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ARRIVING SOON! A Very Good British, King George IIIrd Officer's-Duelling Flintlock Pistol.

Napoleonic Wars Era fine English flintlock, made by Dunderdale, Mabson and Labron. With original ivory tipped ramrod. Lock signed and with rolling frizzen. Good action and finely engraved brass mounts with pineapple finial trigger guard. Fine juglans regia walnut stock. Used by an officer who would likely have served in the Peninsular campaign and possibly the Battle of Waterloo. Good working action 15 inches long overall. As used by all officers and gentlemen of status in the King George IIIrd era. Duelling was such part of life in Georgian England, some duels gained almost mythic status. In fact they were such a part of society we show in the gallery a superb satirical painting of a duel between animals, entitled "Before the Monkey Duel" by Bristow. English guns of this period are probably the most sought after in the world by collectors, Finest walnut full-stock and steel barrel. Excellent engraved brass furniture, fully engraved throughout with acorn finial to the trigger guard. Original ivory tipped ramrod. Duelling practices and rituals were codified in the Code Duello of 1777 which set forth rules describing all aspects of an "affair of honour," from the time of day during which challenges could be received to the number of shots or wounds required for satisfaction of honour. For gentlemen the law "offered no redress for insults" he might be subject to from rivals and enemies. Shooting a fellow officer in a duel "gave a sharp edge to one's reputation, earned congratulations in the regimental mess, and brought admiring glances from the ladies…. Higher military authorities…regarded duelling as a proof test of courage…" Although theoretically banned by British Army regulations, refusing a challenge was likely to result in an officer having to leave his regiment, for the same rules that banned duelling forbade an officer from submitting to "opprobrious expressions" or "any conduct from another that should degrade him, or, in the smallest way impeach his courage." To decline a challenge was often equated to defeat by forfeiture, and was sometimes even regarded as dishonourable. Prominent and famous individuals ran an especial risk of being challenged for duels.
Among the most famous duels are the American Burr-Hamilton duel, in which notable Federalist Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded, and the duel between Duke of Wellington and the 10th Earl of Winchelsea, wherein each participant intentionally missed the other. 200 years ago, in the middle of the Napoleonic wars, Britain launched a military and naval expedition to Walcheren in Holland. It failed. George Canning, the foreign secretary, sought covertly to blame his rival, Lord Castlereagh, and to have him removed from the War Office. When Castlereagh discovered what was going on, he wrote to Canning: “You continued to sit in the same Cabinet with me, and to leave me not only in the persuasion that I possessed your confidence and support as a colleague, but you allowed me to… proceed in the Execution of a new Enterprise of the most arduous and important nature, with your apparent concurrence… You were fully aware that if my situation in the government had been disclosed to me, I could not have submitted to remain one moment in office, without the entire abandonment of my private honour and public duty. You knew I was deceived, and you continued to deceive me.” Castlereagh demanded “satisfaction”, by which he meant a duel. The two men met on Putney Heath. Both missed with their first shots, but Castlereagh insisted on a second round and wounded Canning in the thigh, without doing him serious injury. There was a public scandal: duelling was against the law. Both men resigned, but both later returned to high office: Castlereagh’s career, which had been expiring, revived, while Canning ultimately, though briefly, became prime minister. Two officers in Napoleon’s army spent 19 years attempting to eliminate each other up in a series of duels that were always bloody but never lethal. Their dispute began in 1794 when Captain Dupont was ordered to stop Captain Fournier attending a party. Fournier took umbrage, challenged Dupont and thy fought the first of 17 duels. As the years passed, they drew up a contract. If they came within 100 miles of each other, they would fight, military duty alone excusing a duel. Such was their companionship in honour that on occasion they dined together before fighting. In the end, by 1813, General Dupont tired of fighting General Fournier. He also wished to marry. So he arranged an unusual duel in which they stalked one another in a forest, armed with two pistols. Dupont stuck his coat on a stick and tricked hi opponent into firing twice. Dupont spared Fournier’s life but told him that if they duelled again, he reserved the right to fire two bullets first from a few yards range. They never fought again. As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables

Code: 23518

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SOLD A Good Victorian Sword Cane Carved Horn Pear Shaped Handle

20 inch blade, 36.5 inches long overall.Bamboo haft, long square section blade. As an antique collectable it is simply awesome. A startling and most collectable conversation piece, worthy of the legendary Sherlock Holmes himself, in fact, more likely a tool of the diabolical genius, and arch nemeses of Holmes, Professor Moriarty . One can only imagine what perils and heinous adversities that it's original owner, who had this awesome cane commissioned, must have feared, dreaded or even instigated. The name Bartitsu might well have been completely forgotten if not for a chance mention by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in one of his Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. In the Adventure of the Empty House (1903), Holmes explained that he had escaped the clutches of his enemy Professor Moriarty through his knowledge of bartitsu, or Japanese wrestling. Using a walking cane with or without hidden blade. Although Byron was proficient in the use of pistols, his lameness and his need to defend himself in some potentially dangerous situations made a swordstick doubly useful to him. He received lessons in London from the fencing master Henry Angelo and owned a number of swordsticks, some of which were supplied by his boxing instructor Gentleman John Jackson. The name NOEL BYRON on the ferrule of his one indicated that it was used after 1822, when Byron added the surname Noel after the death of his mother-in-law.

There are several references to sword sticks in the correspondence of Byron and his circle. Byron wrote to Hobhouse from Switzerland on 23 June 1816 asking him to Bring with you also for me some bottles of Calcined Magnesia a new Sword cane procured by Jackson he alone knows the sort (my last tumbled into this lake ) some of Waite's red tooth-powder & tooth-brushes a Taylor's Pawrsanias Pausanias and I forget the other things. Hobhouse responded on 9 July: Your commissions shall be punctually fulfilled whether as to muniments for the mind or body pistol brushes, cundums, potash Prafsanias Pausanias tooth powder and sword stick.

In the entry for 22 September 1816 in Byron's Alpine Journal he describes how, at the foot of the Jungfrau,
"Storm came on , thunder, lightning, hail, all in perfection and beautiful, I was on horseback the Guide wanted to carry my cane I was going to give it him when I recollected it was a Sword stick and I thought that the lightning might be attracted towards him kept it myself a good deal encumbered with it & my cloak as it was too heavy for a whip and the horse was stupid & stood still every other peal."

In a letter to Maria Gisborne of 6-10 April 1822, Mary Shelley described the "Pisan affray" of 24 March, in which Sergeant-Major Masi was pitch-forked by one of Byron's servants. She recounted how Byron rode to his own house, and got a sword stick from one of his servants. For Display and collecting purposes only. 20 inch blade 36 inches long overall

Code: 23223

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SOLD. A Fabulous Rare Norman Early Crusader's Sword With Cross of Christ ✝️ Inlaid Blade Of The 1100’s AD

An original Norman Sword with undoubted Viking influences, (as the Normans were historically Viking) a Christian cross Inlay from the 12th-13th century, 1100's to 1200's. In Ewart Oakeshott’s 'Records of the Medieval Sword', out of 230 surviving examples inspected just 35 of them had crosses remaining on some part of the weapon. This works out to being approximately only 15% of the 230 swords counted and the majority of swords containing crosses seem to date prior to 1300. An iron double-edged sword of Petersen Type X and Oakeshott Type Xa, its tapering blade with narrow fullers and battle nicks to both edges, one side with copper cross of Christ inlay; wide guard of Oakeshott Style 1, sturdy tang and 'tea-cosy' form pommel. Fine condition throughout. Cross guard mobile. The 11th and 12th centuries the Norman knight was possibly the most feared warrior in Western Europe. He was descended originally from the Vikings who had settled in Northern France under their leader Rollo in or around 911 at the behest of Charles the Simple and throughout the following centuries they remembered and built on their warlike reputation. Their military prowess was renowned throughout the known world and resulted in Normans conquering Sicily in 1060 and England in 1066, as well as participating in many important battles in Italy and playing a major part in the First Crusade. Most historians consider the sermon preached by Pope Urban II at Clermont-Ferrand in November 1095 to have been the spark that fueled a wave of military campaigns to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim control. Considered at the time to be divinely sanctioned, these campaigns, involving often ruthless battles, are known as the Crusades. At their core was a desire for access to shrines associated with the life and ministry of Jesus, above all the Holy Sepulcher, the church in Jerusalem said to contain the tomb of Christ. Absolution from sin and eternal glory were promised to the Crusaders, who also hoped to gain land and wealth in the East. Nobles and peasants responded in great number to the call and marched across Europe to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire. With the support of the Byzantine emperor, the knights, guided by Armenian Christians , tenuously marched to Jerusalem through Seljuq-controlled territories in modern Turkey and Syria. In June 1099, the Crusaders began a five-week siege of Jerusalem, which fell on July 15, 1099 . Eyewitness accounts attest to the terror of battle. Ralph of Caen, watching the city from the Mount of Olives, saw “the scurrying people, the fortified towers, the roused garrison, the men rushing to arms, the women in tears, the priests turned to their prayers, the streets ringing with cries, crashing, clanging and neighing.”
From a private family collection; previously acquired from a collection formed before 1990; thence by descent; accompanied by an archaeological report by the military specialist Dr. Raffaele Amato.
See Petersen, J., De Norske Vikingsverd, Oslo, 1919; Oakeshott, E., Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge, 1991; Oakeshott,E., The sword in the Age of the Chivalry, Woodbridge, 1964 (1994); Gravett, C., Medieval Norman Knight, 950-1204 AD, London, 1993; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002; practically identical guard and pommel of the sword from Hagerbakken (Petersen, 1919, fig.124).
Footnotes
This type usually presents a slender blade, generally long in proportion to the hilt with a narrow fuller running for much of the blade’s length to within a few inches of the point. The tea-cosy or Brazil-nut variants were the most popular forms of pommel for this typology, from the late 10th century onwards (Gravett, 1993, p.5). According to Petersen, this type was not originally of Nordic origin, even if some specimens were forged in the Nordic lands. The sword is found in such quantities that it exists not only over the whole of Nordic countries, but also over the whole of Central Europe. It was a common Germanic type in Central and Northern Europe during the century preceding the Crusades, and it was still the typical Norman sword of the 12th century. 1.2 kg, 33 3/4". Oakeshott co-founded the Arms and Armour Society in 1948 and his first publications are found in the Society's journals. Thus the Oakeshott legacy lives on through his books, articles, and through The Oakeshott Institute. One of the Institute's objectives is "To continue the research of Ewart Oakeshott into the study and classification of swords from the European context, improving our understanding of the materials, construction and stylistic development of these objects." The seminal study of the topic of Viking swords is due to Jan Petersen (De Norske Vikingsverd, 1919).

Petersen(1919): Devised the original hilt typology of 26 types that is still widely used across Europe for classifying and dating Viking swords. Based on about 1,700 finds of Viking swords in Norway this typology remains the most commonly used. Petersen's types are identified by capital letters A–Z. Petersen listed a total of 110 specimens found in Norway. Of these, 40 were double-edged, 67 were single-edged and 3 indeterminate The seminal study of the topic is due to Jan Petersen (De Norske Vikingsverd, 1919). Incredibly swords of this time, providing they stayed within the ancestral family of the knights for whom it was originally made in the 1100s, could still have been used up to and including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Sword design had not changed a great deal in that time and if an English knight had had a famous ancestor from several generations before using the sword, it is easily conceivable that he would continue to use it in combat into the 15 century. The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War. The battle took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) in the County of Saint-Pol, Artois, some 40 km south of Calais. Along with the battles of Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356), it was one of the most important English triumphs in the conflict. England's victory at Agincourt against a numerically superior French army crippled France, and started a new period in the war during which the English began enjoying great military successes.

After several decades of relative peace, the English had renewed their war effort in 1415 amid the failure of negotiations with the French. In the ensuing campaign, many soldiers perished due to disease and the English numbers dwindled, but as they tried to withdraw to English-held Calais they found their path blocked by a considerably larger French army. Despite the disadvantage, the following battle ended in an overwhelming tactical victory for the English.

King Henry V of England led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself, as he suffered from severe psychotic illnesses with moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.

This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with the English and Welsh archers forming up to 80 percent of Henry's army. The decimation of the French cavalry at their hands is regarded as an indicator of the decline of cavalry and the beginning of the dominance of ranged weapons on the battlefield.

Agincourt is one of England's most celebrated victories. The battle is the centrepiece of the play Henry V by Shakespeare. Juliet Barker in her book Agincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle ( published in 2005) argues the English and Welsh were outnumbered "at least four to one and possibly as much as six to one". She suggests figures of about 6,000 for the English and 36,000 for the French, based on the Gesta Henrici's figures of 5,000 archers and 900 men-at-arms for the English, and Jean de Wavrin's statement "that the French were six times more numerous than the English". The 2009 Encyclopædia Britannica uses the figures of about 6,000 for the English and 20,000 to 30,000 for the French. £13,500

Code: 23427

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SOLD Propaganda Book Ein Buch vom neuen Heer With Original Fly Cover.

Hauptmann Georg Haid
Ein Buch vom neuen Heer Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, W.Keller & Co., Stuttgart
Hitler's new German Wehrmacht in words and pictures.176 pp. - Bound - Dimensions: 24 cm x 16.5 cm slight signs of wear. NSDAP office Schleswig Holstein dept. Named to owner. The position of Gauleiter of the NSDAP in Schleswig-Holstein was held by Hinrich Lohse from its establishment on 26 February 1925 throughout the history of the Gau, with the exception of a six-month period in 1932 when the office was held by Joachim Meyer-Quade. From 1941 onward Lohse was simultaneously in charge of the Reichskommissariat Ostland where he was responsible for the implementation of Nazi Germanization policies built on the foundations of the Generalplan Ost: The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was an extreme socialist political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945, that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; DAP), existed from 1919 to 1920. The Nazi Party emerged from the German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post-World War I Germany. The party was created to draw workers away from communism and into völkisch nationalism. Initially, Nazi political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric, although this was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders

Code: 23503

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SOLD WW2 German Propaganda Book. 'Advance' Colour photos by Heinz Schröter, with a foreword by Helmut Jahn

Complete edition in the original publisher's binding (stiff cover / paperback / cardboard cover 13.7 x 18.7 cm) with spine and cover title. About 60 uncounted pages, with many - partly double-sided - photo illustrations (war events during the western campaign in France and Belgium). The small WI series, published by the propaganda company of an army (WI = Western Front Illustrierte). - German / Third Reich, Greater Germany in World War II, illustrated books, warfare in National Socialism, Wehrmacht, western campaign in France, tank attack, German tank attack in the picture, soldiers on the enemy, German war experience, war photography, colour photography before 1945, Wehrmacht. In good condition (cover slight signs of wear,otherwise very good) Published in Paris in 1942. Sent to the staff office from the printers. The Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS (German: Hauptamt Persönlicher Stab Reichsführer-SS) was a main office of the SS which was established in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler to serve as a personal office coordinating various activities and projects subordinate to the Reichsführer-SS. n 1933, Karl Wolff came to the attention of Himmler who in June 1933, appointed Wolff his adjutant and made him chief of the office of his Personal Staff. Himmler also appointed Wolff the SS Liaison Officer to Hitler. As Himmler's principle adjutant and close associate, Wolff's daily activities involved overseeing Himmler's schedule and serving as a liaison with other SS offices and agencies. The office conveyed the wishes/interests of the Reichsführer to all branches, offices, and subordinated units within the SS. It also handled Himmler's personal correspondence and awarded decorations. Wolff managed Himmler's affairs with the Nazi Party, state agencies and personnel. Following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, Wolff fell out with Himmler and was replaced by Maximilian von Herff who served as its head until the end of the war.

Himmler also established several special project teams under the authority of his personal office. This included the staff of the Wewelsburg castle as well as the Ahnenerbe. This team of experts was interested in the anthropological and cultural history of the Aryan race. It conducted experiments and launched voyages with the intent of proving that prehistoric and mythological Nordic populations had once ruled the world.

Code: 23501

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SOLD Original German Book of The History of The Iron Cross 1813 to 1939. Das Eieserne Kreuz The Iron Cross

Bauch, Kurt: Published in Berlin in 1941, by Verlag von E.S. Mittler & Sohn. Berlin. A must have reference book in German for any collector of the world famous German Iron Cross. With fly leaf cover but perished down the spine cover, inner and outer. Thin cardboard hardback. Including quotes from the Kaiser and Adolf Hitler. The Iron Cross comes in two grades, Second Class and First Class. This example the Iron Cross First Class could only be awarded for an act of outstanding bravery and also to one who had previously received the Iron Cross Second Class. Hence, the First Class was more restricted and more highly prized. When the Iron Cross First Class was awarded, the Iron Cross Second Class was signified with a small ribbon attached to a button. Adolf Hitler was awarded this identical type of 1st Class Iron Cross in WW1, and always wore it throughout WW2 with pride. Next to the Victoria Cross, it is the most famous medal in the world. The Iron Cross was awarded for bravery in battle as well as other conspicuous military contributions in a battlefield environment. In order to receive the Iron Cross 1st Class Heer and Waffen SS men would have to perform three to four further acts of courage from the one that earned him the 2nd Class; The Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine had the following criteria; the award was regularly awarded to U-boat Commanders upon sinking 50,000 tons and to Luftwaffe pilots when they achieved six or seven confirmed
kills; Of course these were only guidelines, and a single act of great importance or a long steady career could earn the individual the Cross. The Iron Cross 2nd Class came with a ribbon and was worn in one of two different methods: When in formal dress, the entire cross was worn mounted alone or as part of a medal bar. For everyday wear, only the ribbon was worn from the second hole in the tunic button.
The Iron Cross is a black four-pointed cross with white trim, with the arms widening toward the ends, similar to a cross patt?e. It was designed by the neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and reflects the cross borne by the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century.

Initially the Iron Cross was worn with the blank side out. This did not change until 1838 when the sprig facing could be presented.

Since the Iron Cross was issued over several different periods of German history, it was annotated with the year indicating the era in which it was issued. For example, an Iron Cross from the First World War bears the year "1914", while the same decoration from the Second World War is annotated "1939". The reverse of the 1870, 1914 and 1939 series of Iron Crosses have the year "1813" appearing on the lower arm, symbolizing the year the award was created. The 1813 decoration also has the initials "FW" for King Frederick William III, while the next two have a "W" for the respective kaisers, Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II. The final version shows a swastika. A cross was the symbol of the Teutonic Knights (a heraldic cross patt?e), and the cross design (but not the specific decoration) has been the symbol of Germany's armed forces (now the Bundeswehr) since 1871.

Code: 23500

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Stunning Roman Centurion or Legionary's Seal Ring Engraved With The God Mars

Original 1st-2nd century AD. Engraved a standing Mars (Greek Ares) holding shield and spear, see for reference; Cf. Henkel, F., Die Römischen Fingerringe der Rheinlande und der Benachbarten Gebiete, Berlin, 1913, items 168, 202a,959 and 1785, for types. From a private collection formed in the Netherlands; previously in a European collection formed prior to 1980. Roman rings with images of Mars and lions were often worn by soldiers, Mars being the god of war and the lion connected with Hercules and the Praetorian Guard; in general the majority of rings recovered in provincial cities were made of bronze from local workshops. The most common alloy employed for the largest number of ornaments and with the greatest variety of shapes was brass, the alloy of copper and zinc. The high number of alloys with a different composition indicates that there was a significantly increased demand for jewellery similar in colour to precious metal, but less expensive and easier to produce. Made from the time of the Emperors Tiberious, and Nero up to Marcus Aurelius. In 181 AD, Marcus Valerius Maximianus, an important Roman general, was the general of the 1st Legion Italica, and he was a confident of Emperor Marcus Aurelias, during the period of the Marcomannic Wars. It is said he inspired the composite fictional general Maximus Decimus Meridius, the main character and Roman General in Gladiator played by Russell Crowe, and it was the Marcomannic wars that are depicted in the earliest scenes in Gladiator in which the fictional version of Marcus Valerius Maximis was a commanding general. The real Marcus Valerius Maximianus was placed in charge of detachments of the praetorian fleets of Misenum and Ravenna and also of African and Moorish cavalry used for scouting duties in Pannonia. While on active service with the cavalry Maximianus killed a Germanic chieftain named as "Valao, chief of the Naristi" with his own hand and was publicly praised by the Emperor, who granted him the chieftain's "horse, decorations and weapons". He was appointed prefect of the lance-bearing cavalry and was in charge of the cavalry. The Ist Legion was still based on the Danube in the 5th century. We show a Roman marble bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius who was played by Richard Harris in Gladiator. The main fighting unit of the Roman army was the legion. During the first three centuries of the empire the army contained between 25 and 34 legions. Each legion was made up of about 5000 men recruited from the citizens. Although the soldiers of the legion were Roman citizens, they were drawn from all walks of life and legions often consisted of natives from conquered countries. A ring such as this would likely have been worn by a man in one of these legions, by either a legionary or a centurion legion, and indeed, others,

The legion contained within its ranks troops trained and equipped to perform many duties in wartime and peace. Although the vast majority of soldiers served as heavy infantry, other legionaries fought as cavalry, archers or light infantry. Other troops operated artillery such as the ballista, onagar and scorpio The troops were however not solely prepared for combat. Legionaries regularly served as engineers constructing fortifications, roads and bridges. As the legion counted among its complement a vast number of men with special skills, it was in many ways self-supporting. A large part of its military equipment could be produced by craftsmen drawn from the ranks. Soldiers trained as surveyors, engineers and architects ensured that the legion needed little outside help for its building requirements. As far as a Legion travelled it built buildings, bridges, even sewer systems. And their efforts were stamped upon some of their building bricks to show which legion had constructed them. There are some parts of London that still bear bricks stamped by their engineers of the Roman Legions. Bricks, blocks and tiles stamped P.P.BR.LON or some variant of this has been found associated with the traces of the old Roman palace off Cannon St. Whatever the meaning of the first P, it is clear that the P.BR.LON or PR.BR., as it sometimes appears, is an abbreviation for PROVINCIAE BRITANNIAE LONDINII. At the site of a Roman bath house in Jerusalem, three of the bricks recovered bore the same style of rectangular stamped impression of the Roman Legio X Fretensis – stamped thus LE X FR. Legio X Fretensis ("Tenth legion of the Strait") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was founded by the young Gaius Octavius (later to become Augustus Caesar) in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of civil war that started the dissolution of the Roman Republic. X Fretensis is then recorded to have existed at least until the 410s.

Code: 23488

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Part of the Wreckage from The Very First German Plane Shot Down by RAF in WW2

The second and last of two parts we acquired. The first piece sold just recently. Amazing significant historical artefact from the very beginning of WW2. Recovered by an aeronautical archaeologist who has appeared in several British television documentary series, from the wreckage of the very first plane shot down by the RAF since 1918, at the start of WW2. This piece was permitted to be kept by the archaeologist with permission from the relevant official authorities. Aeronautical alloy from The Dornier Do17p, The first German aircraft shot down over France during the war. It was this Dornier Do 17P of 2(F)123, brought down by Pilot Officer Mould's Hawker Hurricane of No. 1 Squadron RAF on 30 October 1939. The Dornier, Wrk Nr. 4414, constructed at Blohm & Voss, crashed near Vassincourt, killing all three of its crew, Hauptmann Balduin von Norman, Oberleutnant Hermann Heisterberg and Feldwebel Friedrich Pfeuffer. Pilot Officer Peter Mould scored the squadron?s first kill when he downed a Dornier DO17 engaged in a high-level reconnaissance flight. The combat report indicated that the Dornier ?appeared to have been taken by surprise as no evasive tactics were employed and no fire was encountered by PO Mould.? In the tradition of their forebearers of the Royal Flying Corps, the squadron took souvenirs from the crash site near Toul, and celebrated the victory in style. Mould, though, was sobered on seeing the wreckage, and confessed to Paul Richey that he was ?bloody sorry I went and looked at the wreck. What gets me down is thought that I did it.? ?30/10/39 Local patrol maintained throughout the day. At 14:30 hrs three enemy aircraft were seen at a high altitude over the aerodrome. The aerodrome defence section immediately took off in pursuit and one of the raiders was overtaken at 18,000ft ten miles west of Toul and shot down by P/O Mould. The other two escaped in cloud. The enemy shot down was a Dornier and appeared to have been taken by surprise as no evasive tactics were employed and no fire was encountered by P/O Mould? Fellow No 1 Sqn pilots P/O Paul Richey and Sgt Soper took off in pursuit of the Dornier, but to no avail, and after a fruitless 15 minute search they returned to Vassincourt. Peter 'Boy' Mould had just finished refueling after a patrol when the German flew over, he took off immediately and using the supercharger override climbed to 18,000ft where caught up with his victim as Paul Richey recounted in his famous book, ?Fighter Pilot? ?He did an ordinary straight astern attack, and fired one longish burst with his sights starting above the Dornier and moving slowly round the fuselage. The Hun caught fire immediately, went into a vertical spiral, and eventually made a large hole in the French countryside. It exploded on striking the ground, and there were no survivors. The remains of a gun from the machine, together with a bullet-holed oxygen bottle now adorned our Mess.? The Dornier Do17P, a twin camera equipped photo-reconnaissance aircraft from 2(F)123, was destroyed in the crash. All three of the crew were killed. Hauptmann Balduin von Norman und Audenhove, Oberleutnant Hermann Heisterbergk and Feldwebel Friedrich Pfeuffer were buried locally by the French. They were later reinterred in a common grave in the German military cemetery at Andilly. 2(F)123 were based at W?zburg under the direct command of Luftflotte 3; Von Normann led the unit of 12 aircraft until his death in the crash. The location of the crash site is Traveron, a very small hamlet on the Meuse in Eastern France, about 20 miles South West of Nancy. Annexed to Sauvigny. This item is certified with a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. It was one of two pieces we acquired from the aeronautical archaeologist from the initial dig recovery. 16.25 inches x 4.75 inches

Code: 23487

395.00 GBP

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SOLD A Stunning Long, Edo Period Antique Katana, With a Simply Amazing & Impressive Blade With Captivating Jihada Grain

The blade on this sword shows absolutely spectacular graining throughout the jihada, and to us, it is probably the most beautiful hada there is, it also has horimono [blade carving] depicting a dragon on one side of the blade, and a Buddhist ken [ancient straight sword] on the other. The jihada is simply fabulous and the blade is in around 75% of its original Edo period polish, untouched for at least 150 years, and it shows every fabulous detail of the blade's structure which is so rarely seen in such complex intensity. To us it seems to be a rare yakumo-hada (八雲肌): A very particular jihada that is created by a combination of steels with different carbon content, an approach that results in thick and standing-out chikei-like structures. This kind of jihada is mostly seen on blades by Mito Rekkô (烈公) and is pretty rare. The later Edo period sword has an incredible deep curvature of the very early, Koto style, It is truly breathtaking. The tsuba is Edo, iron, and the tetsu-ji is decorated with tsuchime (hammer work) and Tembo style 'hot stamps' (Kokuin) Yamashiro Tenbo tsuba for katana, nakegaku (rounded square). All the mounts and fittings are Edo, the fushigashira of sinchu with inlaid silver stripes, gilt dragon menuki of dragons under blue silk tsukaito [binding] all the fittings are of the same matching period. Original Edo lacquer to the saya, with a fine kojiri bottom mount. Unsigned nakago with two ana. A samurai was recognised by his carrying the daisho, the long sword [daito], short sword [shoto] of the samurai warrior. These were the battle katana, and the wakizashi. The name katana derives from two old Japanese written characters or symbols: kata, meaning side, and na, or edge. Thus a katana is a single-edged sword that has had few rivals in the annals of war, either in the East or the West. Because the sword was the main battle weapon of Japan's knightly man-at-arms (although spears and bows were also carried), an entire martial art grew up around learning how to use it. This was kenjutsu, the art of sword fighting, or kendo in its modern, non-warlike incarnation. The importance of studying kenjutsu and the other martial arts such as kyujutsu, the art of the bow, was so critical to the samurai, a very real matter of life or death, that Miyamoto Musashi, most renowned of all swordsmen, warned in his classic The Book of Five Rings: The science of martial arts for warriors requires construction of various weapons and understanding the properties of the weapons. A member of a warrior family who does not learn to use weapons and understand the specific advantages of each weapon would seem to be somewhat uncultivated. The jihada is the 'grain' pattern on the surface of a Japanese blade. It is formed during the initial construction process where the steel billet which will eventually become the sword is repeatedly forged and folded. The resulting hada indicates the techniques which the smith used to make the blade. Sometimes the jihada is only faintly visible and even not to be seen at all, but with this jihada it is beautifully prominent. Ironically the only other way to see such a stunningly prominent jihada are on modern copy swords, that seem to simulate [with etching] this rare form more than any other type, as it is likely the most beautiful and therefore the most impressive.

Code: 23482

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An Original American Civil War Sergeant's Sword

Cast brass hilt shell guard and single edged blade. A good example of the swords used by the Union infantry in the American Civil War. M1840 NCO swords. The sword replaced a weapon more commonly known as the Model 1832 foot artillery sword which was used by both the infantry and the artillery regiments from 1832 to 1840. Its wearing was granted to all sergeant ranks until it came out of use in 1875. Additionally first sergeants and above would wear a waist sash from 1821 to 1872. The sword was worn either on a white or black baldric or with an Enfield bayonet frog. A shorter version with a 26-inch blade was carried by musicians, this was called the Model 1840 musicians' sword.

The M1840 has had a long service life, seeing frontline service from the Mexican–American War to the American Civil War until the Spanish–American War. During the Civil War it wasn't always issued to volunteer regiments.

The primary contractor for the production of the M1840 NCO sword seems to have been the Ames Manufacturing Company. The weapon was made with a blunt edge as it was intended for stabbing rather than slashing (as in the case of a curved cavalry sabre). It was the main weapon of standard bearers (along with the Colt Army Model 1860 and Colt 1851 navy revolver) and hospital stewards, as well as a secondary weapon for infantry NCOs. The sword was also used by the Confederates who captured many after seizing state arsenals. 32.5 inch blade no scabbard

Code: 23477

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