Latest News Articles by Mark Bridge
Armour through the ages: three lots commanding bids in winter sales
20 January 2020Rare and well-preserved armour from pre-history to the 17th century was well received in the pre-Christmas sales. Three examples are pictured here.
Five examples showing how exotic Eastern blades remain a key fixture at auction
20 January 2020Edged weapons from the East continue to feature regularly among the top lots in auctions across the world. Awareness of the rich array of culturally-significant weapons to be found in Western collections has grown as internet technology reaches a new international audience.
Acting class – Impressive collection sold at Bonhams
20 January 2020The impressive arms offered in London from a collection which supplied weapons for many films were far from being theatrical props
Holts heads home to the rural charm of Norfolk
20 January 2020December 10 marked a significant step in the history of specialist sporting and antique gun auction house Holts (25-20% buyer’s premium).
Rock Island auction goes supersize
20 January 2020If proof were needed that firearms sales are simply conducted on a completely different scale in the US, one need look no further than the three-day sale at Rock Island Auctions (18.5% buyer’s premium) in Illinois on December 6-8.
Stone Age weapons at the cutting edge of early technology
20 January 2020One fascinating section of a recent Thomas Del Mar (25% buyer’s premium) sale featured Stone Age and Viking weapons and artefacts from a European private collection.
Sabres suggest the swashbuckling world of Hornblower
20 January 2020Two spectacular early-19th century British presentation sabres have turned up in the salerooms recently, one in London and the other in Munich.
Eager for Hever armour as suit from famous collection reappears
12 August 2019In May 1983 the eyes of arms and armour bidders were fixed firmly on the £6m sale of the Hever Castle collection at Sotheby’s in London.
Pick of the pistol hammer highs
12 August 2019Fine sets of pistols, preferably nicely cased, have long been the mainstay of London arms and armour sales. This season’s crop were not as plentiful nor so eagerly contested as we sometimes see, but there were some gems on offer and a selection of them are illustrated here.
German game guns boast royal pedigree
12 August 2019Fine German sidelock ejectors do not feature often in the London salerooms but Gavin Gardiner’s 25% buyer’s premium) May 1 sale of sporting guns at Sotheby’s in London produced a pair that not only scored on quality but had a history to back it up.
Sikh tulwar in Italian saleroom
12 August 2019Edged weapons from the East were also an important part of the sale held by Czerny (20% buyer’s premium) in Sarzano, Italy, on June 16.
Munich auction house makes move
12 August 2019After more than 20 years in the heart of Munich arms and armour specialist auction house Hermann Historica has moved to bigger premises in the suburbs.
Tanto tantalises bidders at Special Auction Services
12 August 2019Special Auction Services’ (17.5% buyer’s premium) sale in Newbury on July 9 included a wide selection of edged weapons which was topped by a mid-19th century Japanese short sword or tanto estimated at £200-300.
Siamese sword has eastern edge
12 August 2019The huge variety of exotic arms brought back to Europe from the East during colonial days is becoming an increasingly lucrative area of business for auction houses.
Household Cavalry blades in demand
12 August 2019The collecting of English military swords is a science in itself.
Stopping power to halt an angry tiger
12 August 2019In the days of the British Raj there was no shortage of would-be shikaris hoping to bag a tiger in India. At the same time plenty of London gunsmiths were ready to supply them with all the fire-power they could persuade them to buy.
Arms fair now in 52nd year
12 August 2019The 102nd staging of the London Antique Arms Fair is on Saturday, August 24.
Arms and armour: Prized pistols tempt collectors at auction
28 January 2019Pistols remain one of the most popular of all categories among gun collectors and the winter sales in London proved a bumper season for handguns, from the earliest wheel-locks of the late 16th century to the semi-automatics which ushered in the modern age at the end of the 19th century.
War shield stars in large Zulu selection
28 January 2019This rare 1870s Zulu shield or Isihlangu below sold for £1650 at the C&T (20% buyer’s premium) auction of the Mick Woodfield collection of Zulu and other tribal weapons in Tunbridge Wells on January 9.
‘Battle-scarred’ gun owned by Tipu Sultan fires up Oxfordshire sale
28 January 2019Following the fall of Seringapatam in India on May 4, 1799, portions of the spoils were variously allocated to senior officers of the British force.