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Historic commentswelcome to antique militaria!
I have been a military antiques dealer (based at Grays Antique Market in London's West End until Christmas 2008) for over 45 years: antique swords, weapons, guns, uniforms, helmets, equipment, medals, belt buckles, bayonets and almost all other items of general militaria. British, German, European and worldwide items... I have provided all kinds of arms and armour and military collectibles to both private customers, trade and museum clientele all around the world!
featured antique military items
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Enfield cutlass bayonet, model 1859, 2nd pattern - British (German make - American contract)
This was introduced in 1859 for the Royal Navy to supply a need for a cutlass and a bayonet in one weapon for the naval rifle of the era, a .577 Enfield cap and ball weapon. This is an A & E Holler example - ie a Solingen blade. There are no UK ordnance marks, so this is almost certainly an American export item.
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Tank crew assault badge - German
This die-struck badge was awarded by the Weimar Republic to WW1 tank crews who had served in three assaults or been wounded in the course of one. The soldier had to apply for the badge and, once he had received the award document, would privately purchase the badge. Sepp Dietrich, commander of the LAH, wore this in 1940 photos.
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Double-etched K98 dress bayonet, Ernst Pack & Sons - German
This is a classic Ernst Pack dress bayonet, with no maker's mark, but the 'signature' screw bolts which no other maker used. The original owner must have been in a heavy artillery unit, as suggested by the obverse blade etching. These weapons were normally only worn when off duty, but in uniform.
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Hunting hanger with tortoiseshell grip - German
The hilt could be Dutch or French, the use of tortoiseshell having been introduced to Europe in the late 17th century, probably through Dutch colonial connections. The mid 18th-century German blade (26" long) would have replaced an earlier, shorter, straight, double-edged blade (broken?), probably to enable the weapon's use as a naval hanger.
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Whitworth bayonet marked for 2nd/60th - British
This is the bayonet for the .451 muzzle-loading Whitworth rifle. In extensive trials these were issued in 1863-67 to infantry units, including various guards and rifle regiments. Some 8,000 bayonets were produced, the general scale of issue being some 68 rifles and bayonets per regiment. The 2nd Battalion 60th were in the Maori Wars 1860-70.
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Naval dirk - British
These dirks would have been carried by Royal Navy as well as merchant marine officers, even, rather more rarely, by army officers. This classic dirk has a whalebone haft (which, at first glance, might appear to be of walrus ivory, but on closer inspection is definitely whale bone) and iron mounts. The style of hilt, pommel and grip dates it.
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a little history on my antiques interest
I am now retired and this site is kept up for posterity. I have been a collector of military antiques since the age of 12, starting with bayonets and moving gradually on to swords, finally entering the broader military antique dealing arena in about 1970. At that stage, I rapidly started to learn about antique English pistols and revolvers.
In about 1980, I broadened my dealing coverage from mainstream militaria to include English campaign medals. The arrival of powerful auction houses in this field drove me back to my original interest in general militaria (swords, bayonets, dirks, guns, pistols, etc).
However, I still maintain a lively interest in all military objects, especially the rare and exotic, eg Imperial Russian and Austrian.
Throughout my dealing career, I have built up my personal collection of antique military prints and drawings and a substantial selection of early military photographs up to 1945, principally German and English. To aid both my dealing and collecting, I have a huge library covering all military aspects of antiques going back to the Middle Ages, and many aspects of antiques in general, especially early English silver.
