A Koto Period O-Sukashi Katana Tsuba

Circa 1550. Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.  read more

Code: 20314

One Amazing {of Two} 17th Century Iron Cannon Balls From 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', A 24 Foot Long Basilisk Cannon. The Cannon Balls Were Found in the 19th Century. A Fabulous Relic From 'The Siege of Hull' During the English Civil War

'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', was the Tudor nickname of a fabulous cannon presented to Queen Elizabeth's father King Henry the VIIIth. In the English Civil war it was called 'the great Basilisco of Dover' and it was used in the English Civil war, first by the Parliamentarian artillery train forces of the Earl of Essex, it was captured, at Lostwithiel in August 1644, then used by the King's Artillery train, and then retaken by the Parliamentarian forces.

The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The cannon balls were recovered from the besieged area of Hull, and sold at auction in the 19th century, and since then, they have been in the same family's ownership. We are selling them separately, and priced individually.

The 24 foot long bronze cannon was cast in 1544 by Jan Tolhuys in Utrecht. It is thought to have been presented to Henry VIII by Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren and Stadtholder of Friesland as a gift for his young daughter Elizabeth and is known to have been referred to as Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol by an article in the Gentleman's Magazine from 1767. The cannon is thought to have been used during the English Civil War, described as 'the great Basilisco of Dover' amongst other ordnance captured by Royalist forces from the Earl of Essex in Cornwall in 1644, later used at the siege of Hull and recaptured by Parliamentarians. The barrel is decorated in relief with fruit, flowers, grotesques, and figures symbolizing Liberty, Victory and Fame. The gun carriage was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington in the 1820s, when it was then known as Queen Anne's gun, cast from French guns captured at Waterloo.

Maximilian van Egmont, Count of Buren, Stadtholder of Friesland, 1509-1548, was a distinguished military commander in the service of the Emperor. He was on terms of friendship with Henry VIII and commanded the Imperial contingent at the Siege of Boulogne in 1544. The gun may have been installed at Dover as soon as it was received in England. In the inventory of the Royal possessions drawn up after the King's death in 1547 "the Ordynance and Munycions of Warre......which were in the black bulworke at the peire of Dover....included Basillisches of brasse .....oone Basillisches shotte ......Cl ti"

A popular rendering of the inscription on the gun was 'Load me well and keep me clean, I'll send a ball to Calais Green'. A footnote in the 1916 inventory suggests that this is a doubtful boast since ' Calais Green' was a part of Dover. There appears, however, to be no basis for this statement.

We show in the gallery two of the Basilisk cannon balls recovered outside the curtain wall of Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle sits on the edge of the medieval market town. Conservation work is being undertaken with the ambition of making Pontefract a key heritage destination within West Yorkshire. The £3.5m Heritage Lottery funded project is known as the Key to the North, after the title bestowed upon the castle by Edward I. During the project, workmen at the castle recovered seven cannonballs from a section of the castle’s curtain wall.

This cannon ball {a pair to our other one} was acquired from an auction, of recovered Civil War relics from the Siege of Hull, that was held in Hull in the early Victorian period, and acquired from the buyers directly descended family, by us, very recently.

The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Late Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm). On average they were around 10 feet long, though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length.
The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The Basilisk cannon used in the Civil War was a most specific calibre of almost 5 inches, and fired this distinct size of round shot cannon ball munition of just over 4 1/2 inch diameter

We also show in the gallery a photograph of 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol'. in Dover Castle, with a stack of the very same sized cannon balls.

The ball is very surface russetted, but still spherical and very good for its age,

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 25075

1st Edition James Bond, Octopussy & The Living Daylights, by Ian Fleming

1st Edition, 1st Impression second issue jacket. Published by Jonathan Cape, 1966. Octopussy and The Living Daylights (sometimes published as Octopussy) is the fourteenth and final James Bond book written by Ian Fleming in the Bond series. The book is a collection of short stories published posthumously in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape on 23 June 1966.

The book originally contained just two stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights", with subsequent editions also carrying firstly "The Property of a Lady" and then "007 in New York". The stories were first published in different publications, with "Octopussy" first serialised in the Daily Express in October 1965. "The Living Daylights" had first appeared in The Sunday Times on 4 February 1962; "The Property of a Lady" was published in November 1963 in a Sotheby's publication, The Ivory Hammer, whilst "007 in New York" first appeared in the New York Herald Tribune in October 1963.

The two original stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights", were both adapted for publication in comic strip format in the Daily Express in 1966–1967. Elements from the stories have also been used in the Eon Productions Bond films. The first, Octopussy, starring Roger Moore as James Bond, was released in 1983 as the thirteenth film in the series and provided the back story for the film Octopussy's family, while "The Property of a Lady" was more closely adapted for an auction sequence in the film. The Living Daylights, released in 1987, was the fifteenth Bond film produced by Eon and starred Timothy Dalton in his first appearance as Bond.On the morning of 12 August 1964, Fleming died of a heart attack; eight months later, The Man with the Golden Gun was published.8 The rights to Fleming's works were held by Glidrose Productions (now Ian Fleming Publications) and it was decided by the company that two short stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights", would be published in 1966The story "Octopussy" was written in early 1962 at Fleming's Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. The story is told in the manner of "Quantum of Solace", with Bond as catalyst for story told in flashback, rather than as a main character for action. Fleming originally titled "The Living Daylights" as "Trigger Finger", although when it first appeared, in The Sunday Times colour supplement of 4 February 1962, it was under the title of "Berlin Escape". It was also published in the June 1962 issue of the American magazine Argosy under the same name
As with his previous novels, Fleming used events from his past as elements in his novel. Whilst at Kitzbühel 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. We dropped out of the bidding at £22,000 Incredible in that it was never used in any 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.. A full set of 1st edition Ian Fleming's 14 James Bond novels published by Jonathan Cape between 1953-1966 could now cost in the region of £90,000. Comprising: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and the Living Daylights.  read more

Code: 25090

Victorian Police 'Jack the Ripper' Era Type Handcuffs or 'Derby's' & Original Oval Flat Key

Good flattened head key type, with board of ordnance broad arrow stamp and serial number.

The type as was made and first used in the early Victorian era from the very beginnings of the British Police service, and on well into the next century. Excellent working order early flat key type. A good and fine condition pair of original 'Derby' cuffs used by the 'Bobbies' or 'Peelers', with the traditional rotating spiral key action.
They are also the very type that were used, and as can be seen, in all the old films of the Whitechapel Murders, and Sherlock Holmes' adventures in the gloomy London Fog.

Originally handcuffs were made of a large wooden toggle with a loop of cord, which was slipped over a prisoner’s wrists and twisted. Manufacturers Hiatt and Company, founded in Birmingham in 1780, developed a new patent for restraints, which became standard issue when the Metropolitan Police was created in 1829.

In 1818 Thomas Griffin Hiatt appears in the Wrightson Directory for the first time as a manufacturer of felon's irons and gate locks, located on Moor St. in Birmingham. Some time in the next few years Hiatt moved around the corner to 26 Masshouse Lane, where he is located in the next edition of the Wrightson's Birmingham directory as a manufacturer of felon's irons, gate lock, handcuffs, horse and dog collars. The Hiatt Company remained at the 26 Masshouse Lane address until the premises were destroyed by the World War II German bombing in 1941.

The Whitechapel murders were committed in or near the largely impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of these eleven unsolved murders of women have been ascribed to the notorious unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

The murderer or murderers were never identified and the cases remain unsolved. Sensational reportage and the mystery surrounding the identity of the killer or killers fed the development of the character "Jack the Ripper", who was blamed for all or most of the murders. Hundreds of books and articles discuss the Whitechapel murders, and they feature in novels, short stories, comic books, television shows, and films of multiple genres.

The poor of the East End had long been ignored by affluent society, but the nature of the Whitechapel murders and of the victims' impoverished lifestyles drew national attention to their living conditions. The murders galvanised public opinion against the overcrowded, unsanitary slums of the East End, and led to demands for reform. On 24 September 1888, George Bernard Shaw commented sarcastically on the media's sudden concern with social justice in a letter to The Star newspaper:  read more

Code: 25079

We Have New Fascinating Items Added To The Site Every Single Day.

Wonderful and intriguing pieces, such as a Renaissance period helmet and fusetto stiletto dagger, as used by a chief Cannoneer of the Papal Army in the 16th century, up to 500 years ago, commanded by Cesare Borgia, son of the Borgia Pope, and later in the 16th century, By Matteo Barbarini, brother to Pope Urban VIIIth.

Also, many military souvenirs of all kinds from WW1 and WW2, to, say, a Spanish Conquistador's helmet of the 16th century, to Ian Fleming’s James Bond, 1960's Ist Edition books, a Baker Rifle sword-bayonet, 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

A, Good, Rare, Heavy Plate, Original Italian Vatican Infantry Army Helmet of Pope Urban VIIIth’s Armoury, a Cabasset Helmet 1500’s. As Used By The Cannoneers of the Papal Artillery. Originally Sourced From The Papal Armoury, in The Vatican

It’s companion Cabasset helmets are now in the Vatican Historical Museum in the Lateran Palace, Rome
The defensive helmet as used by the cannoneers of Pope Urban’s Papal Army artillery, and just as would be used by the chief cannoneer in battle, in the army commanded by Mateo Barbarini, Pope Urban’s brother. A helmet worn, while also armed with the chief Cannoneers fusetto

Used in artillery combat in Papal armies, such as were once commanded by the infamous Cesare Borgia, who was an Italian cardinal and condottiero, an illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI and member of the Spanish-Aragonese House of Borgia.
His fight for power was a major inspiration for ‘The Prince’ by Niccolò Machiavelli. The Prince, one of Machiavelli's greatest works, as Machiavelli admired Borgia's undimmed ruthlessness, but mainly, because Borgia, for Machiavelli, exhibited a unity and coherence of purpose and intents that was good for the polity. {see Casare’s portrait in the gallery}


This is a Papal Army helmet from the collection of armour in the armoury of the Papal Army in Rome.
Good Heavy Italian Infantry Helmet Cabasset , hammered steel raised from a single plate, medial ridge with pear stalk finial stepped flared brim with turned over edge and in very good condition.

Provenance: From the Papal Armoury; and later acquired by London dealers Fenton & Sons Ltd. Fenton and Sons, Antique Arms and Armour, around 100 years ago. They traded in London from 1894-1927. and supplied, amongst others, the British Museum. An interesting point aside, we used to supply Fentons back in the 1920's ourselves. This and a few others were acquired by Fentons in 1919 and were listed in their catalogue. They were all from the Papal Armoury in Rome made for the Barberini family.

The Barberinis supplied the armour and cabassets for the papal army in the 16th century, a period fraught with anarchy and bandits and direct attacks on papal territories by Parma. The close association led to Maffeo Barberini becoming Pope Urban VIII. His brother Taddeo was made Supreme Commander of the Papal Army. The helmets, including this one, were from the papal armoury and served through the papal wars. It is estimated that about 4500 men served the papal army and most would have worn cabassets, making the original number of the group well over 4000. Others from the group are now in the Musio Storico Vaticano the Old Papal armoury now in the Vatican Historical Museum in the Lateran Palace, Rome.
The Papal Army was the loosely-construed army of volunteers and mercenaries in the service of the Italian Papal States, active from the 8th century until the capture of Rome by Italy in 1870. The Papal States maintained a sizeable military during the Middle Ages, using it to fight against the Holy Roman Empire and its Ghibelline allies. During the 1300s, the Papal States began to employ the services of condottieri, mercenaries who sold their services to the extremely wealthy Catholic Church. These forces would be instrumental to the defence of the Pope during the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th centuries, with Cesare Borgia leading the Papal Army on a campaign of conquest that added several new city-states and regions to the Papal States' territories. Painting in the gallery of the Massacre of San Bartolome in the Catholic-Protestant Religious Wars, where the French crown aided by Queen Catherine de Medici, mother of the French King, with the Pope's blessing, fought ten of thousands of Huguenots what is considered the second deadliest religious war in European history (surpassed only by the Thirty Years' War, which took eight million European lives) The pope was so delighted with the battle he ordered a Te Deum to be sung as a special thanksgiving (a practice continued for many years after) and had a medal struck with the motto Ugonottorum strages,  read more

Code: 23616

An Original, WW1, German Kaiserliche Marine Vickers-Maxim I Pounder Pom Pom Shell

Imperial Kaiserliche Marine Stamped. A superb fuzed shell head fully stamped and marked. With a 37mm calibre the water-cooled, belt-fed Maxim-Nordenfeldt (among others, with variants produced as Vickers-Maxim and Hotchkiss-Maxim) was the smallest item of artillery used during that war and boasted a firing rate of 60 rounds per minute, utilising a belt of 25 one-pound shells, each shell covering a distance ranging up to 3,000 yards. In World War I, it was used as an early anti-aircraft gun in the home defence of Britain. It was adapted as the Mk I*** and Mk II on high-angle pedestal mountings and deployed along London docks and on rooftops on key buildings in London, others on mobile motor lorries at key towns in the East and Southeast of England. 25 were employed in August 1914, and 50 in February 1916. A Mk II gun (now in the Imperial War Museum, London) on a Naval pedestal mounting was the first to open fire in defence of London during the war. However, the small shell was insufficient to damage the German Zeppelin airships sufficiently to bring them down. The Ministry of Munitions noted in 1922: "The pom-poms were of very little value. There was no shrapnel available for them, and the shell provided for them would not burst on aeroplane fabric but fell back to earth as solid projectiles were of no use except at a much lower elevation than a Zeppelin attacking London was likely to keep"

Nevertheless, Lieutenant O.F.J. Hogg of No. 2 AA Section in III Corps was the first anti-aircraft gunner to shoot down an aircraft, with 75 rounds on 23 September 1914 in France.

The gun was experimentally mounted on aircraft as the lighter 1-pounder Mk III, the cancelled Vickers E.F.B.7 having been specifically designed to carry it in its nose.
Hiram Maxim originally designed the Pom-Pom in the late 1880s as an enlarged version of the Maxim machine gun. Its longer range necessitated exploding projectiles to judge range, which in turn dictated a shell weight of at least 400 grams (0.88 lb), as that was the lightest exploding shell allowed under the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and reaffirmed in the Hague Convention of 1899. Dated 1905. Not suitable for export, empty inert and safe.  read more

Code: 20782

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 Simply Beautiful Original Napoleonic Wars French 'Prisoner of War' Straw Valuables Box. Around 220 Years Old Made By French Prisoners from The Battle of the Nile To Waterloo

A fabulous original souvenir of the Anglo French wars, that is not only beautiful, and historically important, it is perfectly functional as a desk top jewel case, or, anything of similar use, such as a gentleman's watch and cufflink case

Napoleonic prisoner of war straw work marquetry ladies jewelry box with hinged lid opening to reveal three compartments, and one is hinge lidded. Overall in super condition. Decorated throughout with numerous and varied scenes of the British built Prisoner of War wooden fort.

This box dates to the Napoleonic wars between the French and English. Prisoners-of-war were held in purpose-built prisoner-of-war depots and typically were soldiers and sailors of the rank and file. Straw was a popular craft material for prisoners of war. They turned their skill to the making of cases and boxes covered with intricate straw patterns created using the contrasts between the light and dark sides of the straw strips. Those who understood dyes were also able to add colour to their work and produced some very sophisticated objects. Fewer of these straw items have survived to the present day, but there are still some lovely straw-covered boxes and cases which are intact.

Very similar example to one that is on display in the Burghley House Collection. Made by the captured Napoleonic and French wars French Prisoners-of-War in the early 1800's in order to subsidise their meagre prison rations, and this fine piece is made to give the impression it is a sizeable book when closed. All of the interior straw-work is pristine in colour and unfaded showing wonderful contrasts.

Great Britain was at war with France continuously from 1793 to 1802. Hostilities ceased briefly in 1802, but conflict soon recommenced. The Napoleonic Wars continued until 1815, when Napoleon's forces were finally defeated at Waterloo.

In 1796 the first prison to house French prisoners was built at Norman Cross, some 5 miles north of Peterborough. Conditions must have been both harsh and crowded; disease killed more that 1,700 inmates between 1797 and 1814.
To supplement their rations and to provide small income, some prisoners made ornaments, models and toys, which they were allowed to sell. The materials used included straw, wood, bone and even human hair. Many of the items made were extraordinary in their complexity and design and were always very desirable to collectors. The proximity of Burghley House to the camp meant that members of the Cecil family acquired many fine examples.

Those displayed at Burghley include a number of containers made of wood with applied decoration of coloured straw, a stationery box, a set of bone spillikins in a pocket case, a framed straw-work picture of the house built for Napoleon Bonaparte on St Helena, to where he was exiled, a bone set of dominoes and playing cards and a detailed model of an 80-gun ship-of-the-line with hair rigging.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading

9 inches x 6 3/4 inches x 3 inches when closed
some very small straw inlay losses but overall in beautiful order.  read more

Code: 25072

A Very Rare, Original, 1913, Silver Medal Of The Crash of Imperial German Naval Airship L2 in Johannisthal

Silver medal 1913. (Lauer) On the crash of the naval airship L 2 in Johannisthal. Icarus lying on the ground, phoenix rising above it burning, falling airship. Hallmark: silver 990, 33.3 mm, 17.5 g. Coll. Joos a. 293 Kaiser 397. Very rare. Matted, small scratches, extremely fine The Johannisthal air disaster was one of the first multiple-fatality air disasters in history. It involved the Imperial German Navy's L 2 airship manufactured by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin as LZ 18. Its test flight resulted in the death of all 28 passengers and crew on board. On 17 October 1913, at approximately 10:30am local time, hydrogen gas which was being vented was sucked into the forward engine and ignited causing the airship to explode and burn. It crashed near Johannisthal Air Field about 10 miles southeast of Berlin. This accident occurred a little over a month after the Helgoland Island Air Disaster.The "Almanac and Year-Book for 1914" reported that the airship "was destroyed by the explosion of a gasoline tank, which occurred as the ship was making a trial trip above the city of Johannisthal, near Berlin. All except one of the twenty-seven military men on board, including the entire admiralty trial board, were killed.

Thousands, who had been watching the evolutions of the L-2, which, if accepted, was to have been the flagship of Germany's new aerial fleet, heard a heavy detonation and saw the craft suddenly become enveloped in flames and drop to the ground from a height of 900 feet.

On reaching the spot in the highway where the airship fell the spectators found nothing but a mass of crumpled aluminium and twisted wreckage. The only man found alive was Lieut. Baron von Bieul, a guest on the trip, who was fatally injured. The passengers of the centre gondola were blown through the sides of the car by the explosion and their bodies fell a quarter of a mile away from the wreck of the dirigible.

The pilot of the airship was Capt. Gluth, who had been in Count Zeppelin's employ for a long time.

The admiralty trial board consisted of seven officers, including Lieutenant-Commander Behnish, and Lieut. Freyer, both personal friends of Emperor William, Naval Constructors Neumann and Pietzler, Naval Engineer Busch, Lieut. Trenk and Chief Engineer Haussmann were among the others killed."  read more

Code: 23640