A Superbly Attractive Native American Trade Style Tomahawk Axe, Typical Import Pattern With Trader’s Inventory Stamp. Reservation Period

With studded wooden haft, the axe with single curved blade and rounded opposing pole hammer. Probably 19th century or later. The metal trade tomahawk has long been an object of fascination for both the amateur collector and the ethnologist. Few other implements have ever combined so many different
functions: tool, weapon, sceptre, symbol and smoking pipe. In this one instrument is collected the lore of handicraft, warfare, prestige, ceremony and personal comfort. Captain John Smith is beheved to have been the first to bring the word into English in his brief vocabulary of Indian terms prepared sometime during the years 1607-1609, when he defined tomahaks simply as meaning "axes." Later he added that the term was applied to both the native war club and the imported iron trade hatchet. Almost from the moment the Native American Indian first saw the metal hatchet or tomahawk, likely made in Sheffield, England, he coveted it, and sought to possess one for himself. The efficiency of the new implement was readily apparent : it was deadlier in combat, more efficient in cutting wood, and just as useful as a ceremonial object. Although it was an excellent weapon, the new American man was not as reluctant to trade it as he was to dispense guns. The axe was also self-sufficient; it could function without such components as powder and ball that had to be obtained from the traders. Thus the hatchet could and did spread rapidly through Indian trade routes far from the points of frontiersman’s contact, reaching tribes and areas as yet unknown to the few Europeans along the coast. The first contact of the Indian with the iron or steel axe undoubtedly occurred with the arrival of the Vikings, and to judge from accounts in the sagas, the meetings were not auspicious. Two instances are recounted which may well be the first recorded encounters of the Indian with the weapon which later was to become almost synonymous with his warfare. The Saga of Eric the Red recalls the first reported battle of the Vikings with the natives of America

“The Skrellings Indians, moreover, found a dead man, and an axe lay beside him. One of their number picked up the axe and struck at a tree with it, and one after another they tested it and it seemed to them to be a treasure, and to cut well; then one of their number seized it, and hewed at a stone with it so that the axe broke, whereat they concluded that it could be of no use, since it would not withstand stone, and they cast it away.”

But not all Indians thought the same.


The potentialities of the axe as a weapon were apparent to the Indian from the outset. Garcilaso de la Vega tells of a bloody fight between an Indian armed with a captured battle axe and several of De Soto's soldiers, in which he even includes a i6th century version of the old story of a man being cut in two so quickly by a keen blade that he remains standing and has time to pronounce a benediction before falling. In Florida, Jacques LeMoyne illustrated the murder of a colonist by an Indian with an axe during the brief French settlement at Fort Caroline, 1564-1565. By the early 17 th century the tomahawk was firmly established in the minds of the white settlers as the Indians' primary weapon, and was much more feared than the bow and arrow. Even after the Indians had obtained a sizeable number of firearms, the tomahawk retained its popularity and importance. Once a gun had been fired, it was useless until it could be reloaded ; an edged weapon was needed as a supplement, and this was the tomahawk. Moreover, for surprise attacks and raids, a firearm was frequently out of the question. This axe’s trade stamp could be a weight mark, or even a quantity mark. Lists of trade goods and treaty gifts indicate that the axe, hatchet, or tomahawk were among the most desired objects. As many as a quantity of 300 axes might be handed out at one treaty meeting, and Sir Wilham Johnson estimated that the Northern Indian Department needed 10,000 axes for trade purposes in the year 1765 alone. This is a 19th century trade axe.
Head 7.5 inches, x 3.25 inches length 20.5 inches. We cannot ship this item to the US.  read more

Code: 23386

An Original, Antique, Edwardian Royal Artillery Undress Pouch and Bullion Dress Cross Belt

Gold bullion crossbelt with gilt bronze fitting of traditional finest quality. A leather undress pouch with gilt brass swivel mounts. Reverse of leather pouch with old score marks. The undress pouch is in patent leather with gilt Royal Artillery badge and motto. The belt has superb original bullion with gilt bronze mounts, embellished finely cast acanthus leaves and the flaming canon ball. The design of the full dress pouch followed that of the full dress sabretache in that the royal arms were central over the battle honour, UBIQUE, latin for 'everywhere'. Laurel leaves are on the left and oak leaves on the right. Below UBIQUE is a metal gun badge, and below that is a three part scroll with the regimental motto QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT - Where Right and Glory Lead. This pouch was worn for special occasions. Mostly the full dress pouch belt was worn with the undress black leather pouch. A vintage photo in the gallery show a Royal Artillery officer wearing his cross belt and pouches however, the pouches are worn across the back and not visible from the front in this photo  read more

Code: 23005

Early War M1910 Feldgrau & Wine Red Wool Cloth Lancer’s Mutze Representing the Colours of a Prussian Uhlans Lancers Regiment. The Very Same Type And Rare Colour Scheme worn by Corporal Adolf Hitler While Serving In The Trenches in WW1.

The very same form of Imperial German army cap worn by Adolf Hitler in WW1 see photos A rare survivor of early WW1 German trench warfare head dress of 1914. In super condition with no mothing. The cockades used during WW1 to represent the National colours and Prussian state was black and white, and the upper cockade, red, white and black.
The type of cap worn by Adolf Hitler is shown in a photo in the gallery wearing his very same type of cap, while serving as a gefreiter in the trenches in WW1. The infantry Mutze was adorned with two roundels (Kokarden) sewn one over the other. The upper Kokarde was known as the Deutsche or Reichs Kokarde, and it was painted in the national colors of red-white-black. The lower Kokarde was painted in the State colours and was known as the Landeskokarde. 1897 Reich's Kokarde
In 1897 a new Reich's Kokarde in Red/White/Black was introduced for all ranks to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kaiser Wilhelm 1st. The Reich's Kokarde was to be worn on the right side of the Pickelhaube, and worn centered between the band and the top row of piping on Kratzchen (Feldmutze)The lower Kokarde was painted in the State colors and was known as the Landeskokarde, and is based in Schlesien - a Prussian State Because the Krätzchen was a vital link in the rather complicated unit colour-coding system, it had a wide-range of colour combinations for the band and piping. A wide coloured band in combination with piping at the cap’s top, and sometimes on the band, indicated the wearer’s branch, or in the cavalry’s case, regiment. It sounds simple, yet the almost endless colour-coding made it so complicated it had little utility. For example, all infantrymen would have a poppy red band and piping. Various shades of red band and piping would also apply to certain regiments of Dragoons, Uhlans, Schwere Reiter and Chevaulegers. Some cavalry regiments, such as Hussars and Cuirassiers, would have their own unique unit colour combination. Certain branches of the army would wear the identical colour combination, such as the technical branches, including engineers, field artillery and transport troops (black band with red piping). This cap has wine red coloured band and piping which usually denotes an Uhlan Regt. The cotton lining is good and complete but the interior wear marks have worn away the interior black regimental ink stamps.

Photos 7,8,& 9 in the gallery are of Corporal Hitler wearing his same cap.  read more

Code: 23679

An Original Ancient Medieval 13th Century, Knight's, Iron Battle Mace & Scorpion Flail MaceHead

A pineapple shaped iron head, with large centre mounting hole, for a leaded chain or a haft. The wooden haft as usual has rotted away, but could be replaced one day for display purposes. This is the type of War Mace that were also used as a Flail Mace, with the centre mount being filled with lead and a foot to a foot and a half long chain mounted within in, and then it was attached to a wooden haft, so it could be flailed around the head. Flattened pyramidical protuberances, most possibly English. Made for a mounted Knight to use as an Armour and Helmet Crusher in mortal combat. It would have been continually used up to the 15th to even 16th century. On a Flail it had the name of a Scorpion in England or France, or sometimes a Battle-Whip. It was also wryly known as a 'Holy Water Sprinkler'. King John The Ist of Bohemia used exactly such a weapon at the Battle of Crecy, for as he was blind, and the act of 'Flailing the Mace' meant that his lack of site was no huge disadvantage in close combat. Although blind he was a valiant and the bravest of the Warrior Kings, who perished at the Battle of Crecy against the English in 1346. On the day he was slain he instructed his Knights both friends and companions to lead him to the very centre of battle, so he may strike at least one blow against his enemies. His Knights tied their horses to his, so the King would not be separated from them in the press, and they rode together into the thick of battle, where King John managed to strike not one but at least four noble blows. The following day of the battle, the horses and the fallen knights were found all about the body of their most noble King, all still tied to his steed. It was his personal banner of the triple feathers that was adopted following this battle by the Prince of Wales as his standard, and still used by Prince William the current Prince of Wales today.

During the Middle Ages metal armour such as mail protected against the blows of edged weapons. Solid metal maces and war hammers proved able to inflict damage on well armoured knights, as the force of a blow from a mace is great enough to cause damage without penetrating the armour. Though iron became increasingly common, copper and bronze were also used, especially in iron-deficient areas.
It is popularly believed that maces were employed by the clergy in warfare to avoid shedding blood (sine effusione sanguinis). The evidence for this is sparse and appears to derive almost entirely from the depiction of Bishop Odo of Bayeux wielding a club-like mace at the Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry, the idea being that he did so to avoid either shedding blood or bearing the arms of war. One of the Crusades this type of mace may have been used was the Crusade of 1239, which was in territorial terms the most successful crusade since the First. Called by Pope Gregory IX, the Barons' Crusade broadly spanned from 1234-1241 and embodied the highest point of papal endeavour "to make crusading a universal Christian undertaking." Gregory called for a crusade in France, England, and Hungary with different degrees of success. Although the crusaders did not achieve any glorious military victories, they used diplomacy to successfully play the two warring factions of the Muslim Ayyubid dynasty (As-Salih Ismail in Damascus and As-Salih Ayyub in Egypt) against one another for even more concessions than Frederick II gained during the more well-known Sixth Crusade. For a few years, the Barons' Crusade returned the Kingdom of Jerusalem to its largest size since 1187.
This crusade to the Holy Land is sometimes discussed as two separate crusades: that of King Theobald I of Navarre, which began in 1239; and, the separate host of crusaders under the leadership of Richard of Cornwall, which arrived after Theobald departed in 1240. Additionally, the Barons' Crusade is often described in tandem with Baldwin of Courtenay's concurrent trip to Constantinople and capture of Tzurulum with a separate, smaller force of crusaders. This is because Gregory IX briefly attempted to redirect the target his new crusade from liberating the Holy Land from Muslims to protecting the Latin Empire of Constantinople from heretical Christians.  read more

Code: 22991

A Super Royal Air Force Band Side Drum King George VIth

A super item in nice condition overall. During the reign of King George VIth the RAF gained its worldwide recognition as the greatest and most valiant airforce in the world during the 'Battle of Britain'. Combating the the most powerful and most successful airforce in WW2, until they came up against the determination, heroism and resilience of the RAF. Although hugely outnumbered by the Germans in the Battle, there were 2,353 Pilots from Britain, and they were valiantly accompanied by 574 volunteer pilots from; Poland, New Zealand, Canada, Checkoslovakia, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, the USA, Rhodesia, Newfoundland, Jamaica, Ireland, France and Barbados. Including within that number of heroes, an Irishman, Brendan "Paddy" Finucane, from Dublin County, who became an ace who would claim a total of 32 enemy aircraft. Finucane became the youngest Wing Commander in the RAF, a rank he received at the remarkably young age of merely 21. He was shot down and killed on 15 July 1942. Polish pilots were among the most experienced in the battle; Despite, at the beginning, not being understood or appreciated by the top ranks of the RAF, most had hundreds of hours of pre-war flying experience and had fought in the Invasion of Poland or the battle of France. The Polish pilots had been well trained in formation flying and had learned from combat experience to fire from close range. By comparison, one Polish pilot referred to the close formation flying and set-piece attacks practiced in the RAF as "simply suicidal". The 147 Polish pilots claimed 201 aircraft shot down. No. 303 Squadron claimed the highest number of kills, 126, of any Hurricane squadron engaged in the battle of Britain. The RAF recognises seven aircrew personnel who were from the United States as having taken part in the Battle of Britain, and apparently all bar two brave Americans perished. It is believed that another four Americans misled the British authorities about their origins, claiming to be Canadian or other nationalities. As a sidebar 11 volunteers from America may seem to be a somewhat small number, however, one must appreciate that, apparently, they were threatened, by the American authorities at the time, that any American serviceman who volunteered to fight for Britain would have their US citizenship removed and they would be imprisoned upon return to the States. Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.

The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed: to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government's foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". The RAF describe its mission statement as " [to provide] An agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission". The mission statement is supported by the RAF's definition of air power, which guides its strategy. Air power is defined as "the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events" Expected signs of service use. As a footnote for those that are unaware, “Uncle’” Joe Stalin insisted at the end of the war that the incredible contribution by Free Poland should be ignored unrewarded and not even acknowledged by the world. This situation continued for some considerable time but fortunately and eventually the massive contribution by the Free Polish forces was acknowledged by the world and they were given the huge credit they deserved.  read more

Code: 21614

A Fabulous & Massive Antique Moro Keris Kalis, A Phillipines Pre Colonial Style Warrior's Sword

A kalis ( in Jawi script: كاليس ) is a type of Philippine sword. The kalis has a double-edged blade, which is commonly straight from the tip but can be wavy near the handle. Kalis exists in several variants, either with a fully straight or fully wavy blade. It is similar to the Javanese keris, but differs in that the kalis is a sword, not a dagger. It is much larger than the keris and has a straight or slightly curved hilt, making it a primarily heavy slashing weapon (in contrast to the stabbing pistol grip of the keris).

Blade length (incl. gangya): 58.5 cm (23 in.)
Width of blade (mid-point): 4 cm
Hilt length: 10.2 cm
OAL: 71 cm (27 7/8 in.)
Width of gangya {guard} tip to tip: 13.2 cm

This blade is of laminated construction. The ricikin shows a secah kasang (elephant trunk), gandhik, praen (tusk), and lambe gajah (elephant lips). The orientation of these features is similar to the much later forms of Indonesian Keris, although the lambe gajah straddle the line of separation between the gandhik and the gangya, instead of appearing low on the gandhik. There is no sogokan or blumbanggan. Greneng and jenggot are present, and both show wear. There is a single, one-piece, asang asang. The hilt is a single piece of carved banati wood, topped with cushion shaped pommel. The grip is bound with criss-crossing rattan, which also secures the extension of the asang asang. The scabbard is made of local wood and bound with plaited rattan strips. Its durability and sharpness can be comparable to the Japanese katana.

A collection of Moro keris types are archived in the United States National Museum.

Even before the arrival of Spain, the knowledge of metallurgy in the pre-colonial Philippines was neither tribal nor primitive. In fact, it was already sophisticated. Because if it was not, Panday Pira would not have come to be. The blades of these swords are a testament to the expertise of these early Filipinos.

The history of the Philippines from 1565 to 1898 is known as the Spanish colonial period, during which the Philippine Islands were ruled as the Captaincy General of the Philippines within the Spanish East Indies, initially under the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, until the independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain in 1821. This resulted in direct Spanish control during a period of governmental instability there.

The first documented European contact with the Philippines was made in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan in his circumnavigation expedition,1 during which he was killed in the Battle of Mactan. Forty-four years later, a Spanish expedition led by Miguel López de Legazpi left modern Mexico and began the Spanish conquest of the Philippines in the late 16th century. Legazpi's expedition arrived in the Philippines in 1565, a year after an earnest intent to colonize the country, which was during the reign of Philip II of Spain, whose name has remained attached to the country.

The Spanish colonial period ended with the defeat of Spain by the United States in the Spanish–American War and the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, which marked the beginning of the American colonial era of Philippine history.

The scabbard throat have small side elements lacking  read more

Code: 25638

Very Fine Late 16th Century, Morion Cabasset Helmet. A Queen Elizabeth Ist Helmet of the Spanish Armada Period Circa 1570. Captured From the Spanish Fleet, Re-issued to English Musketeers and Pikemen & Used Until the English Civil War of King Charles 1st

An Elizabethan armour cabasset helmet from the era of the unsuccessful Spanish 'Armada', the attempted invasion of England, during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth Ist. Used continually through the English Civil War and into the reign of King James. A fine one piece high peak cabasset helmet made in the mid to late 16th century. Wonderfully hand forged with hammer marks and with patches of delamination. This super helmet is nicely constructed with good edgework and lovely quality throughout, and it is a fine period piece in excellent condition for age. This form of helmet that survive today in England were often captured from the Spanish Armada armouries, and some even recovered from the sea bed alongside Spanish cannon, beneath the stricken Spanish ships, and subsequently issued to the London Trayned Bands. There is a picture in the gallery of the same form of helmet heavily rusted recovered from Jamestown, the early American colony fort. The History of the Cittie of London Trayned Bandes

(1572-1647)

In the absence of a regular army, the trained bands {nothing to do with musicians}, were founded in 1572 as part of Elizabeth I's efforts to modernise the militia, were the only permanent military units in England. While the county bands were often poorly organised, ineptly officered and infrequently trained, the London bands were not, although enthusiasm did wax and wane considerably over the years of their existence (1572 - 1647).

The Regiments

Before the Civil War there were four London regiments - the North, South, East and West - comprising a total of 6,000 men in 20 companies. In 1642, as relations between king & parliament worsened, the bands were re-organised into 40 companies of 8,000 men in six regiments named the Red, Blue, Green, White, Orange and Yellow after the colour of their regimental flags, or "trophies", as they were known to London militiamen. The following year, after the King's unsuccessful attempt to seize The Capital, three more trained band and five "auxiliary" regiments were raised bringing the whole force to around 20,000 men. This large army, controlled by the mayor and the city aldermen, held London for parliament throughout the first Civil War (1642 - 1646) and contributed brigades of foot to parliament's field armies. The establishment and subsequent rise of the New Model Army after 1645 greatly reduced the significance of the bands and they gradually melted away. Today, only the Honourable Artillery Company, a ceremonial unit of ex-soldiers, remains as a legacy of the glory days of London citizen's solders. Weapons & Equipment

Weapons and equipment conformed to statute laid down by the Privy Council. The following description is from the 1638 issue of "Directions for Musters".

The Pikeman

"Must be armed with a pike seventeen feet long, head and all; the diameter of the staff to be one inch 3/4, the head to be well steeled, 8 inches long, broad, strong and sword-pointed; the cheeks 2 foot long, well riveted; the butt end bound with a ring of iron, a gorget, back, breast, tassets and head piece, a good sword of 3 foot long, cutting and stiff pointed with girdle and hangers".

The Musketeers

"Must be armed with a good musket, the barrel four foot long, the bore of 12 bullets in the pound rowling in, a rest, bandolier, head-piece, a good sword, girdle and hangers".
One other picture is a period engraving of an Elizabethan soldier with his pear stalk cabasset, another picture of The Battle of Gravelines, August 8, 1588, which is of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by Sir Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth's Admiral. Pictures shown for information only. Some text is quoted from an article by Mr Steve Rabbitts on London trayned bands  read more

Code: 23226

A Rare, Archaic Chinese Warrior's Bronze & Tinned Jian Sword, Around 2,300 to 2,800 Years Old, From the Zhou Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty, Including the Period of the Great Military Doctrine 'The Art of War' by General Sun-Tzu

Chinese Bronze 'Two Ring' wide bladed double edged Jian sword, of tin rich over bronze alloy construction used in the era of the Seven Kingdoms period, likely in the Kingdom of Wu, up to the latter part of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (475 – 221 BC). The surface amazingly still retains a lot of the fine tinned surface. Tinning was used in China from the Eastern Zhou period (770–221 BC), and various methods were employed. A special technique was amalgam tinning, documented since the seventh century BC .

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age weaponry we have acquired and we have been cataloguing. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China. Many pieces we acquired were sold for the part benefit of the Westminster Abbey fund, and the Metropolitan Museum fund. From the Tony Dove F.S.A. Collection, formed circa 1970's, one of England’s most revered and respected collectors, especially early silver, & he was a past honorary President of London’s Silver Spoon Society, and learned joint contributor to many scientific appraisals on ancient Chinese swords

Sword total length 20 1/4 inches long, 4 inch hilt

Swords of this type are called “two-ring” swords because of the prominent rings located on the hilt. this is the very type of sword used by the warriors serving under the world renowned General Sun Tzu, in the Kingdom of Wu, who is thought by many to be the finest general, philosopher and military tactician who ever lived. His 2500 year old book on the methods of warfare, tactics and psychology are still taught and highly revered in practically every officer training college throughout the world.
We show a painting in the gallery of a chariot charge by a Zhou dynasty warrior armed with this very form of sword. We also show a photograph of warriors the world renown Chinese Tomb Army, discovered and excavated over the past recent decades. The figures apparently show the real image of the faces of each individual warrior of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, that each statue represents. Each one is adorned the typical combat armour that would have been worn by the past user of this sword, and used a same time as the Tomb Warriors were being created and buried for the tomb of Emperor Qin. China was the name created for the entire country, after their first emperor, although spelt Qin in the English form it is pronounced Chin, hence, China. The Qin emperors last resting place, the tomb and his buried imperial warrior army, covers a breathtaking 56.25 square kilometres, and may take the best part of another 100 years to excavate. By this measure one can see with respect and awe the size and power of ancient China, and this tomb region was created over 2300 years ago. Compare this to the only remaining example of the past recorded, and so called, Seven Wonders of the World, the great pyramid of Giza, it covers just one quarter of a square kilometre, yet it is still considered one of the largest single buildings ever created by man.

The Chinese term for this form of weapon is “Jian” which refers to a double-edged sword. This style of Jian is generally attributed to either the Wu or the Yue state. The sword has straight graduated edges reducing to a pointed tip, which may indicate an earlier period Jian.

The blade is heavy with a midrib and tapered edges from the hilt.
A very impressive original ancient Chinese sword with a long, straight blade with a raised, linear ridge down its centre. It has a shallow, short guard. The thin handle would have had leather or some other organic material such as leather or hemp cord, wrapped around it to form a grip. At the top is a broad, round pommel.

Although the manufacturing techniques used may have varied from region to region, it is generally believed that such tin-rich decoration was achieved by a deliberate tinning process,including cold-tinning hot-tinning (dipping or wiping) the use of a mercury-tin amalgam ,or the application of a tin-rich paste.

In 1965 a similar form sword from the same era was found in an ancient tomb in Hubei, it was also engraved with seal script, but of a different form. The Sword of Goujian (越王勾践剑) is a tin bronze sword, renowned for its unusual sharpness, intricate design and resistance to tarnish rarely seen in artifacts of similar age. The sword is generally attributed to Goujian, one of the last kings of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period.
On one side of the Hubei sword’s blade, two columns of text are visible. Eight characters are written in an ancient script, now known as Bird-worm seal script (literally "birds and worms characters", owing to the intricate decorations of the defining strokes), a variant of seal script. Initial analysis of the text deciphered six of the characters, "King of Yue" (越王) and "made this sword for his personal use" (自作用劍). The remaining two characters were assumed to be the name of the particular King of Yue.

The Seven Kingdom or Warring States period in Chinese history was one of instability and conflict between many smaller Kingdom-states. The period officially ended when China was unified under the first Emperor of China, Qin pronounced Chin Shi Huang Di in 221 BC. It is from him that China gained its name.

The Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) was among the most culturally significant of the early Chinese dynasties and the longest lasting of any in China's history, divided into two periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE). It followed the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE), and preceded the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE, pronounced “chin”) which gave China its name.

In the early years of the Spring and Autumn Period, (770-476 BC) chivalry in battle was still observed and all seven states used the same tactics resulting in a series of stalemates since, whenever one engaged with another in battle, neither could gain an advantage. In time, this repetition of seemingly endless, and completely futile, warfare became simply the way of life for the people of China during the era now referred to as the Warring States Period. The famous work The Art of War by Sun-Tzu (l. c. 500 BCE) was written during this time, recording precepts and tactics one could use to gain advantage over an opponent, win the war, and establish peace.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher who lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing The name Sun Tzu by which he is more popularly known is an honorific which means "Master Sun".

Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as Sun Tzu in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.

Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed in East Asian warfare since its composition. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society as well. It continues to influence many competitive endeavours in the world, including culture, politics, business and sports.

The ancient Chinese people worshipped the bronze and iron swords, where they reached a point of magic and myth, regarding the swords as “ancient holy items”. Because they were easy to carry, elegant to wear and quick to use, bronze swords were considered a status symbol and an honour for kings, emperors, scholars, chivalrous experts, merchants, as well as common people during ancient dynasties. For example, Confucius claimed himself to be a knight, not a scholar, and carried a sword when he went out. The most famous ancient bronze sword is called the “Sword of Gou Jian”.

The Warring States period saw a transition in military styles, from bronze weaponry and chariot-based fighting to iron and cavalry. However, the old period was still revered. Despite the cost of manufacturing bronze swords like this on a mass scale, this particular style of duan jian – a double-edged straight sword – was used in China for approximately 2,500 years. Finely made bronze weapons such as this one were signs of prestige, wealth, and fighting prowess used in both ceremonial and funerary contexts. For example, swords were worn by the Emperor and his officials in ceremonial or official dress, attached to the belt with jade ornaments.

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age Zhou dynasty weaponry we have just acquired. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China. As with all our items, every piece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. 22 inches long overall.

Ref; SOME OBSERVATIONS ON EARLY CHINESE BRONZE SWORDS
By
Anthony Dove and Alan Williams {The Wallace Collection} 65 publications  read more

Code: 24906

An Original 900 Year Old Templar Crusader Knights era ‘Sword of War’. A Broadsword With Brazil Nut Pommel. From the Period Immediately Following the Norman Conquest & As Used By the Templar Knights To Reclaim The Holy Land.

This wonderful antiquity would make a spectacular centrepiece to any new or long established fine collection, or indeed a magnificent solitary work of historical art, for any type of decor both traditional or contemporary and a fabulous original ‘statement piece’ for any home. In the world of collecting there is so little remaining in the world from this highly significant era in European and British history.

Earlier this year we acquired and sold another, but the rarest of the rare, a Templar knights sword, actually stamped and forged by a Templar armourer. This sword bears no such extremely rare Templar markings, which is actually more usual, so, it is thus priced accordingly. Yet it is none the less, an extraordinary, historical, and rare artifact of the era, and an absolute iconic example of the arguably most famous era in all knightly history.

A fine example piece, from the ancient Templar knightly age, from almost a thousand years past. Although this sword is now in an obvious ancient, and historical, russetted condition, with some elements lacking, every item made of iron from this era, such as the rarest of swords and daggers, even in the Royal Collection, are in this very same state of preservation. In fact, the fact they survive at all is both extraordinary and remarkable. Furthermore, all the more remarkable that any survived the crusade in order to return, as by far the majority of Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller etc., that journeyed to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, failed to return.

Around 900 Years Old. A hand-forged iron knightly sword, the very same as used by the templar Knights of Jerusalem, comprising a narrow two-edged blade with shallow fuller to both faces, short ricasso, slender square-section cross guard tapering slightly, flat tang, brazil-nut pommel. 12th-early 13th century, used in the early Crusades Period by Knights, such as the Knights of Jerusalem the Knights Templar, Knights of St John, made from time of King Stephen, and used into the times of King Henry the IInd, and King Richard the Ist.
Although made for a Knight around the time of the reign of the Norman king, King Stephen, it was likely also used by succeeding knights for the next 300 years or so, as such swords were of immense value at the time and it was likely passed down from father to son or knight to knight, and thus used as a ‘sword of war’ right into the era of the battles of Crecy, Poitiers, and King Henry V’s age defining victory, at Agincourt. *See further reference to this below This assumption is realistically made due to swords at that time being incredibly valuable and most highly prized, and the style and form of swords during that period had only changed cosmetically, and thus ancestral swords, as this would have been in King Henry’s day, still functioned perfectly well, despite being used for the past three centuries. There are records of swords recovered from Agincourt of being knightly ‘ancestral swords’, made and used originally in the Crusades, especially the swords from the hundreds of slain French knights of Agincourt that were descended from crusader knights from the nobility of France.

A Single-Handed, Knights sword, made in the 12th century {circa 1120's} and constantly used in the early Crusades period, by a Knight and hand forged by an armourer, during the time of England's King Henry Ist, and used into the reigns of King Henry the IInd, and King Richard Ist, the Lionheart, and potentially, for the following century or even longer.

The Knights Templar were an elite fighting force of their day, highly trained, well-equipped, and highly motivated; one of the tenets of their religious order was that they were forbidden from retreating in battle, unless outnumbered three to one, and even then only by order of their commander, or if the Templar flag went down. Not all Knights Templar were warriors. The mission of most of the members was one of support – to acquire resources which could be used to fund and equip the small percentage of members who were fighting on the front lines. There were actually three classes within the orders. The highest class was the knight. When a candidate was sworn into the order, they made the knight a monk. They wore white robes. The knights could hold no property and receive no private letters. They could not be married or betrothed and could not have any vow in any other Order. They could not have debt more than they could pay, and no infirmities. The Templar priest class was similar to the modern day military chaplain. Wearing green robes, they conducted religious services, led prayers, and were assigned record keeping and letter writing. They always wore gloves, unless they were giving Holy Communion. The mounted men-at-arms represented the most common class, and they were called "brothers". They were usually assigned two horses each and held many positions, including guard, steward, squire or other support vocations. As the main support staff, they wore black or brown robes and were partially garbed in chain mail or plate mail. The armour was not as complete as the knights. Because of this infrastructure, the warriors were well-trained and very well armed. Even their horses were trained to fight in combat, fully armoured. The combination of soldier and monk was also a powerful one, as to the Templar knights, martyrdom in battle was one of the most glorious ways to die.

The Templars were also shrewd tacticians, following the dream of Saint Bernard who had declared that a small force, under the right conditions, could defeat a much larger enemy. One of the key battles in which this was demonstrated was in 1177, at the Battle of Montgisard. The famous Muslim military leader Saladin was attempting to push toward Jerusalem from the south, with a force of 26,000 soldiers. He had pinned the forces of Jerusalem's King Baldwin IV, about 500 knights and their supporters, near the coast, at Ascalon. Eighty Templar knights and their own entourage attempted to reinforce. They met Saladin's troops at Gaza, but were considered too small a force to be worth fighting, so Saladin turned his back on them and headed with his army towards Jerusalem.

Once Saladin and his army had moved on, the Templars were able to join King Baldwin's forces, and together they proceeded north along the coast. Saladin had made a key mistake at that point – instead of keeping his forces together, he permitted his army to temporarily spread out and pillage various villages on their way to Jerusalem. The Templars took advantage of this low state of readiness to launch a surprise ambush directly against Saladin and his bodyguard, at Montgisard near Ramla. Saladin's army was spread too thin to adequately defend themselves, and he and his forces were forced to fight a losing battle as they retreated back to the south, ending up with only a tenth of their original number. The battle was not the final one with Saladin, but it bought a year of peace for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the victory became a heroic legend.

Another key tactic of the Templars was that of the "squadron charge". A small group of knights and their heavily armed warhorses would gather into a tight unit which would gallop full speed at the enemy lines, with a determination and force of will that made it clear that they would rather commit suicide than fall back. This terrifying onslaught would frequently have the desired result of breaking a hole in the enemy lines, thereby giving the other Crusader forces an advantage.

The Templars, though relatively small in number, routinely joined other armies in key battles. They would be the force that would ram through the enemy's front lines at the beginning of a battle, or the fighters that would protect the army from the rear. They fought alongside King Louis VII of France, and King Richard I of England.3 In addition to battles in Palestine, members of the Order also fought in the Spanish and Portuguese Reconquista. It could also be enhanced by affixing to a rectangular bespoke display panel.We will include for the new owner a complimentary wooden display stand, but this amazing ancient artefact of antiquity would also look spectacular mounted within a bespoke case frame, or, on a fine cabinet maker constructed display panel.  read more

Code: 23241

18th Century Royal Naval 100 Gunner Ship-Of-The-Line, Gunner's Cannon Priming Flask, Made and Used from the American Revolution, the Battle of Trafalgar and Beyond. Bearing a Royal Naval Ordnance Crown Stamp

King George IIIrd period. Used in the Royal Navy from the 1770's onwards. This is from a wonderful very small collection of fine, early, British Royal Naval pieces that we acquired. A traditional and most rare King George IIIrd period, 18th century gunner's flask, used on board a warship for likely 50 years or more, into the early 19th century of the Admiral Nelson period, and through the Napoleonic Wars.

A Royal Naval gunner's priming powder flask, of polished cow horn body, with traditional turned wooden base with screw threaded removable handle, turned brass and spring actioned pouring spout, and two iron carrying rings.

A near identical example is in Oxford University's Pitt Rivers Museum that came from a gunner serving on HMS Victory at Trafalgar see photo in the gallery In the firing naval cannon at Trafalgar, huge amounts of gunpowder were required to fire them, and the cannon were ignited with very fine quality, fine ground priming powder poured into the touch hole. Young boys, often known as powder monkeys, would haul gunpowder to the gun decks within barrels. Cow horns flasks, with brass spring actioned spouts, just such as this one, were used to contain the fine grain priming powder, which was poured into the pan of the touch hole of each cannon before firing. The example that can be seen photographed in our gallery was donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (now Wellcome Institute) in 1952, it is said to have belonged to a gunner on Admiral Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory.
The Victory famously led a fleet of twenty-seven British ships to victory over Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, although Nelson himself sustained a mortal injury aboard deck. Because the vast majority of an 18th century ship's armament was mounted in its broadside, fleets typically formed into a single line ahead in preparation for battle. This simplified command and control each ship could simply follow the ship in front and enabled the fleet to uniformly arrange its firepower along a continuous formation with no weak spots. The line was sometimes divided into van (forward), centre, and rear divisions under subordinate commanders. Maintenance of a continuous, unbroken line was important. If the enemy was able to position directly ahead or behind a friendly ship, he would be comparatively safe from attack (as only a handful of guns fired directly ahead or astern) and could concentrate his broadside against the weakest parts of his target the lightly constructed bow and stern. For this reason, fleet battles often resolved into two parallel lines of ships edging towards each other with each ship indecisively facing its opposite. More aggressive admirals sought ways to overcome this tactical stalemate, concentrating their force against a smaller portion of the enemy by breaking the line.

Firing began once the fleets closed within range. At the extreme, cannon shot might reach the enemy at ranges up to a mile, but British commanders often held their fire until the ships had closed to only a few hundred yards, or even less. The adversaries would then pour fire into one another, shattering hulls, masts, rigging, and men with heavy cannon shot. Individual ships might surrender by hauling down (striking) their colours when disabled by damage or casualties. As a last resort, a ship might be forced to surrender through boarding. Battle usually continued until one side disengaged or the sun set though a number of battles were fought partly or entirely in the dark.

Priming powder was a refined type of gunpowder that ignited more easily and so it was important to use the right amount. Too much powder could be catastrophic, too little powder might prevent ignition of the main charge in the breech, resulting in just a flash in the pan. Here, a brass mounted spring catch helped control the amount that was poured out. Two screw hooks can be seen where the horn would have been attached to a belt or baldrick and slung around the gunner?s torso, and it could be refilled by unscrewing the wooden stopper at the broad end.

Horn was an ideal material for powder flasks as it was readily available and provided a natural container; unlike metal it was not liable to create sparks that might accidentally ignite the powder inside; and it was also translucent when held up to the light, so it was possible to see how much powder was left.

See photos 8 and 9 in the gallery that shows the identical gunner's priiming flask on board HMS Victory, as part of the museum's display

This flask is just under 11 inches long.  read more

Code: 22928