A Magnificent Antique, Original, French Cuirassiers Helmet 1872. French Cuirassiers Still In Combat Service in World War I, 1914. They Were the Last Troops Combat In Full Dress Armour in History. Possibly The Best Example You May Ever See

With liner, black horsehair tail and red white and blue feather plume, original chinscales with strap and buckle, virtually dent free throughout, and in fabulous overall condition. The plated metal skull with brass trim, laurel and grenade embossed headband with a stippled ground, acanthus embossed raised comb with Medusa head, acanthus and laurel embossed cushion-shaped plume holder marmousel with red horse hair plume, black horse hair mane, square section hackle holder with red white and blue feather hackle, foliate decorated bosses.

There is no doubt, that despite losing to the invading Germans in the Franco Prussian War, there were no braver horse mounted combatants in the world, renown for their loyalty, dedication and tenacity in combat for La Belle France. Which continued still into WW1 40 years later.

Photos and price will be added today

A magnificent French Cuirassiers helmet of the M1872 pattern. Designed immediately after the defeat of France at the Franco Prussian War. These were still in combat wear in August 1914 by the troops of the French Cuirassiers who were in that early period engaged in reconnaissance, guarding the flanks & covering the infantry as well as liaison & escort.

The skull, peak & neckguard are made from cast sheet steel which from a lobster tail to the rear with Medusas head to the front of the crest & thirteen palmettes separated by water lillies. All of the fittings & the badge are of brass this including the chin scales which are adjusted by use of a partially concealed strap inner buckle system. The plume socket is set into the side of the helmet with its red plume. The front plate has a grenade set into two laurel branches this integrating with the bottom edge of the crest as the top grenade flame reaches upwards. To the crest is mounted black horsehair with a pleat which allowed it to be tied up so it did not flutter in the face of the cavalryman. Interior of the helmet has survived in very good order. The leather liner tongues are all good with no damage to holes.

Looking back at the pre-war 1870 landscape, there are parallels that can be drawn today, including notably the role of populist disruptors in triggering international conflict. Emperor Napoleon III of France and Prussia's Otto von Bismarck were both products of the 1848 revolutions and master media manipulators who exploited the power of nationalism. Napoleon did so first, sweeping to power in the December 1848 presidential elections on the promise of ‘making France great again’, as it had been under his uncle, the first Napoleon. Four years later, just before his original term should have expired, he made himself emperor, and quickly reasserted French prestige by launching a succession of wars, including against Russia in the Crimea (1853-56).

Napoleon III's wars had unintended outcomes. One of these was that they turned Russia from being a bastion of the international order into a revisionist power. This in turn gave space to Bismarck to wreck what remained of the European system in a way that was definitely not to France's advantage. Austria was the main victim initially in the shake-up that followed, losing its position in Italy following military defeat at the hands of France in 1859, and more spectacularly forfeiting its prime role in Germany to Prussia after defeat in 1866.

This set the scene for the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. France, determined to thwart Prussia’s further rise, sought to block the candidacy of a Prussian prince to the Spanish throne in what looked like a good, old-fashioned, dynastic succession crisis. What made things different from earlier centuries was the weight of public opinion, in an age of universal male suffrage. Policy makers in Berlin and Paris sought to exploit the rising tide of nationalism on both sides of the Rhine, and this increased the risk of an explosion. That explosion came on 19 July.

A rapid French rout

Experts at the time expected the French to win. They overlooked serious weaknesses on the French side, which Sir Michael Howard's analysis shows extended far beyond the narrow military field, to wider political and societal disadvantages. These were reflected above all in the French conscription system, inherited in its essentials from the first Napoleon. This imposed upon the male population an obligation to serve, but in practice, only a small fraction was ever called up, who then served for seven years and often more. In consequence, the French army lacked the ability to 'scale-up' by calling on a mass of reservists.



The Prussian army, in contrast, drew upon the entire male population, producing a substantial body of trained reservists upon mobilisation. Prussian military planning, conducted by the famed General Staff headed by Helmuth von Moltke, made best use of the resulting numerical advantage, not least through the clever exploitation of railways.

Many military observers nonetheless preferred the French system, which produced an essentially professional force that was far better-suited to the near-continuous overseas deployments that Napoleon III's global ambitions demanded. Most damaging of all, despite its elitist pretensions, the French army was socially rather low-status. This was because the rich were allowed to pay for replacements to serve instead of their sons, should they be unlucky enough to be called up. No such facility existed in Prussia, with the result that its army more fairly approximated the nation-in-arms.

The consequence in 1870 was a French rout. General Philip Sheridan, American Civil War veteran, observed the Franco-German conflict at first hand, and his summary of the reasons for the outcome can hardly be bettered:

"The earlier advantages gained by the Germans may be ascribed to the strikingly prompt mobilization of their armies, one of the most noticeable features of their perfect military system, devised by almost autocratic power; their later successes were greatly aided by the blunders of the French, whose stupendous errors materially shortened the war, though even if prolonged it could, in my opinion, have had ultimately no other termination."  read more

Code: 26018

A Most Rare, Original, Absolutely Glorious and Beautiful 2nd Dragoon Guards 1847 Heavy Cavalry Trooper's Helmet of ‘The Queen’s Bays’. A Victorian Beauty Made Before The Crimean War and Used In Combat and Full Dress In The Indian Mutiny

Whereas there are only a few officers helmets in existence of this vintage, other ranks' helmets are even rarer. This is a 2nd Dragoon Guards helmet with the correct black plume, and in overall good condition, the original plume has service wear.

The brass skull supports an ornate plume holder which has a brush of horsehair out of which sprouts a falling plume of the same hair. There is a rose shaped brass filial on top of the plume, similar in shape and size to the bosses that hold the chin chain. The badge on the front is similar to that on the officers' helmets except that the VR is not backed by red enamel. The star around the garter is of white metal, and placed on a Rococo shield, surrounded by a wreath of laurel and oak. The inscription on the garter is QUEENS DRAGOON GUARDS. The front and back peak are ornamented with applied acanthus leaves. Inside the helmet is a black leather sweatband.

The horse hair plume was worn during regular service and full dress, in combat the black horse hair plume was removed

The regiment next saw action when a squadron under Major Piercy Smith charged the rebels at the capture of Lucknow in March 1858 during the Indian Rebellion.

The Indian Mutiny 1857-59
Passage to India 1857

The Bays were in Dublin when the Mutiny broke out in India. They were ordered to Liverpool, then on to Canterbury where one Troop was left behind. They embarked 9 Troops under the command of Lt-Col Hylton Brisco, with a strength of 28 officers 47 sergeants and 635 other ranks. They sailed on 25 July on two transports, the Blenheim and the Monarch. The voyage was a long and arduous one for the officers and men on the overcrowded transports. The only land they sighted before reaching India, was Madeira, where they lay becalmed for 28 days. This increased their journey to 141 days. During that time they were daily rationed to 1 lb of very hard biscuit, 12 oz of salt meat, a small quantity of tea and sugar, and 5 pints of water. Washing had to be done in sea water. After 3 months at sea they were told that they were only half way there and rations had to be halved. One of the Bays described the lack of appetising food: 'On Sundays, boulle soup was given for a change, but it wasn't generally approved of, as one mess found a dead mouse in theirs, and another mess found a man's finger with a rag wrapped round it.' They reached Calcutta to find that the KDG had arrived a fortnight before, having set off a month later than them. All of them suffered sickness for 4 or 5 days after disembarkation.

Nusrutpore, 23 Jan 1858

The regiment had a difficult overland journey to Allahabad with new horses that had been purchased locally. The men suffered from cholera, and the sick men had to be carried. On 23 Jan two squadrons of the Bays, and a Troop of Horse Artillery were sent out and met up with the 97th regiment and some companies of Gurkhas. They encountered a body of mutineers at Nusrutpore in jungle country. One squadron under Captain Powell made a brilliant charge, and the fighting caused the enemy to lose 1,800 men and some of their guns. Five men of the Bays were wounded, along with 7 horses killed or wounded. These casualties were light considering the heavy fire they came under from the rebels.

Relief of Lucknow

2nd Queen's Bays Dragoon Guards
Charge at Lucknow
After the recapture of Delhi the focus of the conflict was on Lucknow, 150 miles northeast of Allahabad. Sir Colin Campbell had already rescued the beleaguered garrison there but had not prevented the rebels from capturing the city and holding it with 130,000 men. Campbell now had a force of 20,000 to march on Lucknow. The rebels made several sorties out of the town to engage with them. On 6 March two squadrons of the Bays made a charge under the command of Major Percy Smith. This got out of control over broken ground and three men were killed, including Major Smith. They were unable to retrieve his body. One corporal was unhorsed and unable to remount, so was cut to pieces. Six other men were wounded and many of the horses suffered terrible wounds from the mutineers' swords and bayonets. Lucknow was recaptured by 16 Mar 1858, but 20,000 rebels escaped. The cavalry units were already scattered around the countryside chasing small parties of rebels so were not in position to block the mass exodus on 16 Mar.
Nawabganj, 13 June 1858

In a battle at Nawabganj, east of Lucknow, 2 squadrons under Major Seymour were part of the cavalry element of Hope Grant's 3,500-strong column that attacked a force of 15,000 mutineers entrenched at a river crossing. They made a 12 mile night march to surprise the rebels. There was a three hour battle during which the British were surrounded but they turned the tables and drove the enemy off, having killed 600 and captured 9 guns. The British lost 67 killed or wounded in action, but 33 died of sunstroke and 250 ended up in hospital. All members of the regiment had suffered from fever or sunstroke, both proving fatal in many cases. The CO, William Campbell died on 6 July 1858, after being promoted to brigadier. The second lieutenant-colonel, Hylton Brisco had suffered with fever and retired in September. Because of the fatalities and sickness, officers were gaining promotion without purchase. Captain William Henry Seymour, whose letters home provide valuable information on the Bays in India, attained his majority and lieutenant-colonelcy so that within 8 months he had gone from captain to CO of the regiment.

Jamo, 8 Oct 1858

2nd Queen's Bays Dragoon Guards
Chasing Rebels
The regiment were transferred to another column led by Brigadier Sir George Barker in Oct 1858. On 8 Oct they were in action against 30 or 40 mutineers from the 42nd Bengal Native Infantry, concealed in a jungle of sugar cane at Jamo near Sundeela in Oudh. They opened fire on the Bays from a distance of a few yards. Lt-Col Seymour fought desperately with pistol and sword, but was cut down. Trumpeter Thomas Monaghan and Private Charles Anderson rushed to his rescue and fought them off so that Col Seymour was able to get up and carry on fighting. Monaghan and Anderson were awarded the VC for this action. While this was happening, boy Trumpeter John Smith engaged a sepoy in single combat and killed him.
Jowah Pass, April 1859

Colonel Seymour was in action again in the spring of 1859. There were two actions near Bungdon in Oudh, which were among the last battles fought by the Bays after their 20 consecutive months in the field. In another action mutineers had taken refuge in the mountains of Nepal and the Nepalise King asked the British to hunt them down. Two squadrons of the Bays under Major Hutchinson chased the rebels to the Jowah Pass where they charged and defeated them. They had one casualty, Cornet Torrens who was wounded. Following this they went into cantonments near Lucknow. The Queen's Bays remained in India until 1869, eleven years in all.

The regiment's most considerable 20th Century battle honours were as follows:

Early Wars: Warburg, Willems, Lucknow, South Africa 1901-02
The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Somme 1916 '18, Flers-Courcelette, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosières, Amiens, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18
The Second World War: Somme 1940, Withdrawal to Seine, North-West Europe 1940, Msus, Gazala, Bir el Aslagh, Cauldron, Knightsbridge, Via Balbia, Mersa Matruh, El Alamein, Tebaga Gap, El Hamma, El Kourzia, Djebel Kournine, Tunis, Creteville Pass, North Africa 1941–43, Coriano, Carpineta, Lamone Crossing, Defence of Lamone Bridgehead, Rimini Line, Ceriano Ridge, Cesena, Argenta Gap, Italy 1944-45

Photo in the gallery taken in the 1860’s of a Heavy Cavalry veteran wearing his very same form of helmet with its black plume {recoloured}

Painting in the gallery, Charge of The 2nd Dragoon Guards {The Queens Bays} by Simkin  read more

Code: 26017

A Simply Stunning Most Rare Napoleonic Wars Type of a 1796 Infantry Officer's Sword, Monogrammed With Its Owner's Title and Monogram, Plus His Patriotic Motto “The Love Of, My Country, & Freedom” Etched Upon The Acutely Tapering “Needle Point’ Blade.

A most rare blade type, modelled on a 15th-16th century needle point double edged broadsword form known as the type XVII.
The mercurial gilt hilt is near to mint as possible, and it has a folding guard, but with an extraordinarily rare form of blued steel hinge arrangement. The diamond section blade has overall salt and pepper pitting, and bears, in fine etching, the owners title initial, H above his monogram, A. A., and below the monogram, is a Tarlton helmet, and below that a patriotic motto, within three scrolls, The Love Of, My Country, & Freedom. A most unusual form of bespoke blade for the 1796 infantry pattern sword, far better for combat than the standard single edged straight blade, perfect if one is a trained swordsman in the art of hand to hand rapier combat. Perfect for the thrust due to its strength and rigidity, ideal for the cut being double edged. And superb for the parry being quatrefoil, which gives it extra strength. An officer trained to use such a sword would be a formidable foe indeed. One can easily see this by simply by looking at its full length profile in the photographs. It’s appearance of a rigid reinforced needle is incredibly impressive.

After considerable research this incredible sword may indeed have been most likely commissioned for the Hon Alexander Abercromby, we can find no other British army serving officer with this rank and initials. He first served in the Gordon Highlanders, then he transferred to command the 29th Foot, the North Gloucestershires, in Busaco in the Peninsular War, then in 1815 he served under Wellington as Wellington's Assistant Quartermaster General for the 2nd Foot Guards, at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, in the War of 100 Days, Napoleon's last battles and his final foiled attempt to regain his empire.

Born on 4 March 1784, Abercromby entered the army at an early age, and served as a volunteer with the 92nd Regiment, the Gordon Highlanders, in the expedition to the Helder in 1799. He soon obtained a commission, and saw service with his regiment in Egypt. He was appointed aide-de-camp to his father's old lieutenant and friend, Sir John Moore, during his command in Sicily in 1806, but was not with him in Spain.

Like his brother, Sir John, he was rapidly promoted, and in 1808, when only twenty-four, became lieutenant-colonel of the 28th Regiment. He accompanied his regiment when it was sent to Portugal to reinforce Lord Wellesley after the battle of Talavera. He commanded it at the battle of Busaco, and in the lines of Torres Vedras, and as senior colonel had the good fortune to command his brigade at the battle of Albuera. His services there were very conspicuous, and his brigade has been immortalised by Napier. He was soon superseded, but commanded his regiment at the surprise of Arroyo de Molinos and the storming of the forts at Almaraz.

In 1812 he was removed to the staff of the army, and was present as assistant-quartermaster-general at the battles of Vittoria, the Pyrenees, and Orthes. He served in the same capacity in 1815, and was present at Quatre-Bras, Waterloo, and the storming of Péronne. Péronne, on the banks of the Somme, was captured on 26 June during the Allied advance on Paris following the victory at Waterloo

He was the son of Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby KB (7 October 1734 – 28 March 1801) who was a British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Governor of Trinidad, served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, and was noted for his services during the French Revolutionary Wars, ultimately in the Egyptian campaign. His strategies are ranked amongst the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army. No doubt Alexander gained his considerable combat tactical skills from his father. To be Colonel of a regiment at 24 and to be in command of a battle was no mean feat based entirely on merit.

For his active services he was promoted to a colonelcy in the 2nd or Coldstream Guards,

The last photo in the gallery of the other 10th hussars sword shows a photograph of one section of the collection in the museum of Waterloo, taken in around 1900, showing all the weapons of Waterloo en situ, including all the protagonists {British, French, Prussian and Belgian muskets, swords, pistols, armour uniforms, etc}. The museum was founded and owned by a veteran of the 7th Hussars that fought at Waterloo.  read more

Code: 24749

A Fabulous & Rare US Civil War General's Sabre With Its Original Civil War General Officer's Pattern 'Acorn' Sword Knot, & Steel Combat Scabbard. Superb Deluxe Etched Blade

A near pair to three other Civil War General's swords, currently in American museums or in private ownership, of, General W.T.Sherman, Major General J.E.B. Stuart, and Lt General John Bell Hood. The sword knot is also a near pair to one {with its sword} of Civil War Brigadier General Champlin. We also show in the gallery General JEB Stuarts hat, that has a pair of interlinked Civil War General's pattern acorn sword knots around the brim. General Sherman's sword is currently offered at auction with a suggested price of $60,000

Our sword has superb quality elaborate hilt embellished decor for a general, and a stunning, deluxe etched blade with maker's name, and the original wirebound sharkskin grip. In its steel, blackened, combat scabbard. All in superb condition. the General’s knot is also in very good condition for age.

An American Civil War import, commissioned from either French or German swordsmiths, and interestingly, almost all the other General's swords within the various US museums were either commissioned in France or Germany, and not domestically produced.
One of the most famous Colonel’s of the Civil War was Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) carried his British import sword at the assault on Fort Wagner, Folly Island, S.C. on 18 July 1863. Where sadly he was KIA. The sword was a gift from his uncle George R. Russell, and in a letter to his father, dated 1 July 1863, Shaw acknowledges receiving “a box of Uncle George’s containing a beautiful English sword...” With sword in-hand, Colonel Shaw, of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, was shot in the chest and killed while mounting the parapet of Ft. Wagner. The sword and other personal effects were taken from his body during the night and presumed lost. In June of 1865, the U.S. Colored Troops, under the command of Gen. Charles Jackson Paine, U.S.V., found the sword "in the possession of a rebel officer" near Goldsboro, N.C. The sword was returned to the Shaw family in 1865 by Capt. Solon A. Carter, U.S.V. but was misplaced after 1900 until it's recent discovery in 2017. That sword is now within the collections of the Massachuetts Historical Society, donated to them by the Shaw family.

James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use of cavalry in support of offensive operations. While he cultivated a cavalier image (red-lined gray cape, the yellow waist sash of a regular cavalry officer, hat cocked to the side with an ostrich plume, red flower in his lapel, often sporting cologne), his serious work made him the trusted eyes and ears of Robert E. Lee's army and inspired Southern morale.3

Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854 and served in Texas and Kansas with the U.S. Army. Stuart was a veteran of the frontier conflicts with Native Americans and the violence of Bleeding Kansas, and he participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry. He resigned his commission when his home state of Virginia seceded, to serve in the Confederate Army, first under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, but then in increasingly important cavalry commands of the Army of Northern Virginia, playing a role in all of that army's campaigns until his death.

He established a reputation as an audacious cavalry commander and on two occasions (during the Peninsula Campaign and the Maryland Campaign) circumnavigated the Union Army of the Potomac, bringing fame to himself and embarrassment to the North. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, he distinguished himself as a temporary commander of the wounded Stonewall Jackson's infantry corps.

Stuart's most famous campaign, the Gettysburg Campaign, was flawed when his long separation from Lee's army left Lee unaware of Union troop movements so that Lee was surprised and almost trapped at the Battle of Gettysburg. Stuart received criticism from the Southern press as well as the proponents of the Lost Cause movement after the war. During the 1864 Overland Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's cavalry launched an offensive to defeat Stuart, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern.

J.E.B Stuart’s sword was made in Paris. U.S. Army officers were responsible for providing their own side arms, so Stuart either ordered it himself or was given it as a gift. It now resides with his hat, in the American Civil War Museum

John Bell Hood (June 12 or June 29,3 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the decision to replace Johnston with Hood was probably the single largest mistake that either government made during the war." Hood's education at the United States Military Academy led to a career as a junior officer in the infantry and cavalry of the antebellum U.S. Army in California and Texas. At the start of the Civil War, he offered his services to his adopted state of Texas. He achieved his reputation for aggressive leadership as a brigade commander in the army of Robert E. Lee during the Seven Days Battles in 1862, after which he was promoted to division command. He led a division under James Longstreet in the campaigns of 1862–63. At the Battle of Gettysburg, he was severely wounded, rendering his left arm mostly useless for the rest of his life.4 Transferred with many of Longstreet's troops to the Western Theater, Hood led a massive assault into a gap in the U.S. line at the Battle of Chickamauga but was wounded again, requiring the amputation of his right leg.

Hood returned to field service during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 and, at the age of 33, was promoted to temporary full general and command of the Army of Tennessee at the outskirts of Atlanta, making him the youngest soldier on either side of the war to be given command of an army. There, he dissipated his army in a series of unsuccessful assaults and was forced to evacuate the besieged city. Leading his men through Alabama and into Tennessee, his army was severely damaged in a massive frontal assault at the Battle of Franklin. The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864 in Franklin, Tennessee; in Williamson County. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee (around 33,000 men) faced off with John M. Schofield's Army of the Ohio and the Cumberland (around 30,000 men). Often cited as "the bloodiest five hours" during the American Civil War, the Confederates lost between 6,500 - 7,500 men, with 1,750 dead. The Federals lost around 2,000 - 2,500 men, with just 250 or less killed. Hood lost 30,000 men in just six months (from July 1864 until December 15). The Battle of Franklin was fought mostly at night. Several Confederate Generals were killed, including Patrick Cleburne, and the Rebels also lost 50% of their field commanders. Hood would limp into Nashville two weeks later before suffering his final defeat before retreating to Pulaski in mid December. Hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers were taken to the John and Carrie McGavock home - Carnton - after the battle. She became known as the Widow of the South. The McGavock's eventually donated two acres to inter the Confederate dead. Almost 1,500 Rebel soldiers are buried in McGavock Confederate Cemetery, just in view of the Carnton house.

Hood’s sword was purchased from Coulaux & Cie, Klingenthal, France. Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood used his cavalry saber during his service in the Confederate Army. It now resides in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond Va. Hood also had another sword an infantry Militia pattern dress sword, imported from Germany made by P.D.Lunschloss & Companie, that now resides in the American Civil War Museum.

Sadly, we do not know the name of the general officer to whom our sabre once originally belonged.  read more

Code: 25224

A Simply Stunning Ancestral Bladed WW2 Officer's Sword With a Blade Circa 1665 Yamashiro Koku Jyu Minamoto Tsuahiro(山城国住源綱廣)

This blade was signed by Yamashiro Koku Jyu Minamoto Tsuahiro(山城国住源綱廣). He was active in sword-forging during the Kanbun-Jyokyo era(1661-1688: early Edo period), judging from his remaining work and historical records. Therefore, we believe it was made about 350 years ago.

Yamashiro koku is the province’s name in the Kyoto area, and Jyu means living in Japanese. The signature indicates that this blade was created when Tsunahiro lived in Yamashiro Koku. There are also records of him signing as Omi no Kami Minamoto Tsunahiro. Omi no Kami is the title given to only selected swordsmiths whose sword-forging techniques were excellent.

Yamashiro province was famous for its sword-making style called Yamashiro-Den. Yamashiro-Den's origin dates back to the Heian period(794 A.D) when the capital city was moved from Nara to Kyoto. The swordsmiths in Yamashiro province initially prospered by forging swords for court nobles and imperial families. Later on, they also forged swords for feudal lords after Samurai military government took control of Japan. There are so many renowned swordsmiths from this region. It is said that the founder of Yamashiro-Den was Sanjo Munechika. And there are seven prestigious schools in this region. One of the most characteristics of Yamashiro-Den is its elegant design and beautiful Jigane.  read more

Code: 26014

A Most Attractive Chinese Duǎn Dāo (短刀) Dagger With Gold Inlaid Fittings And Mounts. From The Last Century.

With cord bound hilt, over soft metal mounts, gold inlaid pommel, gilt highlighted iron sword guard, silver covered blade collar and single edged blade.The whole design is very much in the Japanese taste. Black lacquer scabbard.

The blade has a beautiful, etched, running Damascus pattern throughout its whole length.

Small wear mark to the black lacquer on the reverse side.
More photos and details to add on Monday  read more

Code: 26025

A Simply Superb Early 1933 SA 'Rohm Erased' Dagger by E. Pack & Sohn In Such Fine Condition It Is Unlikely To Be Improved Upon By Finding a Better Example. It Easily Qualifies As A Museum Grade Example. Complete With Original Leather Hanger Strap.

Early SA dagger by E. Pack
A stunning example of a very early 1933 SA dagger, especially considering it was likely worn by an SA member for upwards of 10 years, made by the famous 'Rohm' SA Honour Dagger maker Ernst Pack & Sohn. All nickel fittings with anodised scabbard. Complete with an early leather and nickel hanger how it should be. The blade is in very good condition with a lot of original polish and crossgrain and in most part mirror bright, with just the very usual wear marks created by the retaining spring in the scabbard.

The reverse side of the blade had the Ernst Rohm dedication ordered to be immediately removed, after his execution for fabricated treason. This example has had the deluxe, jewellers grade, fine-polish removal, often they were owner hand ground and rasped off, sometimes very crudely indeed, leaving unsightly grinding grooves. Failure to remove the Rohm honour etching immediately would result in severe penalties, and expulsion from the organisation.

A very fine piece indeed, a stunning example that can elevate every collection.

From the Sturmabteilung gruppe, in Nordmark. Nm SA der NSDAP Gruppe Nordmark made by Ernst Packe Solingen. Group Nordmark was part of the SA-Obergruppe II { Hannover } Group leader Viktor Lutze
SA group North Sea (provisionally in command unit with the upper group, consisting of the previous group North Sea and the subgroup Hamburg),
SA Group Lower Saxony,

SA group Nordmark (without subgroup Hamburg). Excellent blade with traditional obverse motto 'Alles Fur Deutchland' It has very good professional jeweller grade, Rohm removal. In order to remove its original Ernst Rohm 'Honour' dedication on the reverse side of the blade in June 1934. This dagger was used by one of Hitler's earliest 'Old Guard' 'Brownshirt' Stormtroopers and at one time it had a rare loyalty inscription dedicated to the SA leader Ernst Rohm.

Ernst Julius Günther Röhm was a German military officer and an early member of the Nazi Party. As one of the members of its predecessor, the German Workers' Party, he was a close friend and early ally of Adolf Hitler and a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung (SA, "Storm Battalion"), the Nazi Party's militia, and later was its commander. This Rohm 'Honour Dagger' was and one of only 4,600 made for SA Gruppe Nordmark, Nm. He who was one of Hitler's most loyal and faithful of followers. However, due to the alleged conspiracy against Hitler by Röhm that was simply invented by the psychotic Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS Rohm, alongside his senior staff, was executed in a classic putsch, in an event known as 'The Night of the Long Knives'. After this slaughter of Rohm and his senior staff the owners of so called Rohm Honour Daggers were ordered to remove the name of Rohm and its dedication on the dagger's blade removed immediately. This is one of those rare early daggers.
The SA evolved out of the remnants of the Freikorps movement of the post-WWI years. The Freikorps were nationalistic organisations primarily composed of disaffected, disenchanted, and angry German combat veterans who believed that their government had betrayed Germany and sold them out by surrendering and submitting to the humiliating terms of the Versailles Treaty. The Freikorps were in opposition to the new Weimar Republic. Ernst Röhm was commander of the Bavarian Freikorps and was given the nickname "The Machine Gun King of Bavaria" because he was responsible for storing and issuing illegal machine guns to Freikorps units in Bavaria. He later became commander of the SA. During the 1920s and 1930s the SA functioned as a private militia that Hitler used to intimidate rivals and disrupt the meetings of competing political parties, especially those of the Social Democrats and the Communists. Also known as the "brownshirts" or "stormtroopers", the SA became notorious for their street battles with the Communists.The violent confrontations between the two groups contributed to the destabilisation of Germany's inter-war experiment with democracy, the Weimar Republic. In June 1932, one of the worst months of political violence, there were over 400 street battles, resulting in 82 deaths.This very destabilisation had been crucial in Hitler's rise to power, however, not least because it convinced many Germans that once Hitler became chancellor, the endemic street violence would end.

When provided with so-called 'evidence' of Röhm's conspiracy and treason Hitler initially refused to believe the dossier provided by Himler's protégé, Heydrich, as he had liked Röhm and always believed him loyal. Röhm had been one of his first supporters and, without his ability to obtain army funds in the early days of the movement, it is unlikely that the Nazis would have ever become established. The SA under Röhm's leadership had also played a vital role in destroying the opposition during the elections of 1932 and 1933. However, Adolf Hitler had his own reasons for wanting Röhm removed. Powerful supporters of Hitler had been complaining about Röhm for some time. The generals were fearful due to knowing Röhm's desire to have the SA, a force of over 3 million men, absorb the much smaller German Army into its ranks under his leadership. Further, reports of a huge cache of weapons in the hands of SA members, gave the army commanders even more concern. Industrialists, who had provided the funds for the Nazi victory, were unhappy with Röhm's socialistic views on the economy, bearing in mind the entire Third Reich, so-called 'Nazi' hierarchy, short for National Socialist Worker's Party, was an extreme 'left wing' socialist organisation, and his claims that the real revolution had still to take place. Only Hitler's ally, Mussolini and the Italian's were extreme 'right wing', and therefore Fascist's, a most frequent and common historical mistake.

Matters came to a head in June 1934 when President von Hindenburg, who had the complete loyalty of the Army, informed Hitler that if he didn't move to curb the SA then Hindenburg would dissolve the Government and declare martial law. Finally, Hitler used the purge to attack or eliminate German critics of his new regime, especially those loyal to Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, as well as to settle scores with old enemies.

At least 85 people died during the purge, although the final death toll may have been in the hundreds, with high estimates running from 700 to 1,000. More than a thousand perceived opponents were arrested. The purge strengthened and consolidated the support of the Wehrmacht for Hitler. It also provided a legal grounding for the Nazi regime, as the German courts and cabinet quickly swept aside centuries of legal prohibition against extrajudicial killings to demonstrate their loyalty to the regime. The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point for the German government. It established Hitler as the supreme administrator of justice of the German people, as he put it in his July 13 speech to the Reichstag.

Before its execution, its planners sometimes referred to the purge as Hummingbird, the codeword used to send the execution squads into action on the day of the purge. The codename for the operation appears to have been chosen arbitrarily. The phrase "Night of the Long Knives" in the German language predates the killings and refers generally to acts of vengeance.
After the purge the organization of the SA Sturmabeitlung continued, but was from then on subordinate to Himmler's SS, where before it was superior to the SS. This dagger is in superb order for its age, the fittings are very good indeed, and of the best quality offered to the SA members, all in solid nickel, and the scabbard has its highly distinctive earliest pattern anodised scabbard. The later types were painted brown. Very small loss to SA grip badge enamel.  read more

Code: 26021

What A Unique And Incredible Christmas Gift This Could Be, A Stunning Mid Victorian Antique Gadget Rifle Gun Stick Fully Set Within Its Original Hard Canvas Travelling Gun Case With All Accompanying Tools. Unique Collectors Piece From Victorian England

Circa 1850. With twin, sleeved barrels, one rifled for a rifle bullet of around .36 cal, the other for lead shot. The rifle barrel sleeve, is, say, for the assassin's bullet, the lead shot barrel, for personal defence {or wildfowl}

What a remarkable original antique collectors item, made by a fine Victorian Suffolk gunsmith, that is, without question one of the greatest conversation pieces of the antique ‘gadget weapon’ world.

Photos to be added later today.

Straight out of a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mystery. One could easily imagine, one such as Holmes’ arch nemesis, the diabolically fiendish and most inscrutable villain of Victorian England, Professor Moriarty, being armed with such a remarkable, concealed, rifled assassin’s piece.

A stout lacquered walking stick that belies its hidden purpose as a hidden rifle. That could be fired dozens of times from a single charge of its pneumatic pump system.

The "hidden gun stick" originated from a desire for discreet self-defense, emerging around the 18th and 19th centuries as a way to conceal a firearm within a walking stick. While sword canes with hidden blades have a longer history, the walking stick gun is a more early modern invention, a costly curio for gentlemen who wanted to be armed without drawing attention. Especially useful as a poachers arm.

In the mid Victorian era, from whence this came, the walking stick was a common accessory for wealthy men. Yet the concealed weapon stick combined this fashion staple with the element of surprise for self-defense.

Sometime around the late 1840s to early 1850s, a new pneumatic gun appeared: The walking stic gun. For at least two centuries prior to the air version’s appearance, normal walking sticks had been principal accessories for gentlemen. In the uncertain streets and avenues of 18th- and 19th-century towns and cities, as well as being a fashion statement, a iron stick could serve as a handy self-defense weapon, either as a bludgeon or, in specialized pieces, by the implementation of concealed blades or bullet-firing mechanisms.

In the 18th and 19th centuries as carrying swords became less socially acceptable, people began hiding weapons in plain sight, with the gun stick being one such evolution.
Gun sticks were expensive to produce, and they were not as practical as conventional weapons. They were often seen as a luxury item, a talking point, or a concealed weapon for gentlemen, and as the century passed the evolved with disguised percussion black powder actions, or as this beauty, with an air powered system that required a pumped air pressure action.
Similar to the gun stick, the sword stick was instead of a firearm, a blade is concealed inside the walking stick.
Poacher's guns was a more practical and easily concealed version of a sporting gun, but intended for a different purpose.
Other disguised hidden weapons thuat utilised the concept of hiding weapons in common objects is an ancient one. Examples include early Japanese
Shikomizue: A Japanese walking stick that conceals a blade, or a Gupta: A straight sword concealed within a wooden cane, used in India.

This beauty has a stunning quality Damascus steel stirrup pump with detachable T section handle in order to hand charge the top section air reservoir. The stick was then assembled to resemble an innocuous gentleman’s walking aid, complete with key, folding cleaning-ram rod, rifle insert.

In purely practical terms, the distinction is that cane guns, far more costly to produce and, generally speaking, an affectation, ostensibly carried by gentlemen who wished, at all times, to be able to take "targets of opportunity", were a curio, a talking point, or a concealed offensive weapon, one that might easily escape detection unless closely examined. In addition to gentleman's canes, guns have also been concealed in other common items such as umbrellas and walking sticks.

In the picture gallery we show a photo from the Presidential Centre Library collection, a historic sword stick that is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Centre Library collection in Fremont, Ohio, gifted from the Waggoner family, the sword-cane was said to have been presented to Mr Waggoner by General George Washington in honour of Waggoner's service in Washington's Life Guard during the American Revolutionary War.

The method of loading and discharging an air cane, while economical and reliable, also put some constraints on portability and spontaneity. Most operated thusly: First, two halves were unscrewed, and a hand pump fitted onto the rear reservoir section. One then stood on the pump’s handle and, using full-body force, gave the pump 350 to 400 hard strokes. The pump was then removed, and the two halves rejoined. A brass tip with attached ramrod was then unscrewed from the muzzle. Next, a round ball was rammed down the rifle barrel or lead shot for the smooth bore barrel, and seated at the base of either barrel. The shooter then took a key, inserted it in a square hole at the rear part of the forward section, and turned it to cock the piece. This also allowed a small button “trigger” to pop out of the side of the cane at the proper position where it could be naturally accessed by the thumb of the left hand when the cane was aimed. On full charge, a normal air gun stick could fire around 30 to ­40 times before having to be re-pumped. The first 15 to ­20 rounds would experience no decrease in velocity or accuracy. However, afterwards, power would drop dramatically. Depending on the gun, shooting ranges with bullets ran from 10 to 50 yards, with 20 to 25 not being uncommon. Shot was normally fired at closer distances, the rifle at longer.

One of other rare examples we once had, also a fully fitted and cased example, with twin sleeved barrels, Mark sold to Charlton (Chuck) Heston back in 1971. Chuck was the 26th president of the NRA, as well as a world famous movie star, and winner of the US Medal of Freedom. Charlton Heston once proclaimed to gun control advocates that they could only have his firearm after taking it "from my cold, dead hands."

Naturally this walking stick rifle cum shotgun is now solely, a superb, original antique collector’s item, an antique curio only, no longer to be used for its original purpose.  read more

Code: 26026

A Superb Quality, Antique, Edwardian Hallmarked Repoussé Silver Handled Sword-Stick. A Most Elegant & Sophisticated Beauty In Near Mint Condition. What An Absolute Stunningly Beautiful Antique Collector’s Piece.

A wonderful repoussé silver long handle in super condition, a long bamboo haft with superb patination and a quatrefoil four sided edged blade.

Repoussé silver came into popularity during the rococo revival period in decorative arts. Silversmiths nationwide used the technique, but Baltimore was its greatest champion. The silversmiths there created a regional style featuring masses of repoussé flowers with chased details. (Chasing is opposite to repoussé, as it refines the front of the piece, and the two techniques are often used together). Known today as “Baltimore repoussé,” Samuel Kirk introduced this type of decoration in 1828. It was thoroughly copied soon after, but unlike his competitors, Kirk’s iconic pattern, simply called Repoussé, is still made today under the name Kirk Stieff.

And while America fell under the spell of neoclassicism, art nouveau, and other decorative styles, repoussé silver—outfitted in its rococo glory—has never fallen out of favour. When accounting for the style’s longevity, writer Jack Tanis noted the following in an article for Silver magazine: “What you see is what you get, and what you get is an eyeful of pretty—drippingly saturated pretty.”

Lord Byron's was a most exponent of the use and carrying of the gentleman’s sword stick. His was exhibited in King's College London, bearing a mercurial gilt collar bearing his name, coronet and adopted surname Noel. Upon the death of Byron's mother-in-law Judith Noel, the Hon. Lady Milbanke, in 1822, her will required that he change his surname to "Noel" so as to inherit

An interesting 19th century conversation and collector's piece, and one can ponder over of the kind of gentleman who would have sought and required such a piece of personal defence paraphernalia. Although one likes to think that jolly old England had a London full of cheerful cockneys and laddish chimney sweeps, it was also plagued with political intrigue, nefarious characters and caddish swine prowling the endless foggy thoroughfares and dimly lit passageways. The swordstick was a popular fashion accessory for the wealthy during the 18th and 19th centuries. While the weapon's origins are unknown, it is apparent that the cane-sword's popularity peaked when decorative swords were steadily being replaced by canes as a result of the rising popularity of firearms, and the lessening influence of swords and other small arms.

The first sword canes were made for nobility by leading sword cutlers. Sixteenth century sword canes were often bequeathed in wills. Sword canes became more popular as the streets became less safe. Society dictated it mandatory that gentlemen of the 18th and especially 19th centuries would wear a cane when out and about, and it was common for the well-dressed gentleman to own and sport canes in a variety of styles, including a good and sound sword cane. 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.

On Byron’s sword cane was the name NOEL BYRON, upon 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.

Sword sticks came in all qualities, and for numerous purposes, from the simplest bamboo sword cane personal defender to stout customs officer’s ‘prod’, to offensive close quarter stiletto dagger canes and even to the other side of the world in the form of Japanese samurai’s shikome-sue, hidden swords.

We show two famous sword sticks in the gallery, one that belonged to Lord Byron, and another in a Presidential Centre Library collection, a historic sword stick is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Centre Library collection in Fremont, Ohio from the Waggoner family, the sword-cane was said to have been presented to Mr Waggoner by General George Washington in honour of Waggoner's service in Washington's Life Guard during the American Revolutionary War.  read more

Code: 25262

Choose The Ideal Christmas Gift From Great Britain's Favourite Armoury Antiques & Collector's Shop. Some of The Best Ideas You Could Imagine, For Both Christmas & New Year, Have Come From The Lanes Armoury’. Our 105th Christmas in Brighton

Now moving on towards the end of November, as we all are, this would the perfect time to select a Christmas gift for a loved one {or oneself} from our unique and massive selection of original military antiques, ancient antiquities, and Ist edition novels. Also a fine time for deliveries worldwide to arrive before the Christmas festivities.

This is our 105th year of family trading this coming Christmas, and the dawn of our 106th year. However, we have actually traded in Brighton for well over 200 years, but until WW1 we were principally involved in the fishing trade, especially seafood. In the early 19th century we used to supply the Brighton Royal Pavilion, the palace of King George IVth {formerly the Prince Regent} with shellfish.

Every year, many, many millions of people visit Brighton, and many hundreds of thousands of them find there way here to us. In fact up to two or three thousand often visit us every opening day.
The world famous New York Times included our gallery in their list as one of the very best places to visit in the UK when travelling to Europe from America. Where else in the UK could you leave a store, after a jolly Christmas holiday visit, with a selection of original WW2 Officer’s uniform buttons for only £1.50p each, or an original solid gold and gemstone intaglio carved seal ring once worn 1700 years ago by an Imperial Roman senator. Where you might rub shoulders with a former American President’s First Lady, a Hollywood superstar, {our latest recent superstar visitor was British actor Tom Hardy, (who returned once again for another visit this weekend) another recent customer, a professor of textiles from America, who very kindly arranged for us to receive some conservation papers from the Met, or a retired Scottish teacher on a regular visit from the Outer Hebrides.

Incredible things seem to happen here every day, for example, just last week a very nice gentleman arrived here, after travelling all the way from Hong Kong, just to view and purchase one of our most special Japanese swords we were offering, and just as it was being packed up, after our business together was concluded, for its long journey to his home, another gentleman called on the phone with sincere interest in order to buy that very same sword, just a few minutes after the Hong Kong gentleman bought it, and bearing in mind we have many hundreds of swords on offer, and many thousands of intriguing pieces.
This remarkable occurrence was witnessed by one of our oldest friends and a very special regular customer, who was seated witnessing the whole turn of events, and he was amazed at the incredible coincidence, yet, he exclaimed, that so many hundreds of times he has been here in the past near 20 years, and he has seen, first hand, just how often that happens. We are truly a shop of most remarkably diverse visitors, and extraordinary coincidences.

As a former client, world renowned author, John Osborne, once said to Mark,
“It’s quite extraordinary, you can see just about everyone you could imagine here, and if you haven’t seen them yet, there’re probably on their way!’

Unique, ancient, antique and vintage beautiful items are our specialty, and be sure and certain that anything from us will be the best choice you can make this Christmas time. Recently arrived ! some stunning cannon balls fired at Waterloo. Plus another fabulous collection of original samurai swords, from the Koto to shinshinto period from 600 to 200 years old }arrives here today. Plus, our current selection ranges from a collection just acquired of really great and rare bayonets, British German & French, antique WW1 and WW2, from a collector who wanted the very best he could find over the past 40 years. Including rare French examples from the 'Russian contract' during WW1, that were uncovered in Ukraine in the late 90's, and some French Foreign Legion bayonets, acquired from a French Foreign Legion reserve armoury depot clear-out in the 70's. Plus stunning and rare Japanese samurai swords including a beautiful, original 'Tamashigiri Cutting Test' antique samurai katana signed by high rated master smith, Masashige Tegarayama, 手柄山正繁 with a highly rare Tamashigiri Cutting Test, By Gonnosuke Komatsubara, Dated 1799 to some super Ist Edition Charles Dickens novels, and various fabulous, wonderful and utterly beautiful antique Victorian dragoon dress helmets. Also a stunning collection of historical, provenanced original Napoleonic War cannon balls and a huge French Howitzer explosive round { now inert}.

All kinds of other unique and fabulous conversation pieces, including some delightful volumes, have been acquired lately, such as, for example, a 1st edition of The Third Man by Graham Greene, one of David senior’s fellow imbibers at our neighbours ancient establishment, The Cricketers, Brighton’s 500 year old inn.

Another part of our original Japanese katana acquisitions arrived, and as usual many are stunning beauties and A Superb Choice For This Christmas, And a Special Price Too! A Very Good World War II Imperial Japanese Army Officer's Katana with a famous family's silver clan mon

We have had arrive here recently, some more really wonderful, original pieces of history. And as usual, this occurs almost every single day, {except Sunday} sometimes many times in a day if we are fortunate. Being one of all the world’s collectors favourite stores, some incredible artifacts are almost magnetically drawn to our doorstep every opening hour.

Every item, as usual, will be accompanied with our unique, presentation quality, 'Certificate of Authenticity' that will not only fully certify it's genuineness, but it will detail the circumstance of it's origin, and where and when it may have been used in it's specific or generic history.
Where else in Britain could you walk out of the store this Christmas with an original souvenir from Alexander the Great's battle with the Persians in 334 B.C, from only £65, to a fabulous unique handmade gold, diamond and ruby 'Mystery Watch' once owned by movie legend, Elizabeth Taylor, for just under £180,000, or, a 2500 year old ancient Chinese sword that may very likely have once been the sword of a king!, and how about a fabulous 'Shaturnal' a Moghul War-Elephant cannon

We are very proud to offer a superb selection of ancient antiquities, swords, daggers and spears from all the major past empires and civilisations of the world from over the past 3,500 years. In fact many recognise our unique and original selection is likely the best and most comprehensive to be seen, and offered for sale, anywhere in Europe, and possibly even the world over.

This Christmas season we can offer thousands of pieces, including, such as, a fabulous complete set of Charles Dickens novels

"Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

— GROUCHO MARX
{and yes, he was a visiting customer as well, in around March 1965}

And please be further assured, all gift purchases may be changed after Christmas for any form of suitable alternatives.

"Doesn't someone you know deserve something unique from The Lanes Armoury". Just look at a few of our thousands of pages of delectable offerings, that vary from a very rare Rowntree’s WW2 munitions factory Rescue Officer’s helmet, to an Iceni chieftain’s chariot rein mount from the Roman-Celtic war with Queen Boudicca in England 2000 years ago, to very rare Italian Renaissance 16th century prince's dagger, to crossbow bolts recovered from the Battle site of Bannockburn {23–24 June 1314}, to some exceptional swords from the Napoleonic Wars, some belonging to several of Napoleon's generals. One, is a presentational grade sabre, somewhat akin to the fabulous Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund swords awarded to hero’s of the wars with Napoleon {but fortunately, not for the 100,000 pounds plus cost that they can command today}, &, to a superb Gurkha’s WW2 military issue kukri for just a few hundred pounds. Everything is possible through our portals, for all budget ranges, from just a few pounds to six figures.

The Lanes Armoury described by the 'New York Times' as one of the very best stores and destinations to visit when in Europe.
A living, breathing gallery that is a huge walk around ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, containing thousands of original historical and magical pieces from the ancient long past, to the near recent. In fact, from 300,000 years of human history, and 100 million years of world history.

We are certainly not the biggest premier store in Europe recommended by the New York Times, in fact we are probably the smallest, but what we lack in size, apparently, we more than make up for in amazement, and wonder, and, the family have been trading in antiques in Brighton for over 104 years. Prior to that, we traded in Brighton caught shellfish for the previous 100 plus years, with our licensed shellfish concessions for the entire Brighton coastline.

For example, we added recently items that range from a Samurai Ancestral Sword Around 600 years old {or more}, a WW2 Japanese Officer's Sword With An Ancestral Blade 450 Years Old, an original late Koto to shinto samurai’s daisho, a stunning ‘Agincourt’, hand-and-a-half knights sword, a Seige of Troy era Bronze Age sword, incredibly rare original Viking warriors sword around 1000 years old, a beautiful samurai’s disguised fan dagger, plus, Ancient Roman Gladiator's rings for both for a Gladiator and Gladiatrix, around 1700 years old.

Google just let us know our updated Google entry just past the amazing 1,000,000 { one million } searches in order to find out our location in order to visit us here in Brighton, England.

Twenty Four Years Ago, After 80 Years Trading in Brighton, We Were Honoured by Being Nominated & Awarded by BACA, In The Best Antique & Collectables Shop In Britain Awards 2001
Presented by MILLER'S Antiques Guide, THE BBC, HOMES & ANTIQUES MAGAZINE, for the British Antique & Collectables Awards. The version of the antique dealers ‘Oscars’ of Britain.


In the gallery, the first photo, is a wonderful daybreak photo, taken the at the farm two Christmas seasons ago, December 2023. Showing what some are calling the South of England's 'Sky-on-Fire' Daybreak. You can see in the far distance in his retirement paddock the late Judy Hawkins's beloved former UK 'Supreme Champion' Scottish Highland grey pony, that was a frequent competitor against the late queen's Highlands at Windsor Castle. In his prime, he had his own worldwide fan club, and competition followers. Photo 7 in the gallery is old “Governor’ and his little chum “Roger” waiting for their morning apples at our farm last year, sadly, they are now no longer with us. Photo 8 is a typical example of everyday new arrivals in the gallery. Photo 9 is Judy and Holly, ten years apart, first watching "Governor" in competition, then Holly alone, with her horse, following on in her late devoted grandmother's passion, and, the family tradition. Our family have been entranced by our love of animals since modern memory, but principally dogs and horses, for over 200 years. Of course, in regards to horses, the first 130 years was by necessity, as then you couldn’t get anything done, in both the domestic or business world, at all, without them, but the past 70 years has been for love, pleasure and joy alone.
This year has been a tough one for our equine life. First we lost Governor, then Roger, then just last week, Arrow. But the many decades of joy they brought us all, and hopefully the joyous life they all led with us here, more than makes up for our feelings of loss and sadness.

The last photo in the gallery is an autographed photo, given to Mark personally, by the late, great, 40th President of The United States, Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office of The White House.  read more

Code: 25540