Arms, Armour & Militaria

A rare Second World War helmet worn by members of a little-known unit of the UK home front comes for sale at Sworders on February 7.

Birmingham-born Roy Elvis (1944- 2022) inherited his family interest in antiques and started collecting furniture and decorative arts from an early age.

At first glance this early 18th century British-made sporting flintlock is nothing particularly out of the ordinary, despite being impressively engraved and relief carved.

Top result from the October 26 arms and armour auction at Munich saleroom Hermann Historica (25% buyer’s premium) was a 5ft 6in (1.67m) two-hand sword made by the acclaimed bladesmith Wolfgang Stantler II of Passau, c.1580.

A ‘Siege of Louisbourg’ powder horn belonging to one Ranger Abijah Smith sold for $17,500 (£15,200) at Bonhams Skinner in an auction on September 28 in Massachusetts.

This Victorian purse gun was designed by Oscar Frankenau from Nuremberg and patented in both the UK and the US in 1876.

Estimated at just £60-90, this English Civil War-era mortuary sword sold for £2300 at Unique Auctions (22.5% buyer’s premium) in Lincoln on October 22.

Chris Wynne dedicated his collecting energies to early guns by a London maker that became an international brand

Once thought to have been made in antiquity, bucklers are now understood to have been late medieval or Tudor small shields.

On account of its extraordinary appearance, the Nock seven-barrelled flintlock volley gun has become something of an icon of warfare in the Age of Sail.

The Stroud engineer Edwin Beard Budding (1796-1846) is considered the inventor of the lawnmower (1830) and the adjustable spanner (1842).

‘Zero profit’ but event got through Covid and has 220 stands at the next event

A pair of ornate presentation flintlock pistols made in London and later owned by an American patriot sold for $55,000 (£46,200) at a US saleroom.

This fine First World War silver presentation model of the Vickers FB5 or Gunbus was made by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company (London 1916).

Militaria related to the SAS has never been short of eager collectors wanting to splash out for items connected with the British special forces unit.

In 1888, in response to a tender issued by the War Office, Prof Archibald Barr and Dr William Stroud submitted an application for an optical range-finder patent to the Patents Office.

Relatively few gallantry medals available for what was short self-contained conflict, heroic stories involving highly collectable regiments, a relatively morally unambiguous backstory (for British collectors at least)… the Falklands War can generate high demand at auction.