A Very Good American Allen and Thurber Pepperbox Revolver Circa 1840

Nicely engraved multi barreled revolver made by a good American maker, Allen and Thurber in Norwich Connecticut. Good tight action and in great condition for it's age. Six revolving barrels with a nipple shield. Bar hammer and fine scroll engraving on the frame. Maker marked on the hammer bar, and 1837 patent and cast steel stamped on the barrel rib. American pepperbox revolvers of that era are rarely seen in the UK these days, and pepperbox revolvers are always highly collectable, as they represent most interesting examples of the first rung on the evolutionary ladder of the modern age revolver. The pepperbox was probably the most sought after multi-shot handgun during the 1840-1850 decade, being as the Colt revolver was just gaining popularity and gearing up for serious production ?and the pepperbox was carried in substantial quantities in California during the Gold Rush era. Most likely many pepperboxes were also still being carried as personal defense weapons during the Civil War by soldiers who were not affluent enough to afford a then more conventional revolver. The Pepper-box, known as the "Gun that won the East", was the most desirable repeating handgun prior to the invention of the revolving cylinder. Its name may have been coined by Samuel Clemens. As with all our antique guns, no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 22290

A Most Rarely Seen, Antique Ceremonial, Head-Hunters Sword 'Pusaka Magic' Dohong, A Borneo, Dyak Shamen's, Kayanic Art Ritual Sword, With a Carved, Twin-Head Hilt

This is an amazing dohong, a Borneo kayanic art carved twin headed hilt sword, given to a previous owner, by a Dyak headhunter shamen, with a hardened skin scabbard, possibly goatskin. It’s condition is superb with stunning natural age patina to the carved wooden hilt. Kayanic art is most distinctive in the depiction of carved heads, with an owl-like style of heart shaped face carving

There are a lot of intriguing interest about this most rare form of shamen's dohong when they appear. They can come in either dagger or short sword form, and both are rare, but due to the fact it was likely used mostly for ceremonial "pusaka magic", many have never seen such a piece to survive. Few such ceremonies had ever been seen by Westerners, as very few outsiders visited the inner Dayak tribes during the 19th century. Of course ceremonial Dyak shamen magic was not always benign, as it could often include head-hunting, so the reticence of strangers to attempt to view such ceremonies was highly understandable

There is however, a somewhat similar carved wood hilted double headed kyanic art example in the National Museum Wereldkulturen in Rotterdam, and from all the ones we have seen, although very few in number of course, they have had all manner of bespoke differences. See photo 10 of that particular similar sword in the gallery

Dayaks are a collection ethic groups that have traditionally lived in the forests in both the Malaysian and Indonesian sides of Borneo. They are distinguished from the Malay population in that for the most part they are not Muslims and distinguished from the Penan in that have traditionally been settled while the Penan were nomadic.

The Dayaks are former head hunters and the original "wild men of Borneo." They continued to practice headhunting after it was outlawed by the Dutch in the 19th century. Up until World War II most of them were river-dwelling head hunters. Now many have been Christianized and forced into settlements. Even though they were the original inhabitants of Borneo they are now greatly outnumbered by Malays and Indonesians. It is believed that most Dayaks lived along the coast until they were driven inland after the arrival of the Malays.

Dayak "psycho-navigators” use visions and dreams to help them find their way in the forest. Dayak shaman practitioners of the "Old Snake religion” describe a hidden highland lake where enormous aging pythons enjoy dancing under the light of the full moon to honor the forest god Aping. Many Dayaks are Christians who have incorporated animists concepts onto their belief scheme. Missionaries went through the trouble of backpacking in paints and brushes to make hellfire scenes on the sides of longhouses. On the positive side missionaries have helped the Dayak clear landing strips which can be used for medical emergencies.

James Brooke wrote in his journal in “Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the Suppression of Piracy”: “The Kayans of the north-west coast of Borneo have one custom in common with the wild tribe of Minkoka in the Bay of Boni. Both the Kayans and Minkokas on the death of a relative seek for a head; and on the death of their chief many human heads must be procured: which practice is unknown to the Dyak. It may further be remarked, that their probable immigration from Celebes is supported by the statement of the Millanows, that the Murut and Dyak give place to the Kayan whenever they come in contact, and that the latter people have depopulated large tracts in the interior, which were once occupied by the former. Source: “The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido For the Suppression of Piracy” by Henry Keppel and James Brooke (1847).

The Dayak perform elaborate death ceremonies in which the bones are disinterred for secondary reburial. The Ngaju Dayaks in the Mendawai area of Kalimantan keep alive their ancient burial rituals called Tiwah. Participants wear bizarre masks, with owl-like heart shaped faces, sing, and stage mock attacks. They exhume the bones of the dead, anoint and touch the bones and re-intern them in family “sandung”. (House-shaped boxes on stilts). In the old days headhunting was often include in the ritual.

Interestingly, despite returning from the darkest regions of the interior of Borneo, with this gifted sword, by the original vendors father, a former merchant ship captain, we were reminded, due to a mention from a regular viewer of our site, that we once had a somewhat similar style prestige sword from the Bamum or Tikar people of Cameroon. A tribe known for its similar highly talented artistry and carving. We couldn’t help wondering if there could once possibly have been a connection of some sort between these two native peoples due to the similarity of this wood-carvings artistry, despite around 7,000 mile distance between these peoples across the Indian Ocean. Could the Tikar peoples have made swords inspired by the Borneo version, or indeed could it be the other way around, and a Tikar sword found its way to Borneo. We may never know.

The captains son mentioned his father had a b&w photograph with the entire tribe’s elders after gifting him this sword. Apparently he became a most favoured ‘foreigner’ with the tribe due his supply of important necessities to them in ‘difficult times’. This may have been during the imminent Japanese invasions of that part of the world around the Indian Ocean in WW2.

The overall condition for age is excellent with just a small separation of the hide at the base of the scabbard. 28.5 inches long overall in scabbard, blade 16 inches long

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: 24466

A Beautiful Antique Edo Period 1598-1868 Tanto Signed Satsuma ju Yoshisane

In all original Edo period mounts fittings and saya, stunning ishime stone finish lacquer to the saya in pristine condition. Kozuka [utility knife] also signed with maker's signature. Pair of menuki of gold embellished flower sprays, iron silver inlaid kashira, gilt and nanko fuchi. Blade in full traditional stone polish showing a delightful notare hamon. 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  read more

Code: 23506

A Stunning Ancient Koto Period Katana Circa 1400, Muromachi Era., Around 600 Years Old & Used From The The Warring States Period Sengoku jidai, From 1467 to 1567

Originally tachi or uchigatana mounted this fabulous and ancient sword was remounted likely 400 years ago as a katana. Signed tsuba decorated with a figure on a water buffalo and small pure gold inlaid dots. Gilt decorated fushi kashira, the fushi with depicting jungle fauna and the kashira with a takebori tiger. Gold silk bound tsuka over bronze shishi on black samegawa. Set off with a dark red stone finish lacquer saya. The blade has an incredibly beautiful and complex hamon pattern, with just a couple of thin, natural openings due to it's great age. The uchigatana was the predecessor to the katana as the battle-blade of feudal Japan's bushi (warrior class), and as it evolved into the later design, the two were often differentiated from each other only by how they were worn and by the fittings for the blades.
It was during the Mongol invasions that it was shown there were some weaknesses in the tachi sword which led to the development of the Katana.

The Warring States period (Sengoku jidai) lasted for the century from 1467 to 1567 although the wars and confusion of the age were not finally ended until the creation of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. The name is drawn from a similar period of civil war in China. It saw the breakdown of central authority, and an extended period of wars between hundreds of local, independent strongmen. The end saw the emergence of new methods of authority which were finally able to achieve a moderate degree of political centralization (there still remained 250 local rulers, the daimyo) and, to everyone’s relief and satisfaction, relative peace.

In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and Edo periods, certain high-ranking warriors daimyo of what became the ruling class would wear their swords tachi mounted This sword would very likely have been used in the Onin War (1467-1477) which led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among bushi chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords, as central control virtually disappeared. An early Japanese print in the gallery shows a samurai receiving his reward of a fine tachi such as this one from his shugo daimyo lord.

The shugo daimyo were the first group of men to hold the title "daimyo". They arose from among the shugo during the Muromachi period. The shugo daimyo held not only military and police powers, but also economic power within a province. They accumulated these powers throughout the first decades of the Muromachi period.
The Onin War was a major uprising in which shugo daimyo fought each other. During this and other wars of the time, kuni ikki, or provincial uprisings, took place as locally powerful warriors sought independence from the shugo daimyo. The deputies of the shugo daimyo, living in the provinces, seized the opportunity to strengthen their position. At the end of the fifteenth century, those shugo daimyo who succeeded remained in power. Those who had failed to exert control over their deputies fell from power and were replaced by a new class, the "sengoku daimyo", who arose from the ranks of the shugodai'K and Ji-samurai.

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
28 inch blade length from tsuba to tip, 39 inches full length complete katana in saya, 9.65 inch Tsuka  read more

Code: 19532

A Very Attractive Pair of Boxed Edo Period Kogatana and Kogai, Samurai Sword Accessory Fittings Matsushiro Sinano school

In sinchu and silver a beautiful design of tosugu sword mountings from the Edo Matsushiro Sinano school. The kogatana blade is signed with lengthy cursive script, it could also be a story or poem but it is worn and difficult to read. A boxed pair of original Edo period, kogatana utility knife and samurai's kogai hair dressing piece. A Kogatana (小刀), or "small sword" in English is a small knife designed to be fitted within its Kozuka (handle). The Kogatana is a small utility knife that fits into a pocket if it has the option on the Saya.

A Kozuka (小柄), or "small handle" in English is a small Tsuka hilt designed to be fitted with the Kogatana blade It usually features various designs inspired by famous historical events or popular Katana-related designs.

The Kogai (笄) is a spike for hair arranging also used for various utility tasks, that fits into a pocket on the saya (similarly to the Kogatana).

The Kogatana and Kogai are the reasons why there are small holes on either or both sides of the Tsuba, so they can be pulled while the Katana is in its Saya. The kogakatana blade is often easily removable from the kozuka handle for ease of cleaning and replacement  read more

Code: 23943

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

A Most Scarce and Superb US Civil War, Savage North , Navy .36cal Revolver With “Trophy Cuts’ Issued to Either the Wisconsin, Missouri or Kansas Cavalry

A rare revolver that we are lucky to find only one or two a year, and this one is a particularly nice example. During the Civil War they were also acquired by Witcher’s Nighthawks, White’s Rebels, two Confederate cavalry regiments in Virginia, the 11th Texas Cavalry under Col. George Reeves, and the Union’s US Navy’s warships. Probably The most unusual and distinctive revolver ever made, and certainly the most distinctive revolver used during the American Civil War in the 1860s. Nothing was ever made before quite like it frankly since it has very modern features which were revolutionary at the time and utilised by just a few revolvers many decades. With four distinctive down stroke cuts and two cross cuts to the butt stock. This by tradition is recognised as trophy marks. One cut for each successful gunfight outcome. Produced in the 1860's. Standard three line address and patent markings on top of the frame above the cylinder. Henry North patent action, with a ring trigger for revolving the cylinder and cocking the hammer, and a second conventional trigger for firing, and a shared heart-shaped trigger guard. Very good fully operational action. Two-section cylinder, with the front section unfluted and the rear section fitted to the frame with cut-outs along the sides. Smooth grips with a distinctive blackstrap profile. One of the very scarce revolvers of the US Civil War. With good clear maker and patent markings. A very collectable pistol that were made in far fewer numbers than their sister guns, the Colt and the Remington. A very expensive gun in it's day, it had a complex twin trigger mechanism, and a revolving cylinder with a spring operated gas seal. One of our very favourite guns of the 19th century, that epitomises the extraordinary and revolutionary designs and forms of arms that were being invented at that time, and for it's sheer extravagance of complexity, combined with it's unique and highly distinctive profile. The Savage Navy Model, a six shot .36 calibre revolver, was made only from 1861 until 1862 with a total production of only 20,000 guns. This unique military revolver was one of the few handguns that was produced only for Civil War use. Its design was based on the antebellum Savage-North "figure eight" revolver, the Savage Navy had a unique way of cocking the hammer. The shooter used his middle finger to draw back the "figure 8" lever and then pushed it forward to cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder. The Union purchased just under 12,000 of these initially at $19.00 apiece for use by its cavalry units. Savage Navy revolvers were issued to the 1st and 2nd Wisconsin U.S. Volunteer Cavalry regiments, and 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry while the State of Missouri issued 292 Savage revolvers to its Missouri Enrolled Militia units. The remaining revolvers were purchased by private means and shipped to the Confederacy for use with the 34th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Nighthawks), the 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry (White's Rebels), 11th Texas Cavalry, 7th Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's Cavalry), and 7th Missouri Cavalry. The United States Navy also made a small purchase of 800 Savages during 1861 for use on its ships. One of our very favourite guns of the 19th century, that epitomises the extraordinary and revolutionary Heath Robinsonseque designs and forms of arms, that were being invented at that time, and for it's sheer extravagance of complexity, combined with it's unique and highly distinctive profile. We show in the gallery three different original photos of Civil War soldiers, each one proudly carries his Savage revolver for information only, not included. In May 2018 a similar Savage Navy Revolver sold in auction in America for $48,875, naturally it was a very nice example. As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 22325

A Fine .36 Calibre Colt Navy London Revolver, 1851 Model Navy Manufactured in 1855

All matching serial numbers, 22XXX, good spring action, fully engraved cylinder, but, as usual the roll engraving is very shallow and mostly difficult to see. The scene is an American sea battle between the Texas Navy and the Mexican Navy.. Superb blue-black patination with slight areas of pitting to the surface visible. Hand chequered grips. One of the 42,000 superb revolvers made in the London factory, used in all the major conflicts of the day, from the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny to the American Civil War and beyond in the American Wild West era.

The seamen of the Royal Naval Brigade were initially issued with the Colt Pattern 1851 ‘Navy’ revolver. Over 9,600 were acquired by the Royal Navy during the Crimean War. we show in the gallery an identical example that was used in the Crimean War now in a museum collection. another painting in the gallery of a guards officer using his same Colt in battle in the Crimea.

The designation "Colt 1851 Navy" was designated by collectors, though the popular name "Navy Revolver" is of early origin, as the gun was frequently called the "Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber." The cylinder was often engraved with a scene of the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche in May 16, 1843. The Texas Navy had purchased the earlier Colt Paterson Revolver, but this was Colt's first major success in the gun trade; the naval theme of the engraved cylinder of the Colt 1851 Navy revolver was Colt's gesture of appreciation. Despite the "Navy" designation, the revolver was chiefly purchased by civilians and military land forces. Famous "Navy" users included Wild Bill Hickok, William Buffalo Bill Cody, John Henry "Doc" Holliday, Richard Francis Burton, Ned Kelly, Bully Hayes, Richard H. Barter, Robert E. Lee, Nathan B. Forrest, John O'Neill, Frank Gardiner, Quantrill's Raiders, John Coffee "Jack" Hays, "Bigfoot" Wallace, Frederick Townsend Ward, Ben McCulloch, Addison Gillespie, John "Rip" Ford, "Sul" Ross and most Texas Rangers prior to the Civil War. Usage continued long after more modern cartridge revolvers were introduced in 1873. Wild Bill Hickok was a legendary character in the Old West and a great exponent of the Colt Navy 1851. Wild Bill arrived in the West initially as a stage coach driver and later became a Lawman in the territories around Kansas and Nebraska. He fought during the American Civil War on the side of the Union Army and achieved renown afterwards as a scout, gambler and gunfighter. During his time as a Lawman Wild Bill engaged in many shootouts, and with his Colt Navy 1851 he was a very accurate and deadly shot, more so as he always remained calm, cool and collected in a shoot out, whilst the other party was nervous and scared. Hickok's guns were inscribed they also had ivory handles and were quite special pieces. Apparently they were both engraved with the words J.B. Hickok 1869. He was presented the guns in 1869 by Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts for his services as scout for a hunting trip. It was said to have been remarked by a Colt Navy owner "A Gentleman would not want to appear armed, but would not be so foolish as to go unarmed.

However, the most famous gunman who favoured the Navy above other arms was James Butler (“Wild Bill”) Hickok. He was fast and deadly, and long before he was murdered in Deadwood, Dakota Territory in 1876, he had acquired the title “Prince of Pistoleers.”
The 1851 Navy is believed to have been Sam Colt’s personal favorite. The evidence is derived from the only image of Colt with a weapon. The revolver that is in that picture is the Navy. Colt’s personal revolvers seemed to have been an engraved pair of Navies with ivory grips displaying a horse head. In addition to the portrait, Colt favored the Navy for presentation to individuals who could help his business. Among the many recipients of these beautifully engraved gifts were President Franklin Pierce, Secretary of War John B. Floyd, Sam Houston, Czar Nicholas, and Colonel Thomas Lally.

42’000 were produced in London, England, with state-of-the-art machines and dedicated production lines; back then the most technologically advanced factories in the world. The designation "Colt 1851 Navy" was designated by collectors, though the popular name "Navy Rev." is of early origin, as the gun was frequently called the "Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Calibre."

Just returned from the conservation workshop after three days hand conservation.

As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 24752

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

Roman Ist Century AD Hippocampus Intaglio Engraved Bronze 'Status' Ring.

Henig type Xb bronze Roman ring around 1900 years old. In copper bronze with great, natural age patination

In the Iliad, Homer describes Poseidon, god of horses, earthquakes, and the sea, driving a chariot drawn by brazen-hoofed horses over the sea's surface, and Apollonius of Rhodes, describes the horse of Poseidon emerging from the sea and galloping across the Libyan sands.8 This compares to the specifically "two-hoofed" hippocampi of Gaius Valerius Flaccus in his Argonautica: "Orion when grasping his father’s reins heaves the sea with the snorting of his two-hooved horses." In Hellenistic and Roman imagery, however, Poseidon (or Roman Neptune) often drives a sea-chariot drawn by hippocampi. Thus, hippocampi sport with this god in both ancient depictions and much more modern ones, such as in the waters of the 18th-century Trevi Fountain in Rome surveyed by Neptune from his niche above.

The engraved intaglio seal ring was important for displaying the Roman's status. For example Tiberius, who was after all left-handed according to Suetonius, thus displays a ring in his bronze portrait as the Pontifex Maximus: The complete Roman Empire had around a 60 million population and a census more perfect than many parts of the world (to collect taxes, of course) but identification was still quite difficult and aggravated even more because there were a maximum of 17 men names and the women received the name of the family in feminine and a number (Prima for First, Secunda for Second…). A lot of people had the same exact name.
So the Roman proved the citizenship by inscribing themselves (or the slaves when they freed them) in the census, usually accompanied with two witnesses. Roman inscribed in the census were citizens and used an iron or bronze ring to prove it. With Augustus, those that could prove a wealth of more than 400,000 sesterces were part of a privileged class called Equites (knights) that came from the original nobles that could afford a horse. The Equites were middle-high class and wore a bronze or gold ring to prove it, with the famous Angusticlavia (a tunic with an expensive red-purple twin line). Senators (those with a wealth of more than 1,000,000 sesterces) also used the gold ring and the Laticlave, a broad band of purple in the tunic.

So the rings were very important to tell from a glimpse of eye if a traveller was a citizen, an equites or a senator, or legionary. People sealed and signed letters with the rings and its falsification could bring death.
The fugitive slaves didn’t have rings but iron collars with texts like “If found, return me to X” which also helped to recognise them. The domesticus slaves (the ones that lived in houses) didn’t wore the collar but sometimes were marked. A ring discovered 50 years ago is now believed to possibly be the ring of Pontius Pilate himself, and it was the same copper-bronze form ring as is this one.

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: 25078