, and early Greek and Etruscan gems. The Roman Empire was the seat of power and wealth in the Western world for hundreds of years. Because of their impressive span, they were able to trade with cultures throughout the world, not only in Europe, but also in northern Africa.

This gave them access to numerous gemstones which they could use to craft their jewelry. Because of their wealth, they were able to afford many precious and semi-precious stones, as well as detailed artisan craftwork.

We show in the gallery another similar Roman carnelian seal that has been re-mounted in a yellow gold ring mount, it looks spectacular. We show another similar sized that was remounted as a ring in the 19th century, it sold in auction for £8,125.

We also show in the photo gallery a similar Carnelion intaglio seal of Empress Catherine the Great sold recently for just under 30,000 gbp.

Pinchbeck is a durable yellow metal that resembles gold but is made with a combination of copper and zinc—much less zinc than the combo of the same two metals used to produce brass. The formula was developed by Christopher Pinchbeck, a London clockmaker who lived from about 1670 to 1732.
The seal is 32mm x 26mm in mount  read more

Code: 20846

A Simply Breathtaking Original Viking High Carat Fine Gold Bracelet, Most Likely By An Irish Master Goldsmith, In Twisted Gold Wirework That The Irish Goldworkers Were Most Famed, From The 1st Millenia BC to The Viking Era, Circa 10th Century

Composed of twisted gold wirework upon gold wire coils. The only place one can normally only see such a beautiful masterpiece would be in a National Museum Collection in Ireland, Britain or Scandinavia, yet to own such a unique piece could be such a joy for the admirer of original Viking historical artistry, and especially, by a likely Irish master craftsman.

Since the Vikings were famed for their constant renegade raiding and looting – it was paramount that Viking kings earls, lords and warriors cemented their alliances. One way to show bonds of loyalty was through the exchange of rings. Kings and Lords, who held most of the wealth, gifted rings or arm bracelets of precious metals to warriors as a means of redistributing treasure and giving thanks. Some might say a most ironic practice, that of using the invasion, pillage and raiding of others, in order to promote peace and prosperity for their own.

If you’ve ever read Beowulf, you know that dragons were among the mythical creatures most despised by the tribes of Northern Europe. Apart from breathing fire, dragons also represented a self-destructive force inherent in tribal culture. Dragons hoard treasure in dungeons and caverns far removed from villages and cities. For the Vikings, along with other Northern tribes, wealth was best served as a means for building communities. Lords who gifted treasure gained alliances, and thereby strengthened their own ranks. The distribution of wealth meant larger, safer, more vibrant populations. Lords who hoarded wealth like dragons weakened necessary social structures, and essentially rendered their wealth useless.

Gold jewelry was always reserved for the Viking elite, as a symbol of great wealth and power..

The Vikings smelted all sorts of looted art pieces and jewelry from their hoards. Worn by both men and women, Viking jewelry was mostly made of silver or bronze, with gold jewelry often reserved for the elite. Women wore brooches that fastened their clothes together, as well as necklaces. Men, on the other hand, wore rings and armlets. The rings were not limited to fingers, but also worn about the wrists, arms, and neck. Warriors also adorned their weapons, especially the sword hilt.

The Vikings acquired wealth in a few ways. Firstly, they were traders. Viking coins and runes have made it to many ends of the earth. Eventually, the Vikings realised that precious metals, along with other luxury goods, could be more easily acquired by raiding the monasteries of Britain, Ireland and Northern Europe. At the time, Viking ships were fast and coastal British monasteries were isolated and poorly defended. The Viking “reign of terror” is generally agreed to have begun in 793 after a raid on England’s Lindisfarne monastery. Archaeologist Colleen Batey of the Glasgow Museums wryly notes that the Vikings “had a preference for anything that looked pretty.” Eventually, the Vikings settled in many of these areas, choosing to colonize rather than extort their southern neighbours.

It has been observed that Viking Age gold finds in Scandinavia and Britain, especially Ireland are frequently associated with watery environments and may represent ritual or votive depositions. There is also evidence, literary and archaeological, for the ritual deposition of some silver hoards in the Viking world. This considers the evidence of those Viking Age gold and silver hoards and single finds from Ireland that derive from watery locations, including Irish crannogs and their environs. It is noted that all recorded gold hoards, with one exception, have an apparent association with water or watery places and thus conform to the patterns noted elsewhere. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.

50mm, 5.88 gms  read more

Code: 24778

A Wonderful & Historical Pair of Mid 18th Century 'Royal' French Long Holster Pistols, Marked 'Cour Royal', 1754 American Anglo-French-Indian War & Revolutionary War of 1776 Period Flintlocks, Circa 1750. Made For An Officer Of the French Royal Court

The walnut has wonderful patina, the steel barrel and mounts are all in the rococco décor form, both hand chisseled and engraved, with overall surface age pitting. Very good tight actions to both. The locks were transform silex almost two hundred years ago, which is an upgrade system to convert the actions to percussion, in order to ensure their working life by an additional forty years or so. Locks engraved Cour Royal with feint makers name beneath. Barrels bear superb gun barrel makers proof stamps. Sadly we know not the name of the officer in Louis XVth’s court for whom they were made, but they were used in the Americas in the 1750’s, and 1770’s and were upgraded likely there too in the early 1800’s. However, being a Royal Court maker he must of been of substantial position, rank, and indeed power, within the King’s army. It is intriguing to wonder who it may have been, possibly one of the French general’s. Such as, Louis-Joseph de Montcalm
Marquis de Vaudreuil
Baron Dieskau
François-Marie de Lignery

The French and Indian War (1754–63) comprised the North American theatre of the worldwide Seven Years' War of 1756–63. It pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France. Both sides were supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as by American Indian allies. At the start of the war, the French North American colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British North American colonies. The outnumbered French particularly depended on the Indians. The European nations declared war on one another in 1756 following months of localized conflict, escalating the war from a regional affair into an intercontinental conflict.

The name French and Indian War is used mainly in the United States. It refers to the two main enemies of the British colonists: the royal French forces and the various American Indian forces allied with them. The British colonists were supported at various times by the Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee, and the French colonists were supported by Wabanaki Confederacy members Abenaki and Mi'kmaq, and Algonquin, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot.

British and other European historians use the term the Seven Years' War, as do English-speaking Canadians. French Canadians call it La guerre de la Conquête (the War of the Conquest) or (rarely) the Fourth Intercolonial War.

Fighting took place primarily along the frontiers between New France and the British colonies, from Virginia in the south to Newfoundland in the north. It began with a dispute over control of the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers called the Forks of the Ohio, and the site of the French Fort Duquesne within present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The dispute erupted into violence in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in May 1754, during which Virginia militiamen under the command of 22-year-old George Washington ambushed a French patrol.

In 1755, six colonial governors in North America met with General Edward Braddock, the newly arrived British Army commander, and planned a four-way attack on the French. None succeeded, and the main effort by Braddock proved a disaster; he lost the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755 and died a few days later. British operations failed in the frontier areas of Pennsylvania and New York during 1755–57 due to a combination of poor management, internal divisions, effective Canadian scouts, French regular forces, and Indian warrior allies. In 1755, the British captured Fort Beauséjour on the border separating Nova Scotia from Acadia, and they ordered the expulsion of the Acadians (1755–64) soon afterwards. Orders for the deportation were given by William Shirley, Commander-in-Chief, North America, without direction from Great Britain. The Acadians were expelled, both those captured in arms and those who had sworn the loyalty oath to His Britannic Majesty. Indians likewise were driven off the land to make way for settlers from New England.

The British colonial government fell in the region of modern Nova Scotia after several disastrous campaigns in 1757, including a failed expedition against Louisbourg and the Siege of Fort William Henry; this last was followed by Indians torturing and massacring their British victims. William Pitt came to power and significantly increased British military resources in the colonies at a time when France was unwilling to risk large convoys to aid the limited forces that they had in New France, preferring to concentrate their forces against Prussia and its allies in the European theater of the war. Between 1758 and 1760, the British military launched a campaign to capture the Colony of Canada (part of New France). They succeeded in capturing territory in surrounding colonies and ultimately the city of Quebec (1759). The British later lost the Battle of Sainte-Foy west of Quebec (1760), but the French ceded Canada in accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1763).

The outcome was one of the most significant developments in a century of Anglo-French conflict. France ceded to Great Britain its territory east of the Mississippi. It ceded French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River (including New Orleans) to its ally Spain in compensation for Spain's loss to Britain of Florida. (Spain had ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for the return of Havana, Cuba.) France's colonial presence north of the Caribbean was reduced to the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, confirming Great Britain's position as the dominant colonial power in eastern North America.

Once the war was concluded just over a decade later these pistols saw service in the American Revolutionary War of the 1770’s, but most likely then by an American officer as they were almost certainly taken as war booty or surrendered during the French Indian War, in order for them to have remained in the Americas until the 18th century at least.  read more

Code: 21241

A Singularly Fine Remington New Model Army .44 Cal. Civil War Revolver With Around 80% Original Mirror Blue Finish Remaining

It is very rare to find a Remington New Model army revolver from the Civil War with so much original finish remaining intact and present. One cannot over estimate the value of such a revolver that increases in value quite exceptionally when its original finish is beyond 50% remaining. For example a Colt US contract 1861 Navy revolver, with 95%+ original finish can now sell for almost a quarter of a million dollars. In 2020 one with 95%+ original blue condition, sold at auction in America for $212,000.

Closed frame with 6 shot cylinder, brass trigger guard, wood grips, C, D & S inspection stamps throughout, and B H, for Benjamin Hannis',his US Civil war inspector's grip cartouch stamp on the grip plate.

In the field, even though the Colt revolver had the name and the mystique, many cavalry troopers preferred the much sturdier solid frame design of the Remington revolver. Approximately 106,000 Remington Model New Model Army percussion revolvers were purchased by US government during the American Civil War, with a total of approximately 114,000 of all types of Remington percussion revolvers purchased during the course of the war. Approximately 80,000 of these were purchased during the last two years of the war, between 1863 and 1865. According to the research published in Remington Army & Navy Revolvers 1861-1868 by Donald L. Ware, Remington revolvers through serial 149,000 were accepted prior to the end of the Civil War. Guns below serial 123,000 were accepted prior to the end of 1864.the Remington New Model Army was the primary revolver issued to Union cavalry after the fire at the Colt's factory in 1863, and these revolvers remained in service with the regular cavalry regiments on the frontier until they were replaced with the Model 1873 Colt Cavalry Revolvers in 1875. Three years after the end of the Civil War, Remington started to offer conversions for metal cartridges to be used instead of the cap & ball style paper cases. Remington paid a small fee to the renowned Smith & Wesson company who owned the 1855 Rollin White patent 12,648 on the method and principles for re-boring out cylinders and thus Remington was the first company to offer big .44 calibre metal cartridges a couple of years before the main competitors of Colt and S & W . The Remington 1858 New Model Army in .44 caliber was quite a powerful gun in its day and the bullet or ball could be fired out at over 1,000 feet per second (f.p.s) which was quite fast in the 1860's as most bullet velocities were around 750 f.p.s

William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody used an ivory-handled New Model Army .44, serial number 73,293, from 1863 until 1906, when he gave it to his ranch foreman with a handwritten note which said that, "It never failed me." The Remington revolver permitted easy cylinder removal, allowing a quick reload with a spare pre-loaded cylinder; this being an advantage over other revolver designs of the time.  read more

Code: 24802