Antique Arms & Militaria

A Very Fine & Most Beautiful 18th Century Royal Naval Officer’s Sword of Hunting Sword Cutlass Type. As Used By Ship's Captain's and Fleet Admirals

Gilt brass hilt with fluted wooden grip and finely engraved blade with maker mark and Solingen, and hunting scenes.

Quillon block decorated with relief hunting horn and hunting devices. Acorn finials and fluted brass pommel.

In the days of the early Royal Navy, officers carried short swords in the pattern of hunting sword cutlasses, with both straight or curved blades, fancy brass mounted single knucklebow hilts with principally stag horn or reeded ebony grips. Although initially designed to protect the huntsman from a close quarter predatory attack, or the coup de grace, they were far more popular in England for use as naval officer's swords, not as their initial design intended, as Britain had far fewer great wild beasts that might threaten a huntsman.

There are numerous portraits in the National Portrait Gallery and The National Maritime Musuem that show British Admirals such as Benbow and Clowdesly Shovel holding such swords, often originally made on the continent as was this beauty.

24.5 inches long overall.  read more

Code: 22526

18th Century 1770's Hallmarked Silver Hilted American Revolutionary War Period Officer's Sword Used By Both American and British Officers. Made by William Kinman of London

A fabulously intricate pattern of hilt with a complex geometric piercing with arabesque scrolling and cut stone patterning. It is sometimes referred to as the Boulton pattern, named after Matthew Boulton a renown London silversmith of the 18th century. The grip has silver banding interspersed with a herringbone pattern twisted silver wire. William Kinman was a leading member of the Founders Company of London was born in 1728 and is recorded as a prominent silver hilt maker. He is recorded at 8 Snow Hill for the last time circa 1781, is recorded circa 1728-1808, [see L. Southwick 2001, pp. 159-160.]. The small sword or smallsword is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. The height of the small sword's popularity was between mid 17th and late 18th century. It is thought to have appeared in France and spread quickly across the rest of Europe. The small sword was the immediate predecessor of the French duelling sword (from which the épée developed) and its method of use—as typified in the works of such authors as Sieur de Liancour, Domenico Angelo, Monsieur J. Olivier, and Monsieur L'Abbat—developed into the techniques of the French classical school of fencing. Small swords were also used as status symbols and fashion accessories; for most of the 18th century anyone, civilian or military, and with gentlemanly status would have worn a small sword on a daily basis.
The small sword could be a highly effective duelling weapon, and some systems for the use of the bayonet were developed using the method of the smallsword as their foundation, (including perhaps most notably, that of Alfred Hutton).

Militarily, small swords continued to be used as a standard sidearm for infantry officers. In some branches with strong traditions, this practice continues to the modern day, albeit for ceremonial and formal dress only. The carrying of swords by officers in combat conditions was frequent in World War I and still saw some practice in World War II. The 1913 U.S. Army Manual of Bayonet Drill includes instructions for how to fight a man on foot with a small sword. Small swords are still featured on parade uniforms of some corps.
As a rule, the blade of a small sword is comparatively short at around 0.6 to 0.85 metres (24 to 33 in), though some reach over 0.9 metres (35 in). It usually tapers to a sharp point but may lack a cutting edge. It is typically triangular in cross-section. This sword's blade is approx 33 inches long. I its working life the pierced oval guard has been damaged, re-affixed and repaired

A sword by this maker with a very similar hilt is preserved in the Royal Armouries Leeds, IX.3782. See Southwick 2001, p. 290-1 pls. 75-7
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Code: 23950

A Very Rare Renaissance Main-Gauche, a Left Hand Parrying Dagger. Italian circa 1590-1620. Likely Made for a Royal Duke. With A Ducal Crown Engraved Pommel

A wonderful elegant example of these rare 'Maine Gauche' daggers used for parrying in the duel, in the era of England’s Queen Elizabeth the 1st, King James 1st, to King Charles the 1st, and it is in excellent plus condition.
The left handed parrying weapon used in the left hand, in conjunction with the long bladed Rapier in the right, in sword combat. In sword fighting, the main-gauche French for "left hand" is a dagger used in the off-hand, mainly to assist in parrying incoming thrusts, while the dominant hand wields a rapier or similar longer weapon intended for one-handed use. It may also be used for attack if an opportunity arises, such as for the ‘coup de grace’. The dagger has a slender four sided blade of diamond-section, with twin Crowned M armourer's marks, one per side at the ricasso. The hilt is fully engraved, and the outside of the pommel it has an engraved ducal crown within a circlet, and the inside pommel a rhombic Chinese flower, possibly part of the dukes family crest or symbol. It has an outer single ring guard and a polygon form conical pommel, converging towards the top pommel button. {A design recognised as pommel ‘32’, circa 1590-1610, in A.V.B.Normans Rapier and Small Sword 1460-1820.} It also has a very fine Turk's Head knot terminated twisted steel wire grip, in excellent condition.

We show in the gallery a close up of the pommel engraving, showing the style of crown, as can be seen in an early portrait of one being worn, that we show attached with it.

The parrying dagger is a category of small handheld weapons from the European late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. These weapons were used as off-hand weapons in conjunction with a single-handed sword such as a rapier. As the name implies they were designed to parry, or defend, more effectively than a simple dagger form, typically incorporating a wider guard, and often some other defensive features to better protect the hand as well. They may also be used for attack if an opportunity arises.
The use of this off-hand weapon gradually fell out of favour as sword fighting evolved. The use of progressively lighter primary weapons such as the small sword and épée.

The main-gauche {French for "left hand"}, was used mainly to assist in defense by parrying enemy thrusts, while the dominant hand wielded a rapier or similar longer weapon intended for one-handed use. Its most characteristic feature was downturned quillons that protected the hand, and the ring to one side.

Courtiers in later half of the 16th century did indeed wore rapiers to court as a sign of gentlemanly status and the privilege of engaging in extra-judicial duels of honour, with the main-gauche parrying dagger.

The rapier and dagger combination was primarily designed for self-defence using fighting techniques developed in Italy that are the ancestors of modern fencing. The sixteenth-century rapier was both a slashing and stabbing weapon. Its accompanying dagger was used in the left hand for parrying and stabbing in close. The stiff slender blades of both were designed to pierce clothing rather than armour.

The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art.

Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, statesmen, scientists and artists in human history thrived during this era, while global exploration opened up new lands and cultures to European commerce. The Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization.  read more

Code: 25340

A Fine & Beautiful Museum Piece. An Original Antique Fijian Ula, A Throwing War Club. A Singularly Beautiful Example & of Exceptional Rarity, From A Fijian Warring Cannibal Tribe Circa 18th Century Lt. Bligh RN of the Mutiny On The Bounty Period

A handsomely hand carved hardwood throwing club "ula" showing a stunning natural, age patina. With fine globed assymetrical head with top knob, and geometric carved patterning on the haft. It is perhaps the most famous and recognizable of all oceanic weapons.

The ula was the most personal fighting war weapon of the Fijian warrior and was carried, inserted into a warrior’s fibre girdle sometimes in pairs like pistols.

The throwing of the ula was achieved with great skill, precision and speed. It was often carried in conjunction with a heavier full length club or spear which served to finish an opponent after initially being disabled by a blow from the ula. It was made by a tribal weapon specialist from a variety of uprooted bushes or shrubs.

Across 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from east to west, Fiji has been a nation of many languages. Fiji's history was one of settlement but also of mobility. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. Constant warfare and cannibalism between warring tribes were quite rampant and very much part of everyday life. During the 19th century, Ratu Udre Udre is said to have consumed 872 people and to have made a pile of stones to record his achievement."Ceremonial occasions saw freshly killed corpses piled up for eating. 'Eat me!' was a proper ritual greeting from a commoner to a chief.

The posts that supported the chief's house or the priest's temple would have sacrificed bodies buried underneath them, with the rationale that the spirit of the ritually sacrificed person would invoke the gods to help support the structure, and "men were sacrificed whenever posts had to be renewed" . Also, when a new boat, or drua, was launched, if it was not hauled over men as rollers, crushing them to death, "it would not be expected to float long" . Fijians today regard those times as "na gauna ni tevoro" (time of the devil). The ferocity of the cannibal lifestyle deterred European sailors from going near Fijian waters, giving Fiji the name Cannibal Isles; as a result, Fiji remained unknown to the rest of the world.

According to Fijian legend, the great chief Lutunasobasoba led his people across the seas to the new land of Fiji. Most authorities agree that people came into the Pacific from Southeast Asia via the Malay Peninsula. Here the Melanesians and the Polynesians mixed to create a highly developed society long before the arrival of the Europeans.

The European discoveries of the Fiji group were accidental. The first of these discoveries was made in 1643 by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and English navigators, including Captain James Cook who sailed through in 1774, and made further explorations in the 18th century.

Major credit for the discovery and recording of the islands went to Captain William Bligh who sailed through Fiji after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789.

The first Europeans to land and live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements. Sandalwood traders and missionaries came by the mid 19th century.

Cannibalism practiced in Fiji at that time quickly disappeared as missionaries gained influence. When Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in 1854, the rest of the country soon followed and tribal warfare came to an end.

Trade of sandalwood was the dominant feature of the opening of markets between Europeans and the islands, and the finest early Fijian weaponry likely came to Europe from the earliest maritime visitors in the 18th century to early 19th century.

This Ula would likely have been made and used at the time of Lt Bligh and his journey upon HMS Bounty.
'A Chart of Bligh's Islands Fiji by William Bligh. The Broken Line shows my Track in the Bounty's Launch when I discovered the Islands in 1789. The Plain Line my Track in the Providence and Assistant in 1792. The parts tinged Green were seen in the Bounty's Launch.' Added and inscribed in pencil on the left is 'Land seen by the ships Hope and Ann -Captain Maitland, 1799'. Made in ink and pencil on tracing paper, dated 14 April 1801. See Bligh's chart in the gallery

The Ula is approx 13 inches long  read more

Code: 22806

Incredibly Rare British Celtic Iron Age Sword Circa Ist Cent. BC. Made Around a Century Before the Roman Conquest, by Claudius. Amazingly Its Very Type Was Noted in Caeser's Writings During His Time In Britannia. A Durotriges Celts Sword. Discovered 1857

According to the British Museum, who have an extremely similar example, there are only a few hundred remaining in existence today in the world. All of those that have been discovered, have been uncovered from famous hordes or individual finds, usually in South Central England within the past 200 years or so. This sword would have been used around what is being referred to as 'Duropolis', after the Ancient Briton, Celt, Durotriges tribe, which existed in the Wessex region. In its prime, it is thought to have contained 'hundreds' of inhabitants and would have been a major trading centre for southern Britain. The previously unknown habitation in Winterborne Kingston, near Blandford, dates from around 100BC, which makes it 80 years earlier than Colchester in Essex. Colchester was previously widely regarded as Britain's oldest recorded town.

Another fabulous hoard of around 800 Celtic iron age artefacts were announced just a few days ago in March 2025, from the Brigantes Celts of the 1st century B.C.

The most famous of the Ancient Briton Celtic tribes were the Iceni {whose name might have come from Iken, the original name of the River Ouse, where the tribe are said to have come from} who had settlements across Norfolk, in North Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire. One of them was at Brettenham on the Peddars Way, east of Thetford, which was built by Romans to quickly transport troops up to The Wash and Brancaster, where they had a fort protecting North Norfolk.

Queen Boudicca of the Iceni, probably the most famous of all the ancient Celts waged war against the Romans in Britain from 60 AD after the Romans decided to rule the Iceni directly and confiscated the Norfolk property of the leading tribesmen. The uprising was motivated by the Romans' failure to honour an agreement they had made with Boudica's husband, Prasutagus, regarding the succession of his kingdom upon his death, and by the brutal mistreatment of Boudica and her daughters by the occupying Romans.

this amazing sword is formerly from the ex-museum collection with their labelling on its display mounting board, this Ancient Briton sword was also used as a currency bar and is from the Dorset Hoard, an Iron Age hill Fort, in Dorset, excavated in 1857. It is acknowledged that this incredible and significant piece is one of the earliest examples of ancient British currency, utilizing sword blades, it is thought currency bars in the form of swords are actually the very first form of currency used in the British Isles around 2000 to 2,100 years ago, and used to barter and trade all manner of goods, and highly prized as of exceptional value at the time. It is a form of currency that is actually mentioned in Julius Caeser's writings, following Julius Caesar's expeditions to the island of Britannia in 55 and 54 BC. An Iron Age Celtic Dorset Hoard Sword, 2nd-1st century BC. It is further believed by some that they were money in the form of a sword as they were indeed once a functional sword, that was retired from combat.

A substantial long blade with the original short folded-over handle to one end; displayed in an old custom-made box housing with a recently added base and bearing old typescript 'CELTIC IRON 2nd-1st Cent B C / See Caesar's 'De Bello Gallico' V, 12 / Circulated s. and w. Britain / Dorset Hoard' label in four lines with inked correction to Spetisbury. including case (30 inches). Fair condition, held in an old museum display case with identification label.
Provenance
Ex Dorset, UK, hoard, found 1857; accompanied by a copy of the Archaeological Journal 96, pp.114-131, which includes details for the find.
Literature for reference.
See Gresham, Colin A., Archaeological Journal 96, pp.114-131, which includes details for this and other finds from the site; see also Smith, Reginald, Currency Bars, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, London, 2nd Series, XX, p.182 for comparison between the examples; cf. British Museum, accession no.1862,0627.18 for an example from the site (acquired from J. Y. Akerman in 1862; other items were acquired in 1892 from the Durdan, Blandford collection). The name Brittannia was predominantly used to refer simply to the island of Great Britain. After the Roman conquest under the Emperor Claudius in AD 43, it came to be used to refer to the Roman province of Britain (later two provinces), which at one stage consist of part of the island of Great Britain south of Hadrian's wall. Almost every weapon that has survived today from this era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one, even the very few swords of kings, that have been preserved in national or Royal collections are today still in a relatively fair condition, but they are from a much later period.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity  read more

Code: 23228

Possibly The Finest 17th Cent. French Royal Silver Hunting Short Sword, With Original, Incredibly Rare Scabbard & Belt Mount, From a Royal Collection. With The Rarest Bayonne Form Hilt. Likely Used By The King & His Court For the King’s Boar or Stag Hunt

This is a superb French King Louis XIVth royal hunting all silver mounted short sword, and all silver mounted scabbard, and the sword hilt has a hunting carbine muzzle form bayonne hilt, that can, once fitted into the guns barrel, enable the sword to be used as the very first form of bayonet, that converts a carbine into a long pike or spear. In fact the hilt form was named after the French town of Bayonne, where it was said to have been first used, and thus technically invented, and it is the very first form of bayonet ever made, and whence every future bayonet therefore gets its name. It is fitted within its incredibly rare original silk and silver bullion baldric, and we have never seen another surviving original example of such a fabulous royal baldric outside of Les Invalides Museum in Paris. There may possibly be another in the British {H.M. King Charles IIIrd’s } Royal Collection, as it is likely the largest in the world, but we have never seen it. Silk is one of the worlds strongest natural materials, stronger than steel pound for pound, in fact bullet proof vests were originally made from densely woven silk, but once very old, it becomes fragile and therefore antique silk rarely survives intact, especially such a piece as this.

It further bears in silver bullion decor, stitched into the baldric silk belt ‘frog’ mount, behind the two retaining cross straps, twin, inverted and elongated capital letter ‘L’s’, the personal cypher mark and symbol of King Louis XIVth of France.

The highly distinctive cypher mark of all the King’s of France bearing the name Louis. This may very likely indicate that this sword-bayonet was actually owned and used by the King or within the service of the King of France, by one of his highest ranking officers, or indeed an officer of his personal guard, while in use at the French royal hunting lodge by the king, or his entourage of the Royal Court, for hunting boar or stag.

The hunting sword is only usually used as the ‘coup de grace’ to finish off the beast at the hunts conclusion. However it is also an essential defensive arm to protect the king or a noble if the beast turns upon its hunter, which can be most perilous, and indeed, it is well known to be a most frequent fate of many unfortunate huntsman. The royal hunt since medieval days has been a very dangerous royal sport, with many nobles, princes or even kings meeting their grisly end.

King William II (William Rufus), who reigned in England from 1087 to 1100, was killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest on August 2nd, 1100, a death widely suspected to be an assassination rather than a hunting accident

King Christian V died from the after-effects of a hunting accident that occurred on October 19, 1698. Christian was hunting with his two sons and his half-brother.

One of finest quality pieces of its type we have ever had the privilege to own, and incredibly still in its original silver mounted scabbard and silk and silver bullion baldric. Probably this can be seen as the best available within the worldwide collecting market today.
It is also probably the most complete example, from the mid to late 1600's, we have ever seen, certainly in over 40 years, including those we have handled within the Royal Collections. This magnificent hunting short sword with bayonne {bayonet} hilt would be the prize of any of the finest worldwide collections of the rarest short swords that can double as the very rare, so called ‘plug’ bayonet, as they are ‘plugged’ into the muzzle of a musket, to convert it to a pike or spear. It is remarkably complete with its silver bullion and silk baldrick frog belt mount with three tongues. It has finest quality solid silver mounts, with decorated quillons bearing profile heads of possibly the king’s huntsman adorned with hunting caps, very similar to the armourer's marks on the blade. And the silver scabbard mounts and fittings also beautifully match, with an acorn frog mount. The original scabbard leather is superb condition, crosshatch patterned, with the so called ‘bullets and lines’ stamped decor. It has a wonderful blade, in stunning order, with two large matching armourer's marks of a profile head on both blade sides. The grip handle is birds-eye maplewood with a silver pommel.

While en residence at Versailles, at 2 pm: the king, Louis XIVth, gave his orders and announced his plans in the morning. If he went on a walk, it would be in the gardens on foot or in a Barouche with the ladies. If he decided to go hunting, the favourite sport of the Bourbons, the monarch would go to the park if he chose to hunt with weapons, and to the surrounding forest when hunting on horseback.

Since the days of the Pharoahs, hunting has been an essential activity of courts. Hunting was both a pleasure, and a way of gathering game for the royal table. Once one area was hunted out, the court moved on to the next. In many different monarchies hunting became an obsession, with its own music, dress and flamboyant rituals. One Chinese prince said: ‘I would rather not eat for three days than not hunt for one’
Hunting was so important that it could decide where the court resided. The proximity of hunting forests was one reason for the choice, as a royal residence, of Windsor, Versailles, Stupinigi, Hubertusberg, and many other sites. Conversely, the choice of these sites as royal residences ensured that the surrounding forests were well maintained. The landscape of the Ile de France is still dominated by the royal hunting forests of Versailles, Marly, Saint-Germain, Compiegne, Vincennes, Fontainebleau, and Rambouillet.
In addition to the pleasure and food it provided, hunting could also acquire a political and hierarchical function. Hunting was a visible assertion of domination over the land and the animal kingdom. It also protected the ruler’s subjects and their herds from boar, wolves and other vermin. The stag was the noblest beast, hunting it the noblest sport. Furthermore hunting was believed to be a school of war, masculinity and horsmanship. It taught courage, comprehension of landscape, and the art of the cavalry charge. In l’Ecole de Cavalerie of 1751, Robichon de La Guerroniere described hunting:
‘it is the pastime which Kings and Princes prefer to all others. This inclination is no doubt based on the conformity existing between hunting and war. In both, in effect, there is an object to tame’,

The story of the evolution of the bayonne, plug bayonet;
The late 17th century saw the final demise of the pike, and its replacement by the bayonet. The plug bayonet, which blocked the muzzle of the musket and needed to be removed for firing, did not catch on. The earliest military use of bayonets was by the French Army in 1647, at Ypres. These were plug-fitted into the barrel. That prevented firing once they were mounted, but allowed musketeers to act as their own pikemen, which gave infantry formations greater firepower. By 1650 some muskets had bayonets fixed to the gun at manufacture, hinged and foldable back along the barrel. French fusiliers adopted the plug bayonet as standard equipment in 1671; English fusiliers followed suit in 1685. The trouble with firing in successive lines was that it was only practical on a narrow front. In open country, the musketeers could easily be flanked, especially by cavalry. In most battles, the musketeers relied on pikemen to protect them while reloading. Infantry practiced various formations and drills that allowed musketeers to hide behind the pikes while reloading and to take up firing positions as soon as their weapons were ready to use. This system worked pretty well, but it obviously cut down the army’s firepower-sometimes by more than half.

The solution to the problem was to turn the musket into a spear. According to some sources, this was the idea of Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban, the great French military engineer in the armies of Louis XIV. It was a solution at least for soldiers. Hunters in France and Spain had for some time been jamming knives into the muzzles of their muskets for protection against dangerous game. It seems that Bayonne, a French city noted for its cutlery, made a type of hunting knife that was favoured for this use. When the French army adopted this weapon, it was called a ‘bayonet’. The earliest reference to the use of the bayonet is in the memoirs of a French officer who wrote that on one campaign, his men did not carry swords, but knives with handles one foot long and blades of the same length. When needed, the knives could be placed in the muzzles of the guns to turn them into spears. The bayonet proved to be a much more effective defense against cavalry than the sword.

There were some drawbacks to the use of plug bayonets when mounted in muskets, When the bayonet was inserted within in the muzzle of a loaded musket and then fired by accident, the gun might indeed explode. This sort of accident seems to have been much more prevalent among civilians who, unlike soldiers, did not load and fire on command. It was so prevalent that in 1660, Louis XIV had to issue a proclamation forbidding the placing of short sword-daggers in the muzzles of hunting guns.

Two pictures in the gallery are of French royal hunts, note in picture 9 the king is holding aloft his same hunting short sword with its distinctive curved blade, and his mistress armed with a boar spear.  read more

Code: 22160

Original & Very Rare Antique Colt Double Action New Navy Revolver, Swing Out Cylinder Model of 1895 Manufactured in 1897 Agentine Contract, One Of Only 5000 Made, And Many Used By The Argentine Cowboy's, The Gaucho's UK Deactivated

Many were acquired by and used by the South American cowboys, the Argentinian Gauchos.

Superbly functioning main spring action. The revolver featured a counter-clockwise rotating cylinder, which could be opened for loading and ejection by simply pulling back on a catch mounted on the left side of the frame behind the recoil shield. It was easily manipulated by the thumb of the right hand, and upon release the cylinder could be poked out sideways with the shooter's forefinger. Empty cases were removed by simply pushing back on an ejector rod to activate a star extractor. The six-shooter could then be quickly reloaded and the cylinder clicked back into place.This type of double action revolver represents a significant step in the evolution of the revolver, as it was Colt's first swing out cylinder revolver. It was both double and single action, it utilized the spring-loaded ejector rod, and the later models could fire the new (at the time) smokeless powder cartridges. All of these features appealed to the armed forces. The earlier D.A. 38 guns, such as the 1894, were designed to fire black powder cartridges only.

The .38 Long Colt was a very early centre fire revolver cartridge, first appearing in 1875 in the Colt New House and New Line revolver models. It gained greater popularity when the Colt Model 1877 double action revolver was introduced. Nick-named the “Lightning” in .38 Long Colt, this model revolver in .41 Long Colt was popularly referred to as the “Thunderer”. The .38 Long Colt was commonly available throughout the last three decades of the 19th century, playing a part in the settlement of the West.
The Colt double action Army revolvers and their .38 cartridge were called to action in 1898 for the Spanish American War. Teddy Roosevelt obtained one that had been retrieved from the Battleship Maine, sunk in Havana harbor. He galloped up San Juan (actually Kettle) Hill towards a blockhouse and its Spanish defenders with this Colt in hand, dispatching an enemy soldier with the revolver. The United States emerged from that war with new possessions in the Caribbean and the Philippines.

Very Rare Colt Modelo Argentino 1895 Made in 1897
It was adopted to replace the Smith & Wesson – Russian Model in use to date, being provided between 1897 and 1898, with copies whose serial number ranges between 80,000 and 85,000, that is, 5,000 units. This revolver is numbered 81587

It was based on the model used by the US Army, with some detailed modifications, which lead to the text that accompanies the "Special Instructions for Chiefs and Officers who direct the lectures at the Academies" ( Internal Regulations of the Military Academy for the National Guard of the Capital - Decree 02/29/1896), {translated} signed by A. Capdevilla on 10/10/1895, indicate: “originated the designation “Revólver Colt, DA .38””. The same text indicates what seems to have been the official designation of its calibre: 9.22 mm., while it corresponded to the .38 Colt Double Action (.38 Colt D.A.).
It is so scarce that so little reference to the contract in Colt records still remains, only the antique Argentine military records contain reference to them

Deactivated with UK certificate not suitable for export.  read more

Code: 25695

A Stunning, Original, Ancient Roman-Egyptian Ist Cent BC Ancient Bronze 'Twin Headed' Cobra 'Ureas Ring' of the Sacred Serpent Goddess Wadjet, Late Egyptian Ptolomeic Period & the Roman Pharoahs Era. Worn In The Time of Anthony And Cleopatra

Circa 2020 to 2100 years old. From our amazing new collection of original, important, Imperial Roman, Egyptian, Viking, Medieval and Napoleonic War artefacts we just acquired

Romano-Egyptian coiled and engraved bronze twin serpent head ring, decorated and engraved heads and scales. An ureaus ring, from the time of Cleopatra, Julius Caeser and Mark Anthony.

The Uraeus is the name given to the symbol of a rearing cobra, used in ancient Egypt to denote royalty and divine authority. it has a special significance in Roman culture royalty and art, and especially with Cleopatra the last Egyptian Pharoah to wear the Nemes serpent crown, and who famously, allegedly comitted suicide utilizing the bite of the asp serpent.

The pharaohs, dynastic kings and queens of Egypt, wore the Uraeus symbol as a head ornament as part of their crown. As far back as the Old Kingdom (3rd millennium BCE) wearing the Uraeus serpent communicated the pharaoh's legitimacy in ruling the lands of Lower Egypt.

In hieroglyphics, the Uraeus was often used to refer to a priestess or a goddess such as Isis. One myth about the origin of the Uraeus symbol claims that Isis created the first Uraeus, forming it from dust and spit. Isis used the snake in order to win the throne of Egypt for Osiris, her husband.
Egyptian Snake Goddess
The Uraeus is the symbol of the Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet. One of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, Wadjet was worshiped as the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of Lower Egypt. The center of Wadjet's cult was Per-Wadjet. The snake symbol worn by the pharaohs was seen to symbolize Wadjet's protection of the pharaoh and her approval of his claim of sovereignty. Some goddesses were also depicted wearing the Uraeus upon their heads, suggesting that the Egyptians believed these goddesses embodied aspects of Wadjet or fell under her protection.

When the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of Egypt unified, an image of Nekhbet, the vulture goddess and patron of Upper Egypt joined the image of Wadjet as the Uraeus on the pharaoh's crown. The two goddesses were known as the Nebty, the two ladies, and were seen as joint protectors of the newly-unified kingdom. When the sun god Ra rose to prominence during the Middle Kingdom and the pharaohs began to be seen as manifestations of Ra, the Uraeus was believed to protect them by spitting fire from the sun onto their enemies.

The Roman pharaohs, rarely referred to as ancient Egypt's Thirty-fourth Dynasty, were the Roman emperors in their capacity as rulers of Egypt, especially in Egyptology. After Egypt was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 30 BC, the people and especially the priesthood of the country continued to recognise the Roman emperors as pharaohs, according them traditional pharaonic titularies and depicting them with traditional pharaonic garb, engaging in traditional pharaonic activities, in artwork and at temples throughout Egypt.
Cleopatra VII had affairs with Roman dictator Julius Caesar and Roman general Mark Antony, but it was not until after her 30 BC suicide (after Mark Antony's defeat against Octavian, who became Emperor Augustus) that Egypt became a province of the Roman Republic. Subsequent Roman emperors were accorded the title of pharaoh, although exclusively while in Egypt. As such, not all Roman emperors were recognized as pharaohs. Although Octavian made a point of not taking the Pharaonic crown when he conquered Egypt, which would have been difficult to justify to the wider empire considering the vast amount of propaganda which he had spread about the "exotic" behavior of Cleopatra and Antony, the native population of Egypt regarded him as the pharaoh succeeding Cleopatra and Caesarion. Depictions of Octavian, now called Augustus, in traditional pharaonic garbs (wearing different crowns and the traditional kilt) and sacrificing goods to various Egyptian gods were made as early as around 15 BC and they are present in the Temple of Dendur, built by Gaius Petronius, the Roman governor of Egypt. Even earlier than that, Augustus had been accorded royal titles in the Egyptian version of a 29 BC stele made by Cornelius Gallus, despite royal titles not being present in the Latin or Greek-language versions of the same text.

Approx I inch across

Last pictures in the gallery of Roman bust of a Roman emperor wearing the Egyptian Nemes serpent crown, and another Egyptian tomb figure wearing the Nemes crown in carved wood and gold.
As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity  read more

Code: 25690

A Simply Exquisite Original Bronze Age Short Sword Used From The Trojan Wars To The Greco-Persian Wars Era. The Trojan War Was Waged Against the City of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) After Paris of Troy Took Helen From Her Husband Menelaus, King of Sparta

From the late 2nd millennium BC. to early 1st Millenium BC.
A bronze sword with tapering long central ribbed graduating tapering blade, with solid cast hilt 'bulls horn' and domed pommel A sword that could have been traded with the Archean Greeks, the Mycenean Greeks the Trojan peoples and The Hitites.

The trade of Bronze Age weaponry followed trade routes that started in the the Assyrian Empire, East of Babylon, right through to the Mediterranean region, and all of empires and kingdoms in between. Also, all manner of Bronze Age utilitarian wares, personal adornments, and tools came from this famed bronze smithing region and their trading merchants.

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad. The core of the Iliad (Books II – XXIII) describes a period of four days and two nights in the tenth year of the decade-long siege of Troy; the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the war's heroes. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid.

The ancient Greeks believed that Troy was located near the Dardanelles and that the Trojan War was a historical event of the 13th or 12th century BC, but by the mid-19th century AD, both the war and the city were widely seen as non-historical. In 1868, however, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann met Frank Calvert, who convinced Schliemann that Troy was a real city at what is now Hisarlik in Turkey. On the basis of excavations conducted by Schliemann and others, this claim is now accepted by most scholars.

Whether there is any historical reality behind the Trojan War remains an open question. Many scholars believe that there is a historical core to the tale, though this may simply mean that the Homeric stories are a fusion of various tales of sieges and expeditions by Mycenaean Greeks during the Bronze Age. Those who believe that the stories of the Trojan War are derived from a specific historical conflict usually date it to the 12th or 11th century BC, often preferring the dates given by Eratosthenes, 1194–1184 BC, which roughly correspond to archaeological evidence of a catastrophic burning of Troy VII, and the Late Bronze Age collapse. Legend has it that the war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris of Troy, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus of Sparta, fall in love with Paris, who quit Sparta with her and returned to Troy. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, Aphrodite's son and one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern-day Italy.

57 cm long

A most similar example was in the Axel Guttman collection, a collection that was sold in 2002 by Christies

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 25684

A Wonderful, Napoleonic Wars Period Museum Piece, A Highest Ranking British Officer's Sword Bespoke Commisioned For The Highest Ranking Officers of Both The Navy or Army, A 1790's Admiral of the Fleet or Field Marshal's Sword In Fabulous Condition

A near identical sword was carried by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Parker (1721 – 21 December 1811), and The Iron Duke, The Duke of Wellington.

Mercurial gilt fluted pattern hilt, with Adam urn pommel and solid silver triple wire binding, oval fluted hilt guard. Triple edged blade, with superb and elaborate engraving and traces of blue and gilt.

The sword used by the most senior of officers of the army and navy of Britain, field marshals and admirals of the fleet, and kings and princes of the royal family, since the 1780's until the 1820's.

Pictures in the gallery of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Parker, and Field Marshal Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.

This Anglo-Irish soldier, the Duke of Wellington, and statesman fought as Field Marshal of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. With the help from Prussian Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo on June 18, 1815 and became a hero in England.

The office of marshal was already well established in England by the 12th century, but the modern military title of field marshal was introduced into the British army in 1736 by King George II, who imported it from Germany. In Britain the rank came to be bestowed only upon a few senior army officers,

From the 1790's to the 1820's here are the Field Marshals of Britain

Henry Seymour Conway (1793)
HRH Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1793)
Sir George Howard (1793)
HRH The Prince Frederick Augustus, 1st Duke of York and Albany (1795)
John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll (1796)
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal (1796)
John Griffin Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden (1796)
Studholme Hodgson (1796)
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1796)
Lord Frederick Cavendish (1796)
Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox (1796)
HRH The Prince Edward Augustus, 1st Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1805)
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquis of Wellington (1813)
HRH The Prince Ernest Augustus, 1st Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (1813)
HRH The Prince Adolphus Frederick, 1st Duke of Cambridge (1813)
HRH Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1816)
HRH Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1816)
Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda (1821)


The ranks of Admiral of the Fleet and Admiral of the Red were formally separated from 1805, with an announcement in the London Gazette that "His Majesty has been pleased to order the Rank of Admirals of the Red to be restored" in His Majesty's Navy..." as a separate role. The same Gazette promoted 22 men to that rank. From the nineteenth century onward there were also occasional variations to the previous requirement that only one Admiral of Fleet could serve at one time. In 1821 George IV appointed Sir John Jervis as a second admiral of the fleet, to balance the Duke of Wellington's promotion as a second Field Marshal in the British Army.

Admirals of the Fleet

12 March 1796 The Earl Howe
16 September 1799 Sir Peter Parker, Bt.
24 December 1811 King William IV at that time as The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
19 July 1821 The Earl of St Vincent

Excellent condition overall , no scabbard.  read more

Code: 24953