Antique Arms & Militaria

A 19th Century Leather Shot Flask By Renown Maker James Dixon and Son

Embossed leather relief design of hanging game. J Dixon & Sons (James Dixon & Sons) founded 1806 in Sheffield, was one of the major British manufacturers in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. They were well known as manufacturers of Pewterware, Electroplated Britannia metal Silverware and Electroplated nickel silver. Their products included hundreds of items for use in the kitchen (e.g. bowls, cutting-tools) and the dining room(e.g. tea services, cocktail shakers and mixers) as well as items like candlesticks for all rooms. They were a world leader in manufacturing shooting accessories through nineteenth century and exported powder flasks in large quantities to America, They were known as whistle makers, which like most of their products were of outstanding quality; they were one of the 4 great whistle makers, the others being W Dowler & Sons, J Stevens & Son & T Yates.

It was located first at Silver Street (1806), Cornish Place (1822) Sheffield . They were also famous for their sporting trophies. Two of the most well-known are the Hales Trophy commissioned in 1932 (sometimes called the Blue Riband) though this really refers to the pendant flown by the sailing ship currently holding the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. The trophy was then held by the owners of that ship. The other great trophy is the one presented to the winner of the American Masters Golf tournament held annually in Augusta Georgia. This trophy is a scale model of the clubhouse made in 1959-60 and contains 453 troy ounces of silver.  read more

Code: 19867

George Vth 13th County of London Kensington Helmet Plate

Excellent condition. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the 26 Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform.

Now part of the Territorial Force, the London Regiment expanded to 88 battalions in the First World War. Of these 49 battalions saw action in France and Flanders, 6 saw action at the Gallipoli Campaign, 12 saw action at Salonika, 14 saw action against the Turks in Palestine, and one saw action in Waziristan and Afghanistan.

The London Regiment ceased to exist in 1938 and the battalions transferred to regular infantry regiments, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers.  read more

Code: 18849

A Very Fine East Yorkshire Regt. Officer's Cap badge

In gilt silver and enamel . Two fixing lugs. Raised in 1685 in Nottingham by Sir William Clifton, 3rd Baronet, it was originally, like many British infantry regiments, known by the name of its current Colonel. In 1751, when the numerical system of designation of Regiments of Foot was adopted, it became the 15th Regiment of Foot and in 1782 the 15th (The Yorkshire East Riding) Regiment of Foot. With the Childers Reforms of 1881, it became The East Yorkshire Regiment, the County Regiment of the East Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1935 was renamed The East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York's Own), after its Colonel-in-Chief. In 1958, it was amalgamated with The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own), to form The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire.


It fought in the War of Spanish Succession, the Jacobite Rising of 1719 and in North America and the West Indies during the War of Jenkin's Ear, Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War including battles such as Capture of St. Lucia in 1778. It again fought in the West Indies during the Napoleonic Wars, taking part in the invasions of Martinique (1809) and Guadeloupe (1810).

The regiment spent most of the 19th century on garrison duty, both at home and throughout the Empire. The 1st Battalion was shipped to New Brunswick in 1862 at the time of the "Trent Affair", when Britain and the United States of America came close to war. The 2nd Battalion fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the Second Boer War. Battle honours
Regimental colours; Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Louisburg, Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, Havannah, St. Lucia 1778, Martinique 1794 1809, Guadeloupe 1810, Afghanistan 1879-80, South Africa 1900-02, The Great War (21 battalions): Aisne 1914 '18, Armenti?res 1914, Ypres 1915 '17 '18, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Hooge 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozi?res, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Oppy, Messines 1917 '18, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosi?res, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, ?p?hy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Struma, Doiran 1917, Macedonia 1915-18, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915-16
The Second World War: Withdrawal to Escaut, Defence of Escaut, Defence of Arras, French Frontier 1940, Ypres-Comines Canal, Dunkirk 1940, Normandy Landing, Tilly sur Seulles, Odon, Caen, Bourgu?bus Ridge, Troarn, Mont Pincon, St. Pierre la Vielle, Gheel, Nederrijn, Aam, Venraij, Rhineland, Schaddenhof, Brinkum, Bremen, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45, Gazala, Mersa Matruh, Defence of Alamein Line, El Alamein, Mareth, Wadi Zigzaou, Akarit, North Africa 1942-43, Primosole Bridge, Sicily 1943, Sittang 1945, Burma 1945  read more

Code: 18816

A Victorian Kaffrarian Rifles Badge, of South Africa, Motto "Nunc animus"

Nunc animus (meaning "Now with courage" or "Now without fear") This unit was formed in East London in 1876, as the Buffalo Corps of Rifle Volunteers, for service in the 9th Frontier War. It disbanded in 1879. (East London is situated on the Buffalo River, hence the name).

The unit was re-formed in July 1883 and was named after the region of Kaffraria, the 19th-century name for the region around East London. There had previously been many other units from this region, from which the Regiment can also claim descent: Kaffrarian Volunteer Corps, Kaffrarian Mounted Rifles (Kaffrarian Rangers), Buffalo Volunteer Rifles Corps, Buffalo Volunteer Engineers, Kaffrarian Volunteer Artillery Corps, Berlin Mounted Volunteers, Cape Mounted Yeomanry (1st Regiment), Frontier Mounted Riflemen (Brabant's Horse), East London Volunteers (Von Linsignen's Buffalo Corps and later Walkers Horse).

On 1 December 1900 George Herbert Farrar was appointed as a Major in the Kaffrarian Rifles.

In 1913 it was embodied in the Citizen Force as the 5th Infantry (Kaffrarian Rifles), but regained its old name in 1932. The unit was temporarily amalgamated with the First City Regiment, as the First City/The Kaffrarian Rifles from 1954 to 1956. In order to keep pace with the changing political climate in South Africa, the regiment was renamed the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles in 1999.

This Regiment and its predecessors took part in all of South Africa's armed conflicts, including the Bechuanaland Campaign (1897), the Second Boer War, World War I (when it fought in the then German South-West Africa and most of its members went on to serve in East Africa and Europe), World War II (when it fought in the Western Desert during 1941 - 1943 . 62 mm high  read more

Code: 18566

A Good 19th Century Powder Flask

Fluted copper body and brass adjustable spout.  read more

Code: 18238

A Good 19th Century Sykes Pistol Powder Flask

Absolutely ideal for pistol casing. A nice example with a few small dents. Small pistol flasks are certainly the most desireable type as they can beautifully set off a cased pistol set [and thus increase it's value dramatically], for either a flintlock or percussion gun, that is lacking it's original flask. 4.5 inches long  read more

Code: 18199

A Very Nice 19th Century Dixon & Son Pistol Powder Flask

In nice order with working spring spout with three adjustable gram measures. 4.75 inches long overall. A delightful piece with pressed shell pattern in copper with gilt spout. Super patina.  read more

Code: 18189

A Very Fine. 19th Century Shaped Copper Powder Flask

With good adjustable spout measure and tight spring.  read more

Code: 17600

A Good French Boche Powder Flask, 19th Century, Shell Pattern

By Boche of Paris, a fine quality flask with good working spring action. Boche apparently signed only his best examples and flasks by Boche belong to the highest in society.  read more

Code: 17525

A Fine Victorian G & J W Hawksley Powder Flask

A very good copper and brass powder flask for a gun with the oak leaf design incorporating a fox and stag head, the nozzle stamped Drams and graduation values of 2?, 2?, 2? , the nozzle signed G & J. W. Hawksley, slight dent one side at the top of the body, and in working order. Overall 8 by 3? inches.

See THE POWDER FLASK BOOK, Ray Riling page 315 fig 580.

Riling says in the book that the flask illustrated as fig 580 was made by Hawksley for Barton of New York and implies that this was an exclusive design to them and does not mention having seen one marked Hawksley which might suggest that this is rare.  read more

Code: 17506