Arms, Armour & Militaria

Unusual models brings strong demand as the RAF Museum sold off items it viewed as no longer needed

If The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers are to your liking, a large single-owner collection of military medals comprising nearly 100 lots dedicated to the regiment offered in Somerset on May 28 would have caught your eye.

“The Russians opened fire on our right, on our left, and then in front...

Personal stories grab the attention of militaria collectors, transforming dry histories of dates and names, facts and figures into real-life flesh and blood tales.

The Spink (20% buyer’s premium) sale on April 23 that included the Rorke’s Drift medal awarded to ‘Ammunition Smith’ (see News, ATG No 2742) also featured several other notable lots.

During the First World War aviators of the Royal Flying Corps suffered from the cold over the Western Front. A solution was the ’fug boot’.

Richard Winterton (22% buyer’s premium) offered what was described simply as a “post Second World War” leather flying helmet with goggles and gas mask on May 21 in Tamworth.

Auction lots for a while now have demonstrated a factor which may be termed a ‘Malta premium’.

Pictures from the ‘Dam Busters’ collection which sold at West Sussex auction house Denhams earlier this year are on display at Darnley Fine Art before travelling abroad to their new private collections.

Focus on a dedicated auction in Sussex that dispersed the single-owner collection of an Anglo-Norwegian who became fascinated by combat in the Far East

A cased Powell and Son/ Tranter 4th model 54 bore percussion revolver was offered in a 14½ x 8in (37 x 20cm) oak case with the name plaque to the lid engraved Alfred Hancocks Lieutenant, 1st Worcestershire Volunteers Rifle Corps.

As a market probably regarded as more ‘traditional’ than many others, you might expect arms and armour collectors to be wary of online-only auctions. However, the latest timed online sales at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) of west London show that bidders have embraced the concept.

Estimated at £500-1000, a “scarce” 10 bore military flintlock musket instead hammered at £9200 in the February 25 auction at Kent saleroom C&T (22% buyer’s premium).

A “fine”.470 calibre percussion long range target rifle by John Dickson & Co of Edinburgh offered at the April 7-8 Antony Cribb (25% buyer’s premium inc VAT) sale was boosted by an inscription from the City of Edinburgh & Midlothian Rifle Association.

An Indian tulwar offered at JS Fine Art (26.4% buyer’s premium inc VAT) on March 27-30 came with the simple description: “A rare Indian Tulwar from Tipu Sultan’s armoury with a characteristic lion’s head pommel and guard (formerly in the private collection of Robin Wigington).”

Amid tariffs and Trump uncertainties, recent stories have concentrated on the difficulties of doing business with the US. However, the April 29 auction held by Gavin Gardiner (25% buyer’ premum) revealed all is not lost.

This bizarre beast of a gun is a William Smith of London 80 bore flintlock quadruple-barrelled volley pistol.

A rare 18th century medal issued to commemorate the death of explorer James Cook is to become part of an exhibition marking the 300th anniversary of the explorer’s birth after being sold at auction.