Arms, Armour & Militaria

Some collectors go for military medals. Some prefer civilian awards. An honour coming up at auction on February 22 is a fascinating example of a medal awarded to both military and civilians.

Easter Rising 1916 memorabilia may be treasured now by collectors, especially after last year’s centenary, but a medal just sold at auction in Ireland once ended up in a bin rather than proudly displayed.

Not many wartime flags survive to be sold at auction due to their inevitably fragile nature, but those flown by Allied forces during the D-Day landings must have been particularly precious as mementos.

“Beautifully gilded”, “hand painted”, “much sought after”. Perhaps not words that are commonly applied to police batons, but this is how auctioneer Charles Hanson described the collection of British truncheons coming up for auction this month.

With the heroics of ‘the few’ in the Battle of Britain more or less guaranteeing auction interest, it is easy to overlook the incredible bravery of bomber crews.

If you want to imagine what a bulletproof vest might look like if designed in the 16th century, a couple of fascinating pieces of very rare armour bought by the Victoria & Albert Museum give a clue.

“Zulus, Sir. Thousands of ‘em”  - one of the classic lines from the 1964 film starring Stanley Baker and Michael Caine that brought the heroic defence of Rorke’s Drift to public attention.

Uniforms can be a hard sell at militaria auctions. Medals for example are nice and easy to display, while guns can sit high on the wall or in a cabinet, but what do you do with a full set of battledress unless you happen to be a re-enactor or happen to live in a mansion with lots of room for mannequins?

Medals specialist David Erskine-Hill has left Dix Noonan Webb to rejoin former employer Spink.

One of the most famous firearms in French literary history has sold for €360,000 (£305,605) at Christie’s in Paris.

Antiques Roadshow expert and militaria specialist Graham Lay has passed away. A well-known personality on the show for more than 25 years, his death was announced by the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.

Besides the danger of a dog bite, delivering the mail is not generally seen as a perilous business. However, as a presentation sword up at auction in London shows, on occasion it can be a matter of life or death.

It is easy to understand the appeal of a Victoria Cross to medal collectors. Likewise, any honours connected with the name ‘Dambusters’ or those awarded to flying ‘aces’ have a high value.

The first Chinese firearm with an imperial reign mark ever offered at auction sold at Sotheby’s yesterday for £1.65m.

In the run-up to the US election on November 8, Frances Allitt takes a look at the objects previous presidents borrowed, bought – and sometimes broke.

An antique’s appearance in an exhibition in a gallery or museum can help boost auction value in several ways. One factor after the show is adding to the provenance: this item was so important it was selected for a landmark display on the artist or designer.

Manfred von Richthofen aka the Red Baron is one of those historical figures with a high fascination value, meaning high demand for relics.

A musket made in the Chinese Imperial workshops, complete with marks, will become the first of its kind to be offered at auction next month.

A D-Day Landings Omaha Beach flag is being offered at C&T Auctioneers on September 28.