Sold Gallery
These pages display a number of the rare items that I have had the pleasure of selling. To view more details and a larger photograph please click on the thumbnail picture.
ENGLISH ANTIQUE PERCUSSION POCKET PISTOL BY RICHARD HOLLIS LONDON, VERY HIGH QUALITY.
A very high quality English percussion pocket pistol dating to about 1830. Octagonal barrel with top flat side engraved in script, Richard Hollis. Highly engraved metal side mounts with matching engraving to the cock which is in perfect working order, the sliding safety catch is also engraved. Walnut grip with fine checkering with inset silver escutcheon, silver lidded butt cap for holding spare percussion caps which is also highly engraved. Concealed trigger which is released when the gun is cocked, the under side of the frame and barrel have various proof marks and it is also engraved RH. Richard Hollis was a gun maker based in London and was in business under this name from 1817 - 1831, after that date the company was know as Richard Hollis and Son, this is a very early percussion pistol dating from the first period of the company before his son joined the business. A very nice high quality pistol. [Condition: Exc++]
IMPERIAL GERMAN S98 MODEL SAW BACK BAYONET COMPLETE WITH LEATHER FROG AND KNOT.
This is a scarce bayonet and originally it would have had a much longer blade and scabbard but many of these were shortened and then re-issued making it a much more practical bayonet for wartime service. Steel hilt is in excellent condition and the riffle slot is still in perfect working order, the reverse side of the pommel has imperial waffen amp stamps. Brown wooden grip plates are in perfect condition. The very impressive saw-back blade is by Alex Coppel Solingen and the blade spine has waffen amp stamps and it measures approximately 25cm long. Black leather scabbard with matching steel fittings. Complete with black leather frog and blue and white imperial German portepee knot. A very nice and interesting set. [Condition: Exc++]
IMPERIAL GERMAN DELUX QUALITY NAVAL OFFICERS DAGGER BELONGING TO CAPTAIN EHLERS.
Superb deluxe naval officers dagger belonging to Captain Gustav Ehlers with a fascinating history connected to England, he took part in the naval attack on several English coastal towns in 1914. Open crown brass pommel and Imperial style crossguard still retain traces of the original gilt finish. Beautiful bone grip has several old hairline cracks which are normally seen on these grips. Superb matching private purchase scabbard features panels of oakleaves and acorns and it is extremely attractive and in fine condition. The fine quality damascuse blade is in superb condition and it is the maiden hair style, the detail to the blade is exceptional, the obverse side of the blade is beautifully engraved, BIELER S/L EHLERS (Bieler presented the dagger to his dear friend Ehlers). Captain Ehlers was born on the 14.12.1885, he joined the German navy on the 6.4.1904 which interestingly was the same date as Bieler also Joined. Ehlers was promoted to Lieutenant on 28.9.1907, senior Lieutenant on the 16.10.09 and Captain on the 17.10.1915. He served on a number of Battleships before WW1 and in early 1914 was Inspector of the naval school at Flensberg. In August 1914 he became the Captain of the Cruiser Hamburg serving as the flagship and part of the escort for the north sea U.boat flotilla. On the 15th and 16th of December 1914 the Hamburg participated in the naval bombardment of the English towns of, Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in which much damage was inflicted on the towns with 592 casualties, of whom 137 died, the attack caused public outrage towards the German navy for an attack mostly conducted against civilians,private buildings and homes. During the battle of Jutland in 1916 the Hamburg was a part of the scouting group. On the 28th of August 1916 Ehlers was awarded the iron cross 1st class. From 3.3.1917 Ehlers served at the naval torpedo school for several months, he then served on a number of ships until the end of WW1 and was with the fleet at Scape Flow when the German naval fleet was scuttled. Checking the 1914 / 1918 naval rank list there is only one officer by the name of Bieler listed but several named Ehlers, but i can say for certainty that the dagger belonged to, Kapitanleutnant Gustav Ehlers, the reason for this is that Bieler and Ellers joined the navy on the same date and strangely even many of there promotions were on the same date, the other offers named Ehlers were much younger officers and almost certainly had no contact with Bieler. Captain Bieler served as a U.Boat officer and during WW1 as mentioned above Captain Ehlers served on the cruiser Hamburg as the escort captain for the North sea U.Boats which Bieler was probably also serving with, this is probably just a coincidence but still interesting.The dagger comes with some research concerning Kapitanleutnant Gustave Ellers. This is a dagger with historical importance because of the connection to the attack on the coastal towns of England and so this dagger should probably be on display in a museum in England, especially perhaps Scarborough town museum. Condition: Near Mint
RARE THIRD REICH DELUXE MODEL NAVAL OFFICERS DAGGER BY WKC WITH RARE PRIVATE PURCHASE SCABBARD.
This is a superb high quality deluxe private purchase naval officers dagger. The superb orange grip is in mint condition. The crossguard and eagle pommel still retain some original gilt finish with good detail to the swastika. The blade is by WKC and it is in near mint condition, it etched with dolphin and fouled anchor design. The beautiful scabbard is really a work of art, the reverse and obverse sides have matching decoration comprising of five panels of acorns and oakleaves to each side and even the two suspension rings are decorated, the quality and condition is outstanding. Complete with original gold knot. If you are looking for a very special naval officers dagger then this is probably it. Condition: Near Mint
WW2 GERMAN BAR TO THE IRON CROSS 1ST CLASS, RARE SCREW BACK EXAMPLE.
This is a rare private purchase screw back example. This superb bar still retains almost all silver frosted finish. The reverse side is fitted with a screw post and it still retains its original circular disk and screw fitting. The badge is not maker marked, a fine example purchased privately and it has never been in a collection. Screw back examples are extremely hard to find. Near Mint
TENO OFFICERS DAGGER BY EICKHORN WITH SILVER KNOT.
A very nice example which has been worn and at a bargain price. The circular pommel still retains most of its silver finish. Fine detail to the Teno eagle crossguard, there is some loss of platting to the crossguard but it is still at least 75% complete, much of the wear is to the reverse side, probably from rubbing on the original owners tunic. Very attractive dark orange grip, there is some tiny flacking to the base of the grip just where it touches the crossguard but it is extremely minor and anyway cannot been seen until the knot is lifted. The blade is still very bright but it does show some faint age marks but still better than most, the obverse side is stamped with the Teno issue number 0440, the reverse side is etched with the Teno eagle and also the Eickhorn Solingen makers mark and being the 1935 / 41 pattern. The scabbard is in fine condition and still retains much original factory blacking, the top mount is stamped with the matching Teno issue number 0440. Complete with Silver knot. Great value as they are normally priced a lot higher than this example. Condition close to Exc ++
LUFTWAFFE 2ND MODEL DAGGER BY WAYERSBERG WITH PRESENTATION INSCRIPTION TO BLADE.
The silver aluminum hilt fittings are in fine condition. Attractive orange grip is also in excellent condition. The very interesting blade is nicely engraved on the obverse side, UNSEREM HAUPTFELDWEBEL ZU SEINEM 28 GABURTAG BELGIEN 17.8.1942 LN ABT CONRAD, the dagger was presented to a Luftwaffe NCO as a 28th birthday gift while stationed in Belgium in 1942.The reverse side of the blade features the makers trade mark for Paul Wayersberg Solingen and it is also stamped with the Luftwaffe acceptance stamp. Complete with matching scabbard which is also in fine condition. [Condition: Exc++]
ITALIAN FASCIST WW2 AIRFORCE OFFICERS SWORD COMPLETE WITH HANGERS AND KNOT.
A very nice and difficult to find Italian WW2 air force officers sword in fine condition. Large and impressive gilt eagles head hilt surmounted by a royal crown, the detail is exceptional, the basket hilt is formed as eagles wings and decorated with feathers. The black grip with gilt wire wrap is in fine condition. The blade is in mint condition and it is double etched with long floral panels and featuring the royal crown and coat of arms. Black leather scabbard with matching gilt brass decorated mounts. Complete with gold and blue bullion dress knot and high quality blue and gold hangers. In the 1930's the Italian air force was considered the elite organization for Italians to join, even Mussolini's two sons were serving air force pilot officers. The Italian air force officers sword is a lot harder to find than the Luftwaffe sword. Exc++
CASED LUFTWAFFE FLAK BADGE.
A fine early quality set. Superb high quality silver badge with fine detail to the Luftwaffe eagle and the 88mm gun. The reverse side features pin and hook. Complete with rare blue leatherette case of issue, the lid is marked in gilt letters, FLAK KAMPF ABZ, the interior of the box is inset for the badge. If you want the best this is probably it as it really is an exceptional set. Near mint.
SS OFFICERS SWORD COMPLETE WITH SS KNOT, HANGER AND SWORD BAG, A SUPERB COMPLETE SET.
The black ebony grip is in perfect condition and the obverse side is inset with the SS runes badge. Superb early silver fittings, the pommel is the correct SS style that screws into the hilt of the sword and not the blade tang (Police swords the pommel always screws onto the blade tang), the underside of the hilt is stamped with the SS acceptance stamp. The blade is in near mint condition and it is plain with out a makers name which is correct for an SS sword as most are un-marked.The matching black painted scabbard still retains 98% black scabbard paint and it is fitted with silver mounts, the upper mount is stamped with the SS runes acceptance mark. Complete with silver bullion SS portepee Knot, black leather sword hanger and even the original cloth storage bag for the sword. Unlike the SS chained dagger which most SS officers received after becoming an officer, the SS officer sword was Himmler's personal award and many SS officers even of high rank did not receive it. A very impressive complete set in fine condition. [Condition: Exc++]