An Edo Period, 1603 -1867 Tanto Tsuba, Tetsu With Silver Inlaid Rim

A charming tsuba with traces of silver inlays around the entire rim. Probably made around 1680.
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.

A tanto would most often be worn by Samurai, and it was very uncommon to come across a non samurai with a tanto. It was not only men who carried these daggers, women would on occasions carry a small tanto called a kaiken in their obi which would be used for self-defence. In feudal Japan a tanto would occasionally be worn by Samurai in place of the wakizashi in a combination called the daisho, which roughly translates as big-little, in reference to the big Samurai Sword (Katana) and the small dagger (tanto). Before the rise of the katana it was more common for a Samurai to carry a tachi and tanto combination as opposed to a katana and wakizashi.
46mm

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Code: 24234

14 Million Year Old Meteorite Rock, Impactite (Suevite) of Nordlingen Ries Now Understood To Possibly Be The Closest Match to the Surface of Mars on Earth. Likely The Most Intriguing Conversation Piece & Geological Collectors Item Available Today

From the Meteorite Strike Crater in Germany, collected by an official geological survey. The crater was caused by a binary asteroid that struck approximately 14 million years ago in the Meocene era. It was an impact of a magnitude of 1.8 Million times the size of the Hiroshima Bomb. Which created a single Faunel Event which meant the extinction of all large reptiles. In that crater a German city was built, naturally, millions of years later.

The incredible German town that sits in that asteroid crater, from whence this impactite came, is smothered in 72,000 tonnes of diamonds
The tiny diamonds were created by an asteroid smashing into the earth. So small though they are technically valueless.
Nördlingen featured in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

What a huge and magnificent conversational piece and collectors item, potentially the closest and most accurate example of the surface of Mars today, and since the Mars Rover sampling it is now believed by NASA and scientific research to be the very best and closest match to the surface of Mars on Earth, and certainly the best preserved from anywhere else on earth.

This is a large 14 million year old meteorite strike rock that is also a simply stunning piece of art that would superbly compliment any decor, in any home, both vintage, antique or modern. It would look amazing on a display stand of any suitable material, such as glass, perspex, marble or wood. This is an unusually large piece of molten meterorite rock, the very few pieces we have had in the past of this type have all been small of just a few ounces. Suevite rock consisting partly of melted material, typically forming a breccia containing glass and crystal or lithic fragments, and often thousands of microscopic diamonds formed during an impact event. It forms part of a group of rock types and structures that are known as impactites.

The Nordlinger Ries is an impact crater, large circular depression in western Bavaria, Germany, located north of the Danube in the district of Donau-Ries. The city of Nordlingen is located inside the depression, about 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) southwest of its centre. Recent computer modeling of the impact event indicates that the impactors probably had diameters of about 1.5 kilometers (4,900 ft) (Ries) and 150 meters (490 ft) (Steinheim), had a pre-impact separation of some tens of kilometers, and impacted the target area at an angle around 30 to 50 degrees from the surface in a west-southwest to east-northeast direction. The impact velocity is thought to have been about 20 km/s (45,000 mph). The resulting explosion had the power of 1.8 million Hiroshima bombs, an energy of roughly 2.4 1021 joules. This exceptionally large piece is 4.55 kilos. 13 inches x 11 inches x 3.5 inches As with all our items it complete complete with our Certificate of Authenticity, our unique lifetime guarantee of originality. Photo number 7 in the gallery is a clip from an article on the unique matching relation of this Suevite from Nordlingen Ries and the surface of Mars by
JULES BERNSTEIN in the University of California Science and Technology magazine  read more

Code: 21959

A Good Collection Of Original British WW2 Enfield No4 Rifle Spike Bayonets MKII’s In MKI Scabbard.{ Plus 200 Other Mixed Antique & WW1 Bayonets Yet To Be Added }

In very nice condition, all from one collector, kept in storage since the 1950’s, including the rarest of all a MKI in MKI scabbard {sold separately}. All were originally in full storage grease and slightly different forms and makers of the eponimous WW2 British armed forces Enfield No.4 bayonets, MKII’s, used in WW2.
We also acquired, just two days ago, within the collection over 200 early and mid Victorian British bayonets, including early 20th century mixed world bayonets, and these MKII Enfield No4 bayonets, all from within the entire single collection, that he {the late collector} acquired in the 1950’s and 1960’s, all of which will be sorted and catalogued, when we have time, over the next six months. The antique and WW1 bayonets will likely vary in price from £120 to £395.

Here, and now, we show under stock code 24589, these eight WW2 issue Enfield No.4 Bayonets MKII’s. Act fast the collection was made available yesterday and four have been sold already so far, yesterday morning in the shop and last night online. Only 4 MKII’s with regular MKI scabbards are still available.

They are now priced each, at £45.

British troops pulled off a number of bayonet charges in the brief campaign to drive Argentine forces from the Falkland Islands in 1982. Grunts from the Scots Guards and the Gurkhas chased 500 enemy troops off the summit of Mount Tumbledown in the pre-dawn darkness of June 14. The British suffered 63 casualties in the battle; 160 Argentine soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured. Two weeks earlier a 2 Para private by the name of Graham Carter led his comrades in a bayonet charge against a force of enemy troops across Goose Green.

In the last 20 years, British troops have resorted to the bayonet to break impasses in combat both in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May, 2004, a detachment from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders surprised a force of 100 insurgents near Al Amara, Iraq with a bayonet charge. British casualties were light, but nearly 28 guerrillas were killed. And as recently as October of 2011, a British Army lance corporal named Sean Jones led a squad of soldiers from the Prince of Wales Royal Regiment in a bayonet charge against Taliban fighters in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. After being ambushed and pinned down by militants, the 25-year-old ordered his squad to advance into a hail of machine gun fire. “We had to react quickly,” Jones remarked. “I shouted ‘follow me’ and we went for it.” He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions. Even in an age of GPS-guided bombs, unmanned drones and network-centric warfare, 300-year-old technology — like the simple bayonet — can still carry the day.

A couple of years or so ago Burundi was preparing to send a peace keeping contingent to the Congo and Somalia yet they knew that their army was not up to it and begged for a UN training team to come and train it. On being asked who they would like, they decided to look at the Americans, French, Canadians, Germans and Swedes but it was the British that they chose to train their army because they said they wanted to be trained by the best.

The last photo in the gallery of lance corporal Sean Jones recieving his Military Cross for gallantry from the former Prince of Wales, now H.M.King Charles IIIrd, for his famous heroic command of the bayonet charge in Helmand  read more

Code: 24589

Very Rare & The Most Collectable Bayonet of WW2. A WWII British Lee Enfield No 4 MK 1 Cruciform Spike Bayonet By ‘SM’ (Singer Manufacturing Co) With MK 1 Scabbard. The Earliest, & Briefly Issued Bayonet Of The No4 Rifle in WW2

The No. 4 Mk. I was the first beautifully made bayonet for the earliest Enfield No.4 rifle, with its distinctive cruciform blade. The bayonet and socket were one solid forging.

Only thousands of the MKI bayonet were made, before it was simplified in 1942 as the new MKII bayonet version of the MKI, in order to enable the saving of production costs. Over 3,000,000 were made of the new MKII bayonet for the Enfield No. 4 rifle, up to one hundred times more than were made of the MKI. Production initially occurred for the MKI during the latter half of 1941 and into the early months of 1942. The only maker was the Singer Manufacturing Co. (the famous sewing machine people), at their Clydebank, Scotland plant. One influence in the selection of Singer was that Scotland was felt to be safer from German bombers than England. No. 4 Mk. I markings were reminiscent of how Pattern 1907 bayonets were marked, with the royal cypher, type, and maker.
Socket: "G (Crown) R" over No 4 Mk I" over "S M"

Sheffield Steel Products of Sheffield, Yorkshire. Sheffield Steel Products produced approximately Mk. 1 scabbards. Stamped N64 = Sheffield Steel Products

One of the most interesting points about the Mark l bayonet was the likelihood that near all were used in the desert campaign against Rommel or at the D Day Normandy invasions, by such as the commandos, due to their date of manufacture, but the later MKlls may, or may not have have been used as they were later made and many made post war .
It is further relatively certain they were the issued bayonet used in the ill fated Dieppe Raid in 1942 which meant almost all those MKI bayonets issued were lost due to capture by the occupying German forces.

As an aside, for decades since the war it was assumed the Dieppe Raid was a rehearsal for the Normandy landings, and in many respects a terrible and tragic failure involving tens of thousands of men, mostly Canadian heroes, lost or captured, including many ships lost by the Royal Navy.

Information has now been recently released to reveal that the raid was in fact an incredibly super top secret planned diversion in order to capture the highly secret German cypher machine in a safe within one particular building in the town. Organised by an ultra top-secret section of the SAS and SIS, even the men chosen by the British Secret Service to take part were not even told of the raids purpose until minutes after they arrived to actually carry out the operation. All of the sacrifices made by thousands of men were to ensure the secrecy that the ultra top secret purpose of the plan, that it was actually a diversion, and not a rehearsal, that may, and in fact did, sacrifice thousands of men, in order to save hundreds of thousands, or even millions of lives, in the later planned Normandy invasion. This plans true aim was never revealed, until very recently. And many in command of the war in Britain, were, as such, blamed by the families of the lost, and felt the unending guilt of the terrible losses. Regretably , in the cold hard reality and truth of war, just like in medical surgery, sometimes a limb must be sacrificed and lost in order to save the body. And the unenviable thankless task of making such decisions, can often create a massive tactical victory, yet from those viewing from outside the circle of knowledge, it appears to be a tragic mistake.

Lord Louis Mountbatten, as the chief of Combined Operations, and Ian Fleming, a future James Bond author and naval intelligence officer, were involved in the allegedly disastrous Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) in 1942, a so-called failed Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe. Even today you can find blame still being apportioned to Mountbatten and his aide, Ian Fleming, for the raid’s failure. It is a mark of the stature of such men that in their lifetimes they never revealed the truth, and lived with scorn and admonition, and even unto death still do by many.  read more

Code: 25682

A Sublime 'Queen Anne', Circa 1720, Cannon Barrel Flintlock Holster Pistol of Sidelock Action, With Solid Silver Mounts Including a Silver, Maned Lion Head Butt Cap, and Silver Dragon Sideplate

with silver leaf shaped escutcheon. Three stage steel cannon barrel with chisseled octagonal breech, conical second stage and flared long blunderbuss third stage. Fine jugland regia walnut stock. Horn tipped wood ramrod with octagonal rear ramrod pipe and typical barrel type forend ramrod pipe

Here are some of the specific reasons why people enjoy collecting antique pistols:

Historical significance: Antique pistols are stunning relics of a bygone era, and they can provide insights into the history of warfare, technology, and culture. For example, a collector might be interested in owning a type of pistol that was used in a famous battle or that was carried by a famous historical figure.
Craftsmanship: Antique pistols are often works of art in their own right. Many early gunsmiths were highly skilled artisans, and their creations can be extraordinarily beautiful. Collectors might appreciate the intricate engraving, fine inlays, and other decorative elements that are found on many antique pistols.
Aesthetic beauty: Antique pistols can be simply stunning. Their elegant lines and graceful curves can be a thing of beauty. Collectors might enjoy admiring the form and function of these antique weapons.
Rarity and uniqueness: Some antique pistols are quite rare, and collectors might enjoy the challenge of finding and acquiring them. Others might be interested in owning a pistol that is unique in some way, such as a prototype or a custom-made piece.
Investment value: Antique pistols can also be valuable long term investments. The value of some antique pistols has appreciated significantly over the years. Collectors might enjoy the potential for profit, in addition to the other pleasures of collecting, but that should never be the ultimate goal, enjoyment must always be the leading factor of collecting.
No matter what their reasons, collectors of antique pistols find enjoyment in their hobby. They appreciate the history, craftsmanship, beauty, and rarity of these unique pieces.

In addition to the above, here is yet another reason why people enjoy collecting antique pistols:

Education: Learning about the history and technology of antique pistols can be a thoroughly rewarding experience. Collectors can learn about the different types of pistols that have been made over the centuries, how they worked, and how they were used.  read more

Code: 25007

An Original Congolese Songye Fetish Female 'Power Figure'. A Most Beautiful and Perfect Example Of The Combination of Esoteric, Spiritually Symbolic & Cultural African Tribal Art From The Last Century. Late 19th to Early 20th Century.

Songye fetish figures were used as an effective instrument for healing, fertility and protection from evil spirits, sorcerers and hostile powers. The figure is in good condition. The face has sensitively rendered features, with semi-circular eyes that are closed they anlmost extend on either side towards the jaw lines. These give the face its distinctive V-shape, interrupted by the short horizontal line of the chin The chest binding is in hide leather, with hands to the abdomen, and a hide skin waist skirt, The figure’s feet and circular base, carved from the same piece of wood as the rest of the figure, and overall it has a rich reddish brown patina.

Nkisi, in west-central African lore, any object or material substance invested with sacred energy and made available for spiritual protection. One tradition of the Kongo people of west-central Africa holds that the god Funza gave the world the first nkisi. Africans uprooted during the Atlantic slave-trade era carried with them some knowledge of nkisi making. In places throughout the United States, particularly in the Deep South, African descendants still create minkisi. Nkisi making is also found throughout the Caribbean and South America, in places such as Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil.

This wild appearance of the Nganga was intended to create a frightening effect, or kimbulua in the Kongo language. The nganga's costume was often modeled on his nkisi. The act of putting on the costume was itself part of the performance; all participants were marked with red and white stripes, called makila, for protection.

The "circles of white around the eyes" refer to mamoni lines (from the verb mona, to see). These lines purport to indicate the ability to see hidden sources of illness and evil.

Yombe nganga often wore white masks, whose color represented the spirit of a deceased person. White was also associated with justice, order, truth, invulnerability, and insight: all virtues associated with the nganga.

The nganga is instructed in the composition of the nkondi, perhaps in a dream, by a particular spirit. In one description of the banganga's process, the nganga then cuts down a tree for the wood that s/he will use to construct the nkondi. He then kills a chicken, which causes the death of a hunter who has been successful in killing game and whose captive soul subsequently animates the nkondi figure. Based on this process, *Gell writes that the nkondi is a figure an index of cumulative agency, a "visible knot tying together an invisible skein of spatio-temporal relations" of which participants in the ritual are aware

After a tribal carver artist completed carving the artifact, the "nganga" transformed it into an object capable of healing illness, settling disputes, safeguarding the peace, and punishing wrongdoers. Each work of this kind or "nkisi" is associated with a spirit, that is subjected to a degree of human control.
Europeans may have encountered these objects during expeditions to the Congo as early as the 15th century. However, several of these fetish objects, as they were often termed, were confiscated by missionaries in the late 19th century and were destroyed as evidence of sorcery or heathenism. Nevertheless, several were collected as objects of fascination and even as an object of study of Kongo culture. Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba. In Hollywood these figures have morphed into objects of superstition such as New Orleans voodoo dolls covered with stick pins. Nonetheless, minkisi have left an indelible imprint as visually provocative figures of spiritual importance and protection.


Adorned with additional objects, Bajimba, with magical properties (horns, skins, teeth, hair, feathers, beads, tacks, cloth, etc.), they gained their power not from the carver but from the Nganga, or spiritual leader. Their carving was considered secondary to their power. Often too powerful to touch, they were moved with long sticks. Although protective, these are confrontational objects, with a warrior's attitude.

Each power figure has a distinct personality, ranging from contemplative to angry to soulful to reserved to compassionate. The ability to suggest those qualities visually with such immediacy and precision is one of the most impressive aspect of the surviving figures.

Kongo religion Kikongo: Bukongo. Bakongo religion was translocated to the Americas along with its enslaved practitioners. Some surviving traditions include conjure, dreaming, possession by the dead to learn wisdom from the ancestors, traditional healing and working with minkisi. The spiritual traditions and religions that have preserved Kongo traditions include Hoodoo, Palo Monte, Lumbalú, Kumina, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé Bantu, Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba.

Similar examples in the Smithsonian and Metropolitan in the USA. One very similar nkisi, from the late 19th to mid 20th century has been a highlight of the Rockefeller collection since its acquisition in 1952. we show examples of the similar Kongo type as ours, from around the same time, in the gallery of photographs

Photo 7 shows a male example from the The Michel Gaud collection
Sothebys Important African Art: ‘The Michel Gaud collection’, London, 29th November 1993, lot 132

Photo 8 a larger but similar Nkisi male version of the Songye people’s in the Rockefeller Wing in the Met, although not on view at present.

9 inches high.

For a serious student of such stunning pieces a visit to the The Met is a must for those that reside or able to travel to the US.
Further reading
Hersak, Dunja. 1986. Songye. Masks and Figure Sculpture. London: Ethnographica.

Hersak, Dunja. 2010. "Reviewing power, process, and statement: the case of Songye figures". African Arts. 43: 38-51.

Neyt, François. 2009. Songye: The Formidable Statuary of Central Africa. Munich: Prestel.

Petridis, Constantine. 2009. Art and power in the central African Savanna: Luba, Songye, Chokwe, Luluwa. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art  read more

Code: 25680

A Superb & Rare Original Victorian London-Scottish Rifle Volunteer Regiment Doublet. Superbly Tailored By Hobson and Sons of London in Hodden Grey

In wonderful condition for age, and all the original regimental buttons are present.
The tunic and buttons were tailored by Hobson & Sons of London, and it bears a makers label and an original old storage label. In 1859 the London Scottish Rifle Volunteers were raised, sponsored by the Highland Society and the Caledonian Society of London, and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Elcho.
The soldiers were given a uniform of homespun cloth known as Hodden Grey to avoid inter-clan rivalry and kilts today are still made of this distinctive material.


During the Boer War, the Regiment supplied contingents of Volunteers who served with the Gordon Highlanders and those links survive still. In 1908 the Volunteer Force ceased to exist and became the Territorial Force. The 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Volunteer Rifle Corps changed its name to the 14th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (London Scottish).
The 1st Battalion was mobilised on 5 August 1914 and was the first Territorial battalion to go into action against the Germans at Messines, near Ypres on 31 October. The Battalion continued to serve in France and Flanders throughout the War taking part in all the major offensives. The 2nd Battalion served in France, the Balkans and Palestine, while a 3rd Battalion was a Reserve Battalion and supplied drafts to the other two. Two Victoria Crosses and nineteen Distinguished Service Orders were awarded to members of the Regiment.
We show in the gallery a picture of a London Scottish soldier in profile wearing his same doublet from the Zulu War period, holding his Martini Henry MK 1/11 Rifle  read more

Code: 21066

A Beautiful 19th Century Damascus Twist Barrelled Sporting Gun By Manton of London. One Of The Greatest Names In the Realm of English Gunsmiths

Back action lock bearing Manton's name and decorative pattern engraving. It has a hook breech with double platinum lining and very attractive fine Damascus browning, walnut half stocked with steel furniture bearing further overall engraving.

Joseph Manton (6 June 1766 - 29 June 1835) was a British gunsmith who innovated in sport shooting, improved the quality of weapons and paved the way to the modern artillery shell. Joseph was also a sports shooter in his own right and a friend of Colonel Peter Hawker. There were two Manton brothers, John was the elder and Joseph the younger. John Manton was born in 1752 and after his apprenticeship, set up in London in Piccadilly.

Manton began producing percussion guns in 1825 and Manton himself died in 1834, leaving the business in the hands of his son. Some of Manton's weapons are considered the finest of the flintlock and percussion age. They can fetch more at auction than Holland & Holland's shotguns. His workforce included James Purdey (who went on to found Purdey's), Thomas Boss, William Greener and Charles Lancaster. These four all went on to establish major firms of gun makers, which continue to this day. The true English Damascus barrel is prepared from three rods, twisted as described and put together as shown in the twisted riband, and is known technically as three-iron Damascus ; the silver-steel Damascus is similarly made, but of different metal piled in a different order. The rods having been twisted, and the required number welded together, they are sent to the iron-mill and rolled at a red heat into ribands, which have both edges bevelled the same way. There are usually two ribands required for each barrel, one riband or strip to form the breech-end, and another, slightly thinner, to form the fore, or muzzle, part of the barrel. Upon receiving the ribands of twisted iron, the welder first proceeds to twist them into a spiral form. This is done upon a machine of simple construction, consisting simply of two iron bars, one fixed and the other loose ; in the latter there is a notch or slot to receive one end of the riband. When inserted, the bar is turned round by a winch-handle. The fixed bar prevents the riband from going round, so that it is bent and twisted over the movable rod like the pieces of leather round a whip-stock. The loose bar is removed, the spiral taken from it, and the same process repeated with another riband. The ribands are usually twisted cold, but the breech-ends, if heavy, have to be brought to a red heat before it is possible to twist them, no cogs being used. When very heavy barrels are required, three ribands are used; one for the breech-end, one for the centre, and one for the muzzle-piece. The ends of the ribands, after being twisted into spirals, are drawn out taper and coiled round with the spiral until the extremity is lost, as shown in the representation of a coiled breech-piece of Damascus iron. The coiled riband is next heated, a steel mandrel inserted in the muzzle end, and the coil is welded by hammering. Three men are required one to hold and turn the coil upon the grooved anvil, and two to strike. The foreman, or the one who holds the coil, has also a small hammer with which he strikes the coil, to show the others in which place to strike. When taken from the fire the coil is first beaten upon an iron plate fixed in the floor, and the end opened upon a swage, or the pene of the anvil, to admit of the mandrel being inserted. When the muzzle or fore-coil has been heated, jumped up, and hammered until thoroughly welded, the breech-end or coil, usually about six inches long, is joined to it. The breech-coil is first welded in the same manner, and a piece is cut out of each coil; the two ribands are welded together and the two coils are joined into one, and form a barrel. The two coils being joined, and all the welds made perfect, the barrels are heated, and the surplus metal removed with a float; the barrels are then hammered until they are black or nearly cold, which finishes the process. This hammering greatly increases the density and tenacity of the metal, and the wear of the barrel depends in a great measure upon its being properly performed. A very nice and tight action and overall in nice condition for age. A very small piece of wood lacking from the breech tang area. As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 20766

Superb 18th Century American Revolutionary War, King George IIIrd Period Naval Hand Cannon From The Barbary Pirate Raids Period. From 1795, The Annual 'Tribute' Paid to the Regency of Algiers Was 20% of United States Federal Government Expenditure

Which translates today to the equivalent of one thousand two hundred billion dollars {$1.2 trillion} a year, in so called 'tribute' {ie, blackmail} payments to the Barbary States.

With traditional bell mouth, two barrel bands and large cascobel, without trunions, 18cm barrel.

Rare unmarked naval hand cannon of the type used off the Barbary Coast during the Age of Sail. Measures from raised muzzle to cascabel. Three stage body with round breech. Breech with lined border. Raised cannon muzzle. The iron is relatively smooth, with a good natural age patina throughout with areas of oxidation. A light shines through touchhole well. it could of double as a naval salute & powder tester.

From bases on the Barbary Coast, North Africa, the Barbary corsairs raided ships travelling through the Mediterranean and along the northern and western coasts of Africa, plundering their cargo and enslaving the people they captured. From at least 1500, the corsairs also conducted raids along seaside towns of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, England and as far away as Iceland, capturing men, women and children. On some occasions, settlements such as Baltimore, Ireland were abandoned following the raid, only being resettled many years later. Between 1609 and 1616, England alone had 466 merchant ships lost to Barbary corsairs

Until the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, British treaties with the North African states protected American ships from the Barbary corsairs. During the American Revolutionary War, the Corsairs attacked American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean. However, on December 20, 1777, Sultan Mohammed III of Morocco issued a declaration recognizing America as an independent country, and stating that American merchant ships could enjoy safe passage into the Mediterranean and along the coast. The relations were formalized with the Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship signed in 1786, which stands as the U.S.'s oldest non-broken friendship treaty with a foreign power.

The Barbary threat led directly to the United States founding the United States Navy in March 1794. While the United States did secure peace treaties with the Barbary states, it was obliged to pay tribute for protection from attack. The burden was substantial: from 1795, the annual tribute paid to the Regency of Algiers amounted to 20% of United States federal government's annual expenditures.

In 1798, an islet near Sardinia was attacked by the Tunisians, and more than 900 inhabitants were taken away as slaves.  read more

Code: 25679

A Good Silver Parachute Regiment Officer's Cap Badge 3rd Battalion Parachute Regt. Suez Campaign. Operations Telescope & Musketeer. A Franco-British Victory, Confounded by a Political Blunder

Circa 1853. Superb quality and condition with traditional officer's split-pin twin mounting loops.

Operation Telescope was a Franco-British operation conducted from 5 to 6 November 1956 during the Suez Crisis, consisting of a series of parachute drops launched by the British Parachute Brigade, in combination with French paratroop forces, 24 hours before the seaborne landing on Port Said during Operation Musketeer. Troops dropped onto Gamil airfield and Port Fuad to secure airfields and prevent Egyptian forces from providing air defence. It was put forward by the deputy Land Task Force Commander General André Beaufre under the original name Omelette which included many more drops but was adapted due to British fear of another failure like Arnhem and a lack of aircraft able to deploy paratroopers.

The capture of the airfield at El Gamil and the surrounding area was an essential element in Operation Musketeer, the joint Anglo-French airborne and amphibious assault on Port Said, with the ultimate aim of gaining control of the Suez Canal. The French 2nd Colonial Parachute Regiment were to land at Er Raswa while the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, part of 16th Independent Parachute Brigade, were tasked with the attack on El Gamil, which would be the first British battalion parachute assault since World War II and the last to date. At the insistence of French commanders, the airborne assaults on El Gamil and Raswa were to take place a full 24 hours before the arrival of the seaborne element, in order to preserve the element of surprise, as it would be difficult to conceal the approach of the large invasion fleet.

Before the landing, the British launched airstrikes on Egyptian defensive positions around the battlefield, effectively neutralizing many of them. Still, as 3. PARA landed at 0515 GMT, they came under fire, unable to return it until they had retrieved the caches with their weapons. Egyptian fire was inaccurate however, and ultimately the British suffered very few casualties.
At 0515 GMT on 5th November 3 PARA conducted the first and last battalion sized operational parachute assault since the Second World War. Despite vigorous defensive fire El Gamil airfield was captured in 30 minutes. Vicious close-quarter fighting developed as the paratroopers continued the advance through a sewage farm and cemetery nearby, rolling up Egyptian coastal defences. Covering fire was provided to support the amphibious landings that arrived the next day and a successful link-up with 45 Commando achieved.

The British lacked heavy support equipment, but the small arms and light AT and support weapons they had were more than adequate to take the airfield, the AT being particularly effective at knocking out four concrete pillboxes. Other than these bunkers, the Egyptians withdrew to favourable terrain to avoid annihilation at the hands of the superior British forces. The Egyptians' three SU-100 self-propelled guns proved to be particularly difficult for the PARAs.

3. PARA then moved onto Port Said, surviving a friendly fire incident with French planes who strafed them. B Company captured the sewage works which provided cover from Egyptian snipers, however, not wanting to push forward and storm the highly defensible Coast Guard Barracks, they called in air support in the form of Wyverns who dropped bombs on the position for the loss of one aircraft and inflicting heavy casualties. Running out of ammo however, the British retreated to the sewage works.

16 km to the southeast, the French 2. RPC achieved a lot more success, managing to take the Western span of the Rawsa Bridges (rendered inoperable by damage) and the Said waterworks, cutting off the supplies into the city. With supplies cut off and a potential chokepoint captured by mid-morning, the French had achieved all their objectives on the first day.

Following the unsuccessful negotiation of a ceasefire during the night, C Company was sent to capture the cemetery at 0510 GMT, which was completed without opposition. This was followed up by an assault on the Coast Guard building from which a considerable amount of sniper fire was coming. The building was captured by 0800 with no casualties whereupon they were ordered to capture a hospital to complete the link up with 45 Commando.

In the closing stage of the battle, a patrol of four men was ambushed and injured by Egyptian fire whereupon a medical officer, Captain Elliot rescued them under heavy fire for which he was awarded the Military Cross.


‘Our quarrel is not with Egypt, still less with the Arab world. It is with Colonel Nasser. He has shown that he is not a man who can be trusted to keep an agreement. Now he has torn up all his country's promises to the Suez Canal Company and has even gone back on his own statements. ‘We cannot agree that an act of plunder which threatens the livelihood of many nations should be allowed to succeed. And we must make sure that the life of the great trading nations of the world cannot in the future be strangled at any moment by some interruption to the free passage of the canal.’
PRIME MINISTER SIR ANTHONY EDEN — 8 AUGUST 1956

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