A J Nowill & Son 'Crossed Keys' Fairbairn Sykes Commando Knife (Crossed Keys & Star over D) with Broad Arrow & Scabbard

Marked with the crossed keys and * over D on the hilt which is J Nowill & Sons mark, plus, a Broad Arrow mark and diamond stamp. The Broad Arrow was a Government ownership mark was phased out in the 1980's.

Overall in superb condition with fully mirror blued blade, blacked ribbed 3rd pattern FS knife grip, {with service wear marks} blackend crossguard with all the markings as previously described. Brown leather scabbard with stitching tabs and blackened brass chape. Elastic hilt retainer. One tab partially removed

More and better photos to be added tomorrow  read more

Code: 25070

We Have New Fascinating Items Added To The Site Every Single Day, Right Up To Christmas

From simple military badges of WW2 to, say, a Spanish Conquistador's helmet of the 16th century, to Ian Fleming’s James Bond, 1960's Ist Edition books, to original samurai swords hundreds of years old.

All are original, beautiful, historical and truly intriguing pieces.

This week we will be adding some superb and inexpensive Roman and Greek antiquities, plus medieval antiquities too. We are also sending our deliveries to our clients in the UK, Australia, America, & Canada, every working day, containing the rarest and finest pieces, from books, to helmets, swords and antiquities.  read more

Code: 21779

🎅🏻Looking Forward To A Happy Christmas For All Our Regulars, Old and New, From Around The World. And A Few Very Special, December Christmas Thank You Offers For Our Loyal Customers This Coming Week

Up to and over 50% off on a few selected items, offered at well below cost, and for the benefit of the lucky customers that spot them. Some of The Best Ideas For Christmas Have Come From The Lanes Armoury. Our 103rd Christmas, and Still Counting. The world famous New York Times included our gallery in their list as one of the very best places to visit in the UK when travelling to Europe from America.

Christmas deliveries in the UK continue up to the 21st of December. Export deliveries up to the 14th December.

Unique, ancient, antique and vintage beautiful items are our speciality, and be sure and certain that anything from us will be the best choice you can make this Christmas time. Unique conversation pieces, such as, for example, how about a 10 inch mortar explosive cannon ball that was aboard the Royal Naval bomb ships of Admiral Cochrane, for the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 in America, and the actual event that created “The Star Spangled Banner”. Or, maybe an original French Howitzer cannon ball, actually fired at Waterloo.
We have had arrive here recently some wonderful, original pieces of history, many from the Waterloo battle site. Act fast though, some have been sold within minutes of them being added to our site for sale. Like the six artefacts we added from the collection last week, all six of them sold within a couple of hours.

Every item will be accompanied with our unique, presentation quality, 'Certificate of Authenticity' that will not only fully certify it's genuineness, but it will detail the circumstance of it's origin, and where and when it may have been used in it's specific or generic history. Where else in Britain could you walk out of the store with an original souvenir from Alexander the Greats battle with the Persians in 334 B.C, for only £60, to a fabulous unique handmade piece once owned by movie legend, Elizabeth Taylor

And please be further assured, all gift purchases may be changed after Christmas for any form of suitable alternatives.

"Doesn't someone you know deserve something unique from The Lanes Armoury"

The Lanes Armoury described by the 'New York Times' as one of the very best stores and destinations to visit when in Europe.
A living, breathing gallery that is a huge walk around ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, containing thousands of original historical and magical pieces from the ancient long past, to the near recent. In fact, from 300,000 years of human history, and 100 million years of world history.

We are certainly not the biggest premier store in Europe recommended by the New York Times, in fact we are probably the smallest, but what we lack in size, apparently, we more than make up for in amazement, and wonder, and, we have been doing so for over 103 years

For example, we added recently items that range from an A Samurai Ancestral Sword Around 700 years old or more, a WW2 Japanese Officer's Sword With An Ancestral Blade 450 Years Old, an incredibly rare original Knights Templar sword around 1000 years old, a Longbow man’s arrowhead from The Battle of Agincourt battle site, a beautiful 25 million year old Megalodon Tooth, an Ancient Roman Gladiators ring 1700 years old, to relics from the Battlesite of Waterloo, and a Knights Dagger around 900 years old.

To one and all we wish a Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad
聖誕快樂
Joyeux Noël
عيد ميلاد مجيد
Frohe Weihnachten
Buon Natale
Prettige Kerstdagen
Feliz Natal
メリー クリスマス

Photo 10 in the gallery is of David Hawkins senior, one of the early Brylcreme Boys, in his RAF uniform and Irvin flying jacket, sitting astride his 1938 Ariel. Apparently it was still registered in 2005, if anyone knows its whereabouts we may well be interested in acquiring it back.  read more

Code: 24542

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Code: 21777

1st Edition James Bond, Man with the Golden Gun, by Ian Fleming

London: Jonathan Cape 1965. 1st Edition 1st Impression. Flemings 12th outing for Commander Bond. Minor spotting as to be expected. With dust jacket. Cover artist Richard Chopping (Jonathan Cape ed.). The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel (and thirteenth book) of Ian Fleming's James Bond series. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite reviews. Despite that, the book was a best-seller.

The story centres on the fictional British Secret Service operative James Bond, who had been posted missing, presumed dead, after his last mission in Japan. Bond returns to England via the Soviet Union, where he had been brainwashed to attempt to assassinate his superior, M. After being "cured" by the MI6 doctors, Bond is sent to the Caribbean to find and kill Francisco Scaramanga, the titular "Man with the Golden Gun".

The first draft and part of the editing process was completed before Fleming's death and the manuscript had passed through the hands of his copy editor, William Plomer, but it was not as polished as other Bond stories. Much of the detail contained in the previous novels was missing, as this was often added by Fleming in the second draft. Publishers Jonathan Cape passed the manuscript to Kingsley Amis for his thoughts and advice on the story, although his suggestions were not subsequently used.

The novel was serialised in 1965, firstly in the Daily Express and then in Playboy; in 1966 a daily comic strip adaptation was also published in the Daily Express. In 1974 the book was loosely adapted as the ninth film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, with Roger Moore playing Bond and Fleming's cousin, Christopher Lee, as Scaramanga.
The Man with the Golden Gun film was filmed in 1974 the ninth film entry in the James Bond series and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the fate of the Solex.

The Man with the Golden Gun was the fourth and final film in the series directed by Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz. The film was set in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script. Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974. The film also reflects the then popular martial arts film craze, with several kung fu scenes and a predominantly Asian location, being set and shot in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau. Part of the film is also set in Beirut, Lebanon, but it was not shot there. Ian Fleming wrote The Man with the Golden Gun at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica in January and February 1964, completing it by the beginning of March. His health affected him badly during the writing process and he dropped from his usual rate of two thousand words a morning to a little over an hour's worth of work a day.

As with his previous novels, Fleming used events from his past as elements in his novel. Whilst at Kitzbuhel in the 1930s, Fleming's car, a Standard Tourer, had been struck by a train at a level crossing and he had been dragged fifty yards down the track. From that time on he had associated trains with death, which led to their use as a plot device not just in The Man with the Golden Gun, but also in Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, with Love. To show just how much all things original Bond are appreciated in the world of collectors the Walther pistol used by Connery in the poster of From Russia With Love, in 1963, and also drawn in the man With The Golden Gun poster [as shown here] an air pistol, .177 (4.5mm) Walther 'LP MOD.53' Air Pistol, Serial No. 054159, was sold by Christies in 2010 with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 for an incredible £277,000. Incredible in that it was never actually used in the film, was an air pistol, not a real automatic, and only used in promotional posters. It was 'said' to have been used by accident in fact as they couldn't find a correct Walther PPK on the day of the photoshoot.  read more

Code: 22632

VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS THANK YOU OFFER. A Stunning, Original, Viking Bearded, War Hammer-Axe, 1000 to 1100 Years Old

A BELOW HALF PRICE, AND WELL BELOW COST A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS THANK YOU TO OUR REGULAR VIEWERS
A fabulous Viking Bearded Battle Axe-Hammer head 9th-11th century AD
An iron war hammer-axehead with wide blade, chin below, long rectangular-section neck, round socket with lateral triangular flanges and rectangular extension to the rear. In 793, terror descended on the coast of Northumbria as armed raiders attacked the defenceless monastery of St Cuthbert on Lindisfarne. The terrified monks watched helplessly as the invaders made off with a haul of treasure and a clutch of captives. It was the first recorded raid by the Vikings, seaborne pirates from Scandinavia who would prey on coastal communities in north-western Europe for more than two centuries and create for themselves a reputation as fierce and pitiless warriors. The Anglo-Saxon cleric Alcuin of York wrote dramatically of the Lindisfarne raid that the church was spattered with the blood of the priests of God, despoiled of all its ornaments given as a prey to pagan peoples and subsequent (mainly Christian) writers and chroniclers lost few opportunities to demonise the (mainly pagan) Vikings. Yet, though they undeniably carried out very destructive and violent attacks, from small-scale raids against churches to major campaigns involving thousands of warriors, the Vikings formed part of a complex and often sophisticated Scandinavian culture. As well as raiders they were traders, reaching as far east as the rivers of Russia and the Caspian Sea; explorers, sending ships far across the Atlantic to land on the coastline of North America five centuries before Columbus; poets, composing verse and prose sagas of great power, and artists, creating works of astonishing beauty.Their victims did not refer to them as Vikings. That name came later, becoming popularised by the 11th century and possibly deriving from the word vik, which in the Old Norse language the Vikings spoke means bay or inlet. Instead they were called Dani (Danes) there was no sense at the time that this should refer only to the inhabitants of what we now call Denmark pagani (pagans) or simply Normanni Northmen In medieval Scandinavian languages, a Vikingr is a pirate, a freebooter who seeks wealth either by ship-borne raids on foreign coasts or by waylaying more peaceful seafarers in home waters. There is also an abstract noun Viking, meaning ‘the act of going raiding overseas
In the world of collecting early weaponry an axe is defined as it’s head, it’s haft was separate often made of vulnerable woods that can not survive the ravages of time. More photographs and information to be added As with all our items, it comes complete with a certificate authenticity. Very nice condition for age, strip cleaned. 158mm  read more

Code: 23528

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

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

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

Code: 20306

A Scarce 1895 Victorian Infantry Officer’s Sword. Only Manufactured For Two Short Years Before It Was Replaced By the 1897 Infantry Officer's Pattern Sword, That Is Still the Current Infantry Officer's Pattern Today

Replaced in 1897 by an altered version, which means the 1895 was the shortest time period of issue for any version of a British armed forces regulation sword, thus its rarity.

The British 1895 Pattern Infantry Officer’s sword was a considerable improvement on previous patterns in that the design afforded much better protection to the wearer’s hand through its new three-quarter basket hilt (figures 1. and 2.). Combined with the introduction of a more robust blade in 1892, it boasted a wicked thrusting point, and was soon proven in combat to be an effective infantry weapon.

Although it was replaced by the undated 1897 pattern infantry officer's sword it was not required by regulation to do so, and all officer's that had purchased them in that two year period could still use them throughout their career, such as the Ashanti War, the Boer War in the early 1900's, and some were still being used by officer's that served in WW1.

Made when a British bespoke officers sword was entirely made in England, and completely up to the exalted standards as was once demanded of them. The 1897 pattern Infantry officer's sword has remained unchanged to the present day.
By the time of its introduction, the sword was of limited use on the battlefield against rapid-firing rifles, machine guns and long-range artillery. However, the new sword was regarded, when needed, as a very effective fighting weapon. Reports from the Sudan, where it was used in close-quarters fighting during the Reconquest of the Sudan 1896-99, were positive.
Field Marshal Montgomery advanced with his 1897 Pattern drawn during a counter offensive in the First World War. The actual sword he carried is exhibited in the Imperial War Museum, London.
The blade is described in the pattern as being 32+1/2 inches (830 mm) long and 1 inch (25 mm) wide at the shoulder.

The blade is straight and symmetrical in shape about both its longitudinal axes. The thick blade has a deep central fuller on each side and is rounded on both its edge and back towards the hilt, giving a “dumbbell” or “girder” cross section. Through a gradual transition, the blade becomes double edged towards the tip, and the last 17 inches (430 mm) were sharpened when on active service. The blade ends in a sharp spear point.
The guard is a three-quarter basket of pressed steel. It is decorated with a pierced scroll-work pattern and had the royal cypher of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, set over the lower knuckle bow.
The grip, between 5 and 5 ¾ inches (127-146mm) long to suit the hand of the owner, covered in ray or sharkskin and wrapped with German-silver wire. The grip is straight, with no offset to the blade.
The sword shows a number of features that indicate its intent as a thrusting weapon. The spear point and double edge towards the point aids penetration and withdrawal by incising the wound edges. The blade, whilst quite narrow, is thick and its dumbbell section gives it good weak-axis buckling strength whilst maintaining robustness in bending for the parry. The blade tapers in both width and thickness and, with the substantial guard, has a hilt-biased balance, aiding agility at the expense of concussive force in a cut.

Priced to include the cost of a WW1 FS scabbard, not shown in photos  read more

Code: 24648

A Very Good King George IIIrd 9 Pounder Round Shot Cannonball Recovered From The Field of The Battle at Waterloo, At La Haye Saint, Around 4" Diameter

Recovered alongside the farm’s cast iron fireback and some relic items of combat, soldiers thimbles plus grenades, cannon balls etc. discovered around La Haye Sainte (named either after Jesus Christ's crown of thorns or a bramble hedge round a field nearby).

It is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road in Belgium. It has changed very little since it played a crucial part in the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.

La Haye Sainte was defended by about 400 King's German Legion troops during the Battle of Waterloo. They were hopelessly outnumbered by attacking French troops but held out until the late afternoon when they retired because their ammunition had run out. If Napoleon Bonaparte's army had captured La Haye Sainte earlier in the day, almost certainly he would have broken through the allied centre and defeated the Duke of Wellington's army.

The capture of La Haye Sainte in the early evening then gave the French the advantage of a defensible position from which to launch a potentially decisive attack on the Allied centre. However, Napoleon was too late—by this time, Blücher and the Prussian army had arrived on the battlefield and the outnumbered French army was defeated.

Strategic importance

A view of the battlefield from the Lion's mound. On the top right are the buildings of La Haye Sainte. This view looks east, with Allied forces behind the road to the left (north) and French forces out of shot to the right(south)
The road leads from La Belle Alliance, where Napoleon had his headquarters on the morning of the battle, through where the centre of the French front line was located, to a crossroads on the ridge which is at the top of the escarpment and then on to Brussels. The Duke of Wellington placed the majority of his forces on either side of the Brussels road behind the ridge on the Brussels side. This kept most of his forces out of sight of the French artillery.

During the night from the 17th to the 18th, the main door to the courtyard of the farm was used as firewood by the occupying troops. Therefore, when the King's German Legion (KGL) was stationed in the farm at the morning of the battle they had to hastily fortify La Haye Sainte.

The troops were the 2nd Light Battalion KGL commanded by Major Georg Baring, and part of the 1st Light Battalion KGL. During the battle, they were supported by the 1/2 Nassau Regiment and the light company of the 5th Line Battalion KGL. The majority of these troops were armed with the Baker rifle with grooved barrels, as opposed to the normal Brown Bess musket of the British Army. The French troops also used muskets which were quicker to load than the Baker rifle but the latter was more accurate and had about twice the range of a musket.

Both Napoleon and Wellington made crucial mistakes about La Haye Sainte as it was fought over and around during most of the day. Napoleon failed to allocate enough forces to take the farm earlier in the day while Wellington only realised the strategic value of the position when it was almost too late.

The 9lb British “Blomfield” cannon used at the Battle of Waterloo. The heaviest type of artillery used by the British Army at Waterloo, {apart from the howitzers} it fired a solid cannonball weighing around nine pounds (about four kilos). Cannons were a vital part of warfare at the time of Waterloo, with the ability to rip through massed ranks of troops and inflict terrible casualties.

In 1780 Captain Thomas Blomfield RA was appointed Inspector of Artillery and Superintendent of the Royal Brass Foundry. Three years later he was given responsibility for re-organising the Ordnance Department. At the same time he was experimenting with new forms of ordnance. The resultant Blomfield guns had thicker breeches, thinner chases and a cascabel ring to control recoil, making them stronger without increasing their weight.

The Blomfield 9-pounder cannon, fired a round shot ball around 4 inches in diameter, was introduced to the Royal Artillery (RA) in 1805 as a response to the heavier French calibre guns. At Waterloo Wellington had 157 pieces but only 60 were 9-pdrs, in 12 batteries. The remaining 13 batteries had 6-pdrs and howitzers. Interestingly, the Dutch-Belgian and Brunswick Artillery, who fought alongside the British at Waterloo, used French cannons (known as An. XI Ordnance). Wellington employed his Royal Horse Artillery very effectively during the battle as a mobile reserve to plug holes in his line. For example, with Hougoumont under attack, Major Bull’s troop was brought forward in support from its original position towards the rear of the allied position.

The allied artillery faced 246 pieces in 34 French batteries. As was his usual tactic, Napoleon started the battle with a heavy artillery bombardment on the Allied line to soften up the enemy.

Cannons on both sides used round-shot that was lethal against columns of infantry, knocking down several men at once for as long as the ball continued to travel. Case shot or canister (tin coated iron cans) packed with smaller iron balls was devastating at close range. Only the British used spherical case (Shrapnel) where a shell was filled with small iron balls. A specially cut wooden fuse detonated a bursting charge.

This round shot has surface flaking not shown in the photographs yet  read more

Code: 25047

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

We acquired a very small collection of different forms of original Roman toga pins, A super, small collection of original, historical, Imperial Roman, Viking, and Crusader's artefacts has just been acquired by us.
Bow Fibulae with spring
The spring winds in one or more loops on one side of the pin and then crosses over, or under, the bow and continues with more loops on the other side. The distinction between the spring-chord crossing over (external) versus under the bow head (internal) can help determine type and age. In some cases the spring-chord is fixed by a hook as it passes over, or under the bow. The spring can have one, two, three, four or even ten or more loops on each side of the bow. Very wide springs tend to have axis-pins inserted to help them retain their shape. In some cases the ends of the axis-pins are fitted with small knobs.
Bow Fibula with the Spring Tendon Below the Bow, c. 250 B.C. - 50 A.D., Rare
The paludamentum was usually worn over one shoulder and fastened with a fibula (ancient version of a safety pin). Arguments abound over what shoulder was exposed, but it seems fairly clear that the garment was fastened loosely enough to move around, The paludamentum was a cloak that was specifically associated with warfare. A general donned one for the ceremonial procession leading an army out of the sacred precinct of the city of Rome and was required to remove it before returning to the city…a sign that he was no longer a general, but a common citizen. The paludamentum or sagum purpura (purple cloak) was the iconic red cloak worn by a Roman general (Legatus) and his staff officers. Originally, it’s distinctive red/purple colour clearly delineated between these officers and the rest of the army, which sported the sagum gregale (cloak of the flock). Although the sagum gregale, worn by the rank and file, started out the colour of the flock (i.e. undyed wool), it seems likely to have transitioned to a coarser version of the sagum purpura by the imperial period (27BCE – 476CE). Outfitting the entire army in red garments would have been a mark of the great wealth of Rome – well, that and the fact that the Romans controlled the source of purple dye by then.
This fibula has a short bilateral spring. It has three loops per side for six total. The spring-chord passes under the bow and is thus an internal chord. lovely condition for age with fine natural colour patination.
Fibula 60mm long  read more

Code: 24047