The first 345 lots were from collection of Michael Baldwin who died suddenly last year just before the release of his final book Feldzug 18. The series of books titled Feldzug covered each year of the war and showed in detail the items in his collection.
“Many collectors were in awe of the items he had in his collection and desperate to acquire them,” said Tredwen.
Rare tunic and helmet
The highest price from the group was a uniform lot, a rare model 1907-10 enlisted man’s feldrock tunic which featured in Baldwin’s Feldzug 14 book. It just tipped over top estimate to take £6200 from a private UK collector.
Original German army tunics from the First World War are rare and this was an early type in original condition. “To find one in this untouched state is very rare as most you see have had alterations,” said Tredwen.
Another notable Baldwin lot was a German special pattern M18 steel helmet produced for a very short time and only issued to cavalry and telegraph troops.
This example also remained in untouched condition, retaining much of the original paint finish to the shell and its original liner. Featured in the Feldzug 18 book, this sold for £3700 (estimate £2800-3200).
