A Stunning Japanese 0-Tanto Signed Echizen Kuni ju nin Kanenori Circa 1615

A very large Japanese samurai dagger around 400 years old possibly Keicho era. Beautifully mounted in its all original Edo period fittings of very fine quality. The takebori tsuba is decorated with a most finely executed dragon with pure gold highlights, and bears a large cursive signature by its maker. The fushigashira are iron inlaid with pure silver wire decoration of tendrils and flowers. The menuki are absolutely delightful of pure gold decorated twin pairs of cockerals in differing poses. The wide and long blade is most imposing, with a very unusual carved hi groove configuration. The original Edo urushi ishime lacquer saya has a fine kozuka utility knife fitted in its pocket that has a gold spiny lobster in takebori on very finely defined nanako ground see below for the detail on the nanako work, the rear of the kozuka handle is raindrop engraved with gold overlay

This beautiful large samurai dagger was made in and around the time of the famous clan conflict at Osaka Castle. In 1614, the Toyotomi clan rebuilt Osaka Castle. At the same time, the head of the clan sponsored the rebuilding of Hoko-ji in Kyoto. These temple renovations included the casting of a great bronze bell, with inscriptions that read "May the state be peaceful and prosperous" (kokka anko), and "May noble lord and servants be rich and cheerful" (kunshin horaku). The shogunate interpreted "kokka anko" as shattering Ieyasu's the Shogun name to curse him, and also interpreted "kunshin horaku" to mean "Toyotomi's force will rise again," which meant treachery against the new Tokugawa shogunate. Tensions began to grow between the Tokugawa and the Toyotomi clans, and only increased when Toyotomi began to gather a force of ronin mercenary samurai who had lost their lord and enemies of the shogunate in Osaka. Ieyasu, despite having passed the title of Shogun to his son in 1605, nevertheless maintained significant influence.

Despite Katagiri Katsumoto's attempts to mediate the situation, Ieyasu found the ideal pretext to take a belligerent attitude against Yodo-dono and Hideyori. The situation worsened for September of that year, when the news reached Edo that in Osaka they were grouping a large quantity of ronin-you are missing without a lord-at the invitation of Hideyori.

Katsumoto proposed to Yodo-dono be sent to Edo as a hostage with the desire to avoid hostilities, to which she flatly refused. Suspect of trying to betray the Toyotomi clan, Yodo-dono finally banished Katsumoto and several other servants accused of treason from Osaka castle, and go to the service of the Tokugawa clan, consequently any possibility of reaching an agreement with the shogunate was dissolved.

This last movement of Yodo-dono, who acted as the guardian of Hideyori, led to the beginning of the siege of Osaka. The siege of Osaka ( Osaka no Eki, or, more commonly, Osaka no Jin) was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, towards the end of the Keicho era, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment. The end of the conflict is sometimes called the Genna Armistice ( Genna Enbu), because the era name was changed from Keicho to Genna immediately following the siege.

Nanako Ji: "fish roe ground" A surface decoration produced by forming very small raised bosses by a sharply struck punch or burin called 'nanako tagane'. Shakudo is the metal most often used, but copper and gold are quite often employed. The harder metals, shibuichi, silver and iron are rarely decorated in this way. The size of the dots vary from 0.04" to 0.008" (25 to 125 and inch) and the regularity of the work is marvelous as the dots must be spaced entirely by touch. The dots are usually arranged in straight lines or in lines parallel to the edge of the piece being decorated, but sometimes in more elaborate patterns. Used on guards since the Momoyama period although the technique existed since much earlier periods. Usually done by specialist 'nanako-shi', but sometimes done by the maker of the guard himself. The articles of sword ornamentation made by the Goto artists were practically all on shakudo grounds with nanako finish; after the emergence of the machibori artisans in the mid-Edo period and the popularity of the newly inspired kozuka, shakudo grounds with nanako finish "became the rage". Nanako finish is probably an evolution and refinement of a very old style finish (which it vaguely resembles); "millet finish", 'awa ishime', which is found on some old armorer tsuba. However, awa ishime consisted of small, round dimples punched into the surface of the ground; on the other hand, nanako is formed by striking the ground with a cup-shaped punch to raise, and project upward from the surface, small semi-hemispheric nipples. Since we find nanako finish on old yamagane grounds, it was in use as early as the Kamakura period. It is note-worthy that a nanako finish on a shakudo ground has been used since the time of the first Goto 1440 - 151 in the mitokoromono, "set of three", for use on formal or ceremonial occasions. Later, shakudo nanako became the regular finish for use by the metal artisans. (deleted repeated sentences) In applying nanako, meticulous and scrupulous care must be used in positioning and striking the "cupping tool" in order to achieve fine, regular, carefully and closely spaced, identical results, row after row. Careless, imprecise and even coarse workmanship can be detected in the nanako of some older works and on "ready made" products, but work of later years, executed with infinite and scrupulous care, are beautiful beyond belief. However, even the finest of execution of nanako finish applied to brass (shinchu) or shibuichi fails to carry the distinct air of refinement and elegance of similar work on shakudo. The very elegance of nanako workmanship reflects not only the extraordinary skills of the Japanese in the execution of minute, detailed work, but also their tremendous patience and artistic inspiration. It is said that blindness of nanako workers at thirty years of age was usual because of the microscopic and meticulous work so carefully and patiently executed. On many old tsuba, pre-dating the period of the Goto, one encounters nanako laid in horizontal or vertical rows; on subsequent work nanako was applied along curved lines conforming to the shape of the tsuba.

22.5 inches long overall, 14 inches long blade tsuba to tip.  read more

Code: 22736

Probably The Rarest & Most Significant Artifact of WW2 Available in the World. A Superb 'Top Secret' 'Ball Race', A Spare Part of the World Famous 'Little Boy' Bomb , The Very First Atom Bomb Ever Made, and Used in WW2 To End The War in Japan

An amazing significant piece especially for this August, for the 80 year anniversary of the Victory Over Japan in August 1945.

This amazing piece of history has returned from use in a documentary on the Manhattan Project and Professor Oppenheimer, as can be seen in the current worldwide movie hit, 'Oppenheimer'

It is the second, 'back-up' spare part that we owned, the first spare part we sold previously to a private museum in Florida, and both were made for the world famous Manhatten Project at Los Alamos the create the 'Little Boy' bomb, the 1st ever Uranium Bomb, that ultimately led to the end of WW2 in Japan. Although obviously devastating to Japan, it saved many, many millions of lives, including the hundreds of thousands of allied WW2 POWs in Japanese slave and torture camps, who were to be instantly executed, under Imperial decree, the moment an allied soldier stepped foot on Japanese soil.
And, not forgetting the Japanese Imperial General Staff order that every man, woman, and child in Japan were instructed to kill an allied invading soldier, by whatever means, and every Japanese citizen was ordered to fight to the death, and never surrender.
Another most interesting and historical fact, not often known by most today, was that the emperor realised once the atom bombs were dropped, and their god like devastating power revealed, Japan was utterly lost, and what remained of his empire and his people must be saved at all costs, despite the likelyhood of an assassination attempt to kill their divine Emperor

Thus he decided to announce Japan's unconditional surrender, and thus the assassination conspiracy was enabled. Considerable elements of the general staff had other ideas to the Emperor's surrender order, and many passionately opposed this decision, so much so, despite him being regarded as a god, an assasination squad under command of Major Hatanaki, a fiery eyed zealot, was despatched to the imperial palace to kill thir emperor.
Fortunately for the world his most faithful and devoted aide hid him in a special protected room, and thus the emperor was able to escape and make his momentous surrender broadcast, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the days that followed the emperor’s radio address, at least eight generals killed themselves. On one afternoon, Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, commander of the Fifth Air Fleet on the island of Kyushu, drank a farewell cup of sake with his staff and drove to an airfield where 11 D4Y Suisei dive-bombers were lined up, engines roaring. Before him stood 22 young men, each wearing a white headband emblazoned with a red rising sun.

Ugaki climbed onto a platform and, gazing down on them, asked, “Will all of you go with me?”

“Yes, sir!” they all shouted, raising their right hands in the air.

“Many thanks to all of you,” he said. He climbed down from the stand, got into his plane, and took off. The other planes followed him into the sky.

Aloft, he sent back a message: “I am going to proceed to Okinawa, where our men lost their lives like cherry blossoms, and ram into the arrogant American ships, displaying the real spirit of a Japanese warrior.”

Ugaki’s kamikazes flew off toward the expected location of the American fleet. Fortunately they were never heard from again.

Although just 80 years old this year, it is probably one of the rarest items we are ever likely to offer, or will ever be seen again on the world market to buy.
A unique survivor of the most expensive and intense top secret project of WW2. A superb, micro engineered gyro ball race.
We had both spare part Gyro Ball Races, and the other one previously, that we had, we sold to an American private museum collector. This is the secondary spare part, that we acquired from the late collection of Professor Samuel Eilenberg, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Columbia University in WW2, that we are delighted to offer for sale. The first, 'principle' part, was used during the construction of 'Little Boy' Uranium Bomb, part of the ultra top secret 'Manhattan Project' and evaporated in the detonation. However, there were two spare parts made at Los Alamos, and we were delighted and most privileged to have acquired both of them. The 1st 'spare' part, we sold earlier, was engraved, this second back-up spare part, was not with it's Los Alamos part code; GYRO PT MK3 A. Code L.B.BOMB. That first spare part we sold recently to a private museum in Florida, USA, this, our second example another MK3 A, is plain and un-engraved, and the 'back-up' spare part.
Apparently most component parts of both bombs made at Los Alamos code names; 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' had spare parts, and 'back-up' spare parts, constructed. Importantly, if a main part was damaged in assembly they could not wait the many months it would take for a spare to be made, potentially at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, thus prudently, emergency spares, and secondary spares, were required. Souvenirs of the Manhattan Project were later officially gifted or presented to many of the consultants and scientists working on, or associated with, the greatest secret project of the 20th century, once the project was officially closed down by the lead physicist Dr. Oppenheimer. For information purposes the diameter of the ball race is 160mm which is within a small tolerance of the diameter of the gun barrel 165mm that barrel was central to the construction of 'Little Boy'. This measurement may indeed be a clue to the relevance to the ball races actual function or use within the project. Unfortunately due to the top secret nature of the whole event Prof Eilenberg did not reveal the ball races specific function, or, even his, no doubt significant, personal contribution, within the project, before his death in January 1998, only that he acquired them at Los Alamos in August 1945, apparently personally given by Oppenheimer. Much of the full schematics are still officially 'Top Secret'.
The first spare that we sold was accompanied by top secret Royal Naval photos, and the id plate of the projector used to show the professors, physicists and scientists working on the project, the film of the dropping of 'Little Boy' by the Enola Gay. We show for information only those photos and id plate, but they are not included with this back-up spare part. We also show the engraving, as was on the original spare part we sold, but it is not on this 'back-up' spare. The Manhattan Project was the project to develop the first nuclear weapon (atomic bomb) during World War II by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Formally designated as the Manhattan Engineer District (MED), it refers specifically to the period of the project from 1941–1946 under the control of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, under the administration of General Leslie R. Groves. The scientific research was directed by American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.

The project succeeded in developing and detonating three nuclear weapons in 1945: a test detonation of a plutonium implosion bomb on July 16 (the Trinity test) near Alamogordo, New Mexico; an enriched uranium bomb code-named "Little Boy" on August 6 over Hiroshima, Japan; and a second plutonium bomb, code-named "Fat Man" on August 9 over Nagasaki, Japan.

The project's roots lay in scientists' fears since the 1930s that Nazi Germany was also investigating nuclear weapons of its own. Born out of a small research program in 1939, the Manhattan Project eventually employed more than 130,000 people and cost nearly $2 billion USD ($23 billion in 2007 dollars based on CPI). It resulted in the creation of multiple production and research sites that operated in secret.

The three primary research and production sites of the project were the plutonium-production facility at what is now the Hanford Site, the uranium-enrichment facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the weapons research and design laboratory, now known as Los Alamos National Laboratory. Project research took place at over thirty different sites across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The MED maintained control over U.S. weapons production until the formation of the Atomic Energy Commission in January 1947. We also have an original photo print taken from HMS Colossus, part of 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron, that was based in the Pacific, commanded by Rear Admiral Harcourt. It was taken on 7th August 1945 the day after Little Boy was detonated. It is a picture of two I/d profiles of two Japanese T/E fighters that were originally observed in July 1945. These photographs were sent to the Manhattan Project HQ, but why, to us, this remains a mystery. Also, another souvenir, the serial tag from the Army Air Corps Bell and Howell sound projector, that apparently showed the original film of the detonation of 'Little Boy' to Professor Eilenberg and others from the project after the Enola Gay mission. Those souvenirs we had accompanied the sale of the first and engraved spare ball race, and not this one. We show in the gallery, for information only, a Paul R. Halmos's photograph of Samuel Eilenberg (1913-1998, shielding his face left, and Gordon T. Whyburn (1904-1969) in 1958 at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Edinburgh. For example, in relation to the desirability of original items connected to this monumentally historical mission, two other souvenirs from Little Boy, the green safety plugs, were sold around 23 years ago in the US.
The Little Boy was armed on the mission flight by removing the green safety plugs, and arming it with red arming plugs. This was undertaken by 23 year old Lt. Morris Richard Jeppson, who armed the bomb during the flight. For this perilous task he was awarded the Silver Star for his unique contribution to the mission. Jeppson, however, kept a few of the green plugs that signified his role in the bombing as souvenirs. He sold two of them in San Francisco for $167,500, at auction, in 2002, however, the US federal government claimed they were classified material and tried, but failed dismally, to block the sale in the courts, however the presiding Judge ruled that all of the Little Boy artefacts, details etc., are effectively, now, in the public domain and free to be sold at will.
We were very fortunate to acquire these fascinating pieces, from Prof Eilenberg's collection, from a doctor and lecturer of oriental studies in London, who acquired them himself some years ago from a dear colleague of Prof Eilenberg. This rare piece, the back-up gyro ball race spare part, is plain does not bear engraving, but it does have Eilenberg's label from his personal collection. It does not come with the camera plate or official photos they went to the museum in Florida, but we can supply copy photo images of the originals.

Plus, every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 22797

A Scarce Large Antique Bali & Lombok Loncengan Hilt High Born Warriors Kris or Keris. With A Spectacular, Serpentine, 15 Luk {Curves} Blade

From the Bali or Lombok island of Indonesia. The very fine blade being also very finely polished likely leans towards Bali. Most keris or kris from other islands have course blades that are not meant to be highly polished as is this fine sword.

The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The Sasaks chafed under Balinese rule, and a revolt in 1891 ended in 1894 with the annexation of the entire island to the Netherlands East Indies. This is a beautiful and scarce Kris with bound grip typically indicative of Lombok Keris,
Because some kris are considered sacred and believed to possess magical powers, specific rites needed to be completed to avoid calling down evil fates which is the reason warriors often made offerings to their kris at a shrine. There is also the belief that pointing a kris at someone means they will die soon, so silat practitioners precede their demonstrations by touching the points of the blades to the ground so as to neutralise this effect.

Reference; a Lanes Armoury *Special Conservation* Item, restored and conserved in our workshop, see info page for details on our conservation principles.

Painting in the Royal Collection by Frans Francken the Younger in the gallery, photo 10, painted in 1617, titled 'Cabinet of a Collector', clearly shows, top left, a 16th century Kris dagger, Even as early as the 16th century, awareness and collectability of the Indonesian kris had reached far into Europe.

The kris or keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger from Indonesia. Both weapon and spiritual object, the kris is considered to possess magical powers. The earliest known kris go back to the tenth century and most probably spread from the island of Java throughout South-East Asia.

Kris blades are usually narrow with a wide, asymmetrical base. The sheath is often made from wood, though examples from ivory, even gold, abound. A kris’ aesthetic value covers the dhapur (the form and design of the blade, with some 40 variants), the pamor (the pattern of metal alloy decoration on the blade, with approximately 120 variants), and tangguh referring to the age and origin of a kris. A bladesmith, or empu, makes the blade in layers of different iron ores and meteorite nickel. In high quality kris blades, the metal is folded dozens or hundreds of times and handled with the utmost precision. Empus are highly respected craftsmen with additional knowledge in literature, history and occult sciences.

Kris were worn everyday and at special ceremonies, and heirloom blades are handed down through successive generations. Both men and women wear them. A rich spirituality and mythology developed around this dagger. Kris are used for display, as talismans with magical powers, weapons, sanctified heirlooms, auxiliary equipment for court soldiers, accessories for ceremonial dress, an indicator of social status, a symbol of heroism, etc. 19.5 inch blade, overall 24.75 inches.
No scabbard  read more

Code: 24676

A Very Fine & Long 15th Century Katana, Around 600 Years Old, From An Historically Significant Great Samurai Clan, The Nabeshima Descendents of the Fujiwara, With Traditional Stone Polished Blade

The blade was sent to Japan some years ago for a fine stone traditional re polish. This superb ancient blade has a stunningly elegant curvature, and combined with a simply spectacular, vibrant and deep hamon, absolutely breathtaking, and very healthy for its age, and thus it makes this blade very special indeed, it is also very unusual for a blade of this age to survive its great length without alteration. The blade was fully traditionally stone polished. It has all its original Edo fittings, and its fine signed tsuba by Kinai of Echizen. It bears two mon, one in silver, 'Daki Myoga' mon of the great Nebeshima clan on the kashira, and the 'Sagarifuji' mon of the Fujiwara clan on the fuchi. The Nabeshima clan was a cadet branch of the Shoni clan and was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara became so powerful they had absolute control over the Imperial court. By the year 1000, Fujiwara no Michinaga was able to enthrone and dethrone emperors at will, effectively, "hereditary dictators". The Fujiwara controlled the throne until the reign of Emperor Go-Sanjō (1068–73), the first emperor not born of a Fujiwara mother since the ninth century. Emperor Go-Sanjō, determined to restore imperial control through strong personal rule, implemented reforms to curb Fujiwara influence. In the late 12th century, Fujiwara no Sukeyori, a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato in the 9th generation, received the title of Dazai Shoni (equivalent to that of vice-governor of the military government of Kyushu) from Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and the title became the family name.

The clan played an important role in the region as early as the Muromachi period, when it helped suppress opposition to the Ashikaga shogunate's control of Kyushu. It did not take the name Nabeshima, however, until the late 15th century, when Shoni Shigenao established himself at Nabeshima in Hizen province (today part of Saga City, Saga prefecture). Later, in the Sengoku period (1467-1603), the Nabeshima were one of a number of clans which clashed over the island. The Nabeshima sided with the Ryuzoji clan against the Otomo clan, though this ultimately ended in failure and the death of Ryuzoji Takanobu at the 1584 battle of Okita Nawate. Several years later, however, the Nabeshima recovered power and prominence by aiding Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his 1587 invasion of Kyushu; Nabeshima Naoshige was granted the region of Saga as his fief, as a reward for his efforts. Naoshige also contributed to Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea in the 1590s.

The clan initially aided Ishida Mitsunari against Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Sekigahara Campaign in 1600. However, they switched sides to support the Tokugawa, who were ultimately victorious, before the campaign had ended, battling and occupying the forces of Tachibana Muneshige, who was thus prevented from contributing directly to the battle of Sekigahara. Though regarded as tozama daimyo ("outside" lords), and assigned particularly heavy corvee duties, the Nabeshima were allowed to keep their territory in Saga, and in fact had their kokudaka increased. The clan's forces served the new Tokugawa shogunate loyally in the years which followed; they remained in Kyushu during the 1615 Osaka Campaign as a check against a possible rebellion or uprising by the Shimazu clan, and aided in the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637. In recognition of their service, members of the clan were granted the prestigious family name Matsudaira in 1648.

During the Edo period, the clan's Saga domain became quite famous. There is a stunning picture in our gallery of a painting in the British Museum, by an unknown artist, of Portrait of a Nabeshima lord, Fujiwara; Munemitsu of the Nabeshima clan wearing his tanto, with it's Nabeshima 'Daki Myoga' mon. The sukashi round tsuba is signed Echizen no Ju Kinai Saku, in the form of an aoi, or hollyhock plant, possibly by godai Ishikawa. Likely a branch of the Miōchin (Group IV), this family was founded by Ishikawa Kinai, who moved from Kiōto to Echizen province Japanese text and died in 1680. The succeeding masters, however, bore the surname of Takahashi. All sign only Kinai Japanese text, with differences in the characters used and in the manner of writing them.

The Kinai made guards only, of hard and well forged iron usually coated with the black magnetic oxide. They confined themselves to pierced relief showing extraordinary cleanness both of design and execution. Any considerable heightening of gold is found as a rule only in later work. Dragons in the round appear first in guards by the third master, fishes, birds, etc., in those of the fifth; while designs of autumn flowers and the like come still later. There are examples of Kinai tsuba in the Ashmolean and the British Museum. Very long 30.75 inch unsigned blade, measured tsuba to tip.  read more

Code: 23298

A Sublime Napoleonic Ist Empire French Superior Officer’s Blue & Gilt Officer’s Sword in the Mameluke Style, With Finest Deluxe Grade Chiselled Decor. We Always Try Our Utmost To Offer The Finest or Most Intriguing Pieces We Can From History

With copper mercurial gilt hilt and chequered polished horn grip original gilt scabbard with helmeted Minerva head mounts, twin ring belt fittings with its original, multi looped hanging belt chains, with spring catches.
Finely engraved blue and gilt blade.

Napoleon's Egypt Campaign, that ended in 1801, many Napoleonic officer's adopted the so-called oriental mounted swords, modelled on the Mameluke taken by him from Murad Bey, commander of the Mamelukes, which he holds in his Egypt portrait captured from the Egyptian Marmalukes {see gallery} that eventually became part of Napoleons Imperial Garde.
These swords, in their turn, were captured by the British and similarly adopted as a form of highly favoured officers sword. In fact the mamaluke sabre became the British General's pattern sword that is still in use today. Several of these specific swords were part of a Sotheby's Napoleonic Wars auction in Monaco in 1990, titled "Belles Armes Anciennes Casques et Objects Militaires". The last photo in the gallery is of Joachim Napoleon Murat, King of Naples, brother of Napoleon's Mameluke sword, somewhat similar to our sword, and all based on the sword of Napoleon from Murad Bey.

In May of 1804 Napoleon established the French Empire and with it he brought back the title of Marshal of France, also known as Marshal of the Empire at this time. Abolished by the National Convention in 1793, the title of Marshal of France was officially a civilian appointment but reserved for experienced generals. It was an honor to become a marshal and the marshals received higher pay and privileges. Napoleon wished to gain legitimacy in the eyes of Europe since other nations had the rank of field marshal, and he wished to reward and ensure the loyalty of the generals to his empire and thus they wore such swords of this quality and beauty.

One of his greatest marshals to wear such a sword was Marshal
Marshal of the Empire
Étienne Macdonald
duc de Tarente
Étienne Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald. During the spring of 1810, Marshal Macdonald was sent to Spain to take command of the Army of Catalonia. While there he won at Ververa, but in 1811 he fell ill and returned to Paris again. In 1812 Macdonald was given command of the X Corps of the Grande Armée for the campaign against Russia. Macdonald's corps missed most of the fighting of 1812 due to being ordered to hold the left flank, but also due to his command being primarily composed of Prussian and German soldiers, with only his headquarters staff being French. Macdonald's corps laid siege to Riga in August, but they lifted the siege in December during the retreat, just in time for the majority of his force to defect away from the French side due to Prussian nationalism.

Napoleon needed experienced commanders for the campaigns of 1813, and in April of that year Macdonald was given command of the XI Corps. He won at Mersebourg and then commanded the right at the Battle of Lützen. Macdonald continued to lead his men into action, winning at Bischofswerda and then commanding the right at the Battle of Bautzen. That August he was placed in charge of multiple army corps but was then beaten by General Blucher at the Katzbach. Nevertheless, Macdonald continued to serve, and he fought at Leipzig , where after the bridge was blown early he had to swim the Elster River to escape capture. After surviving that escape unlike his fellow marshal Poniatowski, Macdonald resumed his command and then fought at Hanau.

Marshal Macdonald served during the defense of France of 1814, initially defending the Rhine but then being forced to fall back to Meaux. That February he fought at Mormant and Ferté-sur-Aube and then in March he fought at Provins and Saint-Dizier. By Napoleon's side, Macdonald along with Marshal Ney convinced Napoleon that he should give up the war and abdicate in favor of his son, Napoleon II. Macdonald, Ney, and Caulaincourt were then sent to negotiate with the Allies, but ultimately they were unable to secure the throne for Napoleon's son. When Macdonald returned to Napoleon to deliver the terms of surrender, Napoleon gave him the sword of Murad Bey, the Mameluke leader that he had defeated in Egypt.

Minerva, whose helmeted face is depicted and seen on the scabbard mounts, is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic warfare.

The blades scabbard has some inside denting at the base, and the blade has some natural age wear to the blue and gilt. Of course this sword’s original owner is now unknown, as none of its history was recorded or saved, however, once accurately known, a sword such as this could be valued anything from treble, to one hundred times its current price, simply depending on how famed he was then or now, or, how important he was to Napoleon and his campaigns. Marshal Nay’s sword for example could easily be valued from one to several million pounds.  read more

Code: 25207

An Original and Rare British 1944 Para's {Parachute Regiment} Combat Helmet. Made by Briggs Motor Bodies In 1944 For The Forthcoming Normandy Landings. Used From D-Day, the 6th of June 1944 & September 1944 Operation Market Garden At Arnham

You may have to go a long way and have an even longer wait to find an equally honest example such as this one, in this condition, in fact you may never see a better example.
WW2 British 1944 Dated Paratroopers Steel Combat Helmet, superb example of a classic WW2 British Airborne forces / paratroopers steel combat helmet with subdued combat paint finish to the exterior of the shell. Interior retains the original liner system with brown leather sweatband with BMB stamp and 1944 date. Helmet is complete with its airborne pattern webbing harness chinstrap dated 1943, with leather chin cup. The liner rubbers remain in good condition. Liner is size stamped 7 5/8 dated 1944.

The British Parachute Regiment, nicknamed "The Paras," played a crucial role in the Normandy landings during World War II. They were tasked with securing key bridges, disrupting German communication lines, and neutralizing enemy strongholds before the main amphibious assault on the beaches. Their actions were vital to the success of D-Day.

6th Airborne Division:
The 6th Airborne Division, which included the Parachute Regiment, spearheaded the British airborne assault.
Operation Tonga:
This operation involved the 6th Airborne's initial drop into Normandy, with the primary objective of securing the bridges over the Caen Canal and the River Dives.
Pegasus Bridge:
The 5th Parachute Brigade was specifically tasked with capturing and holding Pegasus Bridge (also known as the Bénouville Bridge), which was a crucial objective.
Merville Battery:
The 9th Parachute Battalion was assigned to neutralize the Merville Gun Battery, a formidable German artillery position threatening the landing beaches.

The Paras' objectives were strategically vital for preventing German reinforcements from reaching the landing zones and for ensuring the overall success of the D-Day landings.

The airborne operation was incredibly challenging, with troops facing strong enemy fire and unpredictable landing conditions. Despite these challenges, the Paras displayed exceptional courage and resilience, achieving their objectives and contributing significantly to the Allied victory.

The actions of the Parachute Regiment in Normandy are remembered with immense respect and gratitude, with annual commemorations taking place to honor their sacrifice and bravery.

Operation Market Garden, a large-scale Allied airborne operation during World War II, involved paratroopers (Paras) and aimed to secure key bridges in the Netherlands, including Arnhem, to create a corridor for a rapid advance into Germany. The operation, though ambitious, ultimately failed to achieve its primary objectives and resulted in heavy casualties.

Operation Market Garden was a plan devised by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to end the war in Europe by Christmas 1944.
It involved a two-part plan: "Market" (airborne landings) and "Garden" (ground advance).
The goal was to seize bridges over the Rhine River, including Arnhem, allowing a ground force to advance into Germany.

The 1st British Airborne Division, including paratroopers, was tasked with capturing the bridge at Arnhem.
The 1st British Airborne Division landed near Arnhem on September 17, 1944, but faced fierce resistance from German forces.
The paratroopers were to hold the bridge for 48 hours until relieved by ground forces.
The ground forces, however, were unable to reach Arnhem in time, and the paratroopers were caught in a prolonged and intense battle.

The airborne forces were dropped too far from the Arnhem bridge, losing the element of surprise.
German forces, including Panzer divisions, were stronger and better prepared than Allied intelligence had anticipated.
Ground forces struggled to advance, leaving the paratroopers isolated and under heavy attack.
The operation was ultimately a costly failure for the
Key points about the paratroopers' involvement:
The 1st British Airborne Division, including various parachute battalions, spearheaded the Arnhem attack.
The 2nd Parachute Battalion notably fought a prolonged and fierce battle at the Arnhem road bridge.
The paratroopers at Arnhem faced immense challenges and ultimately suffered heavy losses.

Overall a very good example of an original classic paratrooper steel helmet, used by one of the heroic paras from Normandy and to the close of WW2. It has been in storage for around 40 years, so its condition is exceptional.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 25884

A Rare Admiralty Publication of A List of the Flag Officers and Other Commissioned Officers of His Majesty's Fleet In 1st January 1818. Printed By S Brooke, Paternoster Row, London. Superbly Bound In Red Morocco Leather With Gold Titling

Excellent condition for age overall.

Due to their intended use and frequent updates, original copies of these lists are rare surviving examples.

Acquired with the family’s Crimean War Land Transport sword (now sold) and their WW2 FS commando knife, 2nd Pattern {now sold} and WW2 combat helmet.

A List of Flag Officers and other Commissioned Officers of His Majesty's Fleet; with dates of their respective commissions.
Including, and bound within, book two, An Alphabetical List of the Post Captains, Commanders, and Lieutenants of His Majesty's Fleet with the dates of their respective commissions. The two books lists are within this single volume.


His Majesty's Fleet included a list of Flag Officers and commissioned officers, published by the Admiralty in London January 1818. This list, titled "A List of the Flag-Officers of His Majesty's Fleet...", was likely organized by rank and seniority, with dates of commission, and also included an alphabetically organized list by rank for easier reference. The list would have included several elderly officers who served in the 7 Years War, American Revolutionary War, and later in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars,and War of 1812 published by the Admiralty Ist January 1818

Beautifully bound in red Morocco leather with gilt tooling embellishment throughout, naturally aged and most beautiful. Also it is an essential piece of original history, perfect for officer research of all currently still serving after the Napoleonic Wars

It served as an official record and was likely used for administrative purposes within the Admiralty.
Historical Significance:
The document is valuable for understanding the structure and personnel of the Royal Navy during specific periods, including those who served during major conflicts like the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars.
Rarity:
Due to their intended use and frequent updates, original copies of these lists are rare surviving examples.  read more

Code: 25880

Empire Goetz Medal 1915 - Great War Period, German, Sinking of the Lusitania Medal in Near Mint Condition

Originally made In August of 1915, several months after the sinking of the Lusitania, Karl Goetz produced the Lusitania medal in Germany and it was said to have been created to celebrate the sinking of the the Steam Ship RMS Lusitania, by the German U Boat U.20, in May 1915, and therefore the subsequent death of 1195 men women and children aboard, including 123 Americans. Unfortunately for Karl Goetz, he put the wrong date of sinking on the medal, an error he later attributed to an error in the newspaper account he had read. Instead of the correct date of 7 May, Goetz engraved 5 May, two days before the actual sinking of the Lusitania. This most reasonably allowed the British to claim that the Germans had waited for the ship to leave port and committed wholesale premeditated murder. Goetz later corrected the date but it was too late by then. This appalling event and the creation of a so-called celabratory medal in Germany was greeted with such outrage the medal was actually replicated in Britain, by Gordon Selfridge in April 1916, and distributed by sale for £1 Pound each for the benefit of widows and orphans in order to demonstrate to the people of Britain what callous fiends the Germans were, for them to plan and then celebrate the deaths of innocent civilians in such an extraordinary way. The original medal was actually apparently created to show the callousness of the Cunard Shipping Line in letting civilians travel upon a ship allegedly carrying arms, but it's production was entirely counter productive and without doubt an allied propaganda bonanza at the expense of the Central Powers. It is hardly surprising that this proved to be an extremely effective piece of British counter propaganda, and highlighted only too well the British cause against ruthless Imperial Germany. This is the British made version of the medal. Photo in the gallery of the Lusitania in New York Harbour.

In the gallery we show an original St. Dunstans leaflet, marked 'Please Do Not Destroy This', and all the proceeds for each of those medals sold, went to the St Dunstan's Hospital for Blind Ex-Servicemen
located in Brighton.
Ironically the Art Deco St Dunstans building is perched upon a Brighton secluded hill, high above the Brighton cliffs. It provides one of the most captivating and beautiful views of the English channel to be seen on the the entire UK coast, yet every patient was blind and thus would never see such a magnificent view.

This St Dunstans leaflet is an archive photo and not included, shown for historical interest only.

Over the decades we have had the honour greet and know many regular visitors from St Dunstans residents. Including, a few of the so-called 'McIndoe's Guinea Pigs' In the 1960's David senior's deep sea sailing ship moored at Newhaven used to take groups of blind veterans fishing off Brighton, and one resident we met many times was former Staff Sergeant Billy Baxter RHA, who became world famous as the blind world land speed record holder for a solo motorcycle at 167.84 mph. A record he held from 2003 until 2013. He now lives and works for charity in Llandudno, and became their Town Crier, the UK's only ever blind Town Crier.  read more

Code: 25879

A Singularly Magnificent Original Antique Presentation Daimyo Samurai Daisho. A Signed Original Edo Period Daito By Muneyoshi Presented to Yoshifuji, In the Fortuitous Time of The Midwinter, In The Year of the Rabbit, in The Reign of Emperor Keio

The fantastic shoto {short sword} is Sukesada school, koto to shinto period, the stunning daito {long sword} is a shinshinto sword signed Muneyoshi.

The shoto blade has just returned from its traditional polish and conservation that took almost a year to complete, and looks amazing.

An incredibly Beautiful original antique Edo period (1596-1871) Daisho mounted with beautifully patinated copper koshirae based on hand carved botanical designs of incredible miniscule detail, gold tsukaito, with very finest, original Edo period, decoratively embossed two tone black urushi lacquer saya.
The kodzuka is gold to match the ito and decorated with cranes. The daito has a superb midare hamon of wondrous activity. The daito is, signed Muneyoshi, the shoto is mumei {unsigned}.
The shoto has a very fine and elegant suguha hamon and now looks absolutely amazing, and was well worth the wait.

The tsuka bore an inscription, signed on a parchment see photo under the tsukaito, to date the occasion when and to whom they were presented, during the Keio Emperor's reign in 1867. the daisho was already antique when it was presented to Yoshifuji san, no doubt a daimyo of great standing.

The presentation inscription reads;
“Keio san nen usagi Yoshi Chuto Kichi no tatsu Izumi ryu Koi, Koi Kawa Yoshifuji.’

Effectively, it translates to;

Presented to Yoshifuji, In the fortuitous time of the midwinter, in the year of the rabbit, the third year in the reign of Emperor Keio. Emperor Keio died in 1868, succeeded by the Meiji Emperor..

This form of parchment inscription, concealed under the tsuka-ito, is very rare indeed and we have never seen a complete inscription such as this to survive before.

The daisho has a pair of very fine kikubana sukashi daisho tsuba with a tetsumigakiji, possibly Sunagawa Masayoshi school, Edo period.

The Sunagawa tsuba school derived from the artists trained by teachers from within the Yokoya school founded by Yokoya Somin. The Ishiguro (by way of the Sunagawa school) and Iwamoto schools had the same antecedents. The botan (peony) was a common theme in this school.

The daisho is a Japanese term referring to the traditional weapons of the samurai. The daisho is composed of a katana daito and wakizashi shoto. The daito, meaning big sword, and shoto, meaning small sword, The katana, the longer of the two swords, was typically employed in man-to-man combat. The wakizashi made an effective main-gauche or close-combat weapon. A daisho allows for defense while fighting or the fighting of two enemies. Also, the daisho allows the fighter to have a longer or more widespread fighting range. The concept of the daisho originated with the pairing of a short sword with whatever long sword was being worn during a particular time period. It has been noted that the tachi would be paired with a tantō, and later the uchigatana would be paired with another shorter uchigatana. With the advent of the katana, the wakizashi eventually was chosen by samurai as the short sword over the tantō. The ancient custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering facilitated the continuing to wear the wakizashi within the host's castle.

The wearing of daishō was strictly limited to the samurai class, and became a symbol or badge of their rank. Daishō may have became popular around the end of the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573) as several early examples date from the late sixteenth century. An edict in 1629 defining the duties of a samurai required the wearing of a daishō when on official duty. During the Meiji period an edict was passed in 1871 abolishing the requirement of the wearing of daishō by samurai, and in 1876 the wearing of swords in public by most of Japan's population was banned; this ended the use of the daishō as the symbol of the samurai, and the samurai class was abolished soon after the sword ban. Picture of Last Fight of the Soga Brothers, 1858 by Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861). Both saya have small areas of natural wear and use. The stand shown is for illustration only and not included. however it will come with another complimentary daisho stand. The shoto blade is being carefully cleaned so can be photographed later.

Special offer item, part one of a personal private collection, sourced from a former Far Eastern specialist fine samurai sword collector  read more

Code: 24245

An Edo Period 1603 -1867, Katana Tsuba Tenbo Saotome Style, Hammered Iron With Formed Rim Mimi

A most attractive form of tsuba with fabulous patina, the hitsu-ana infills are extremely well done, and very nicely surface decorated. The hammering of the surface is superb and to us this is an exceptional piece for a collection or to compliment a suitable blade. Likely early Shinto, 1600’s. With pierced kozuka and kogai hitsu-ana both metal filled, possibly in a silver alloy. The tsuba, is a fundamental element in the mounting of the Japanese sword, it is the guard, the most important element of the fittings, and has two main functions: the first to protect the hand against the slashes and lunges of an opposing sword; the second is to prevent that the hand ends up directly on the cutting edge of the blade. Over the course of more than ten centuries of history, the tsuba has undergone a number of important changes, as regards the materials used for its manufacture and its appearance.

During the centuries of wars that characterised Japan until the advent of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the first half of the 17th century, the tsuba was essentially made of iron or steel. From the mid-17th century onwards the tsuba became a real work of art, with the use of soft metals used in various ways, with engravings, incrustations; well made tsuba were the pride of hundreds of craftsmen’s schools whose value sometimes exceeded that of the same blades of the mounting where tsuba was part of
75mm  read more

Code: 24233