Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

Paddle-shaped club with carved scroll decoration at the top of the blade. 783 grams, 74.2 cm



From the private collection of Frank Hurley (1885-1962), Australian photographer, filmmaker and adventurer. From the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.

The Trobriand Islands are coral atolls off the east coast of New Guinea. The Massim clubs were both for ceremonial use and fighting, and were decorated with scrolls and abstract snake designs. Some of them were connected to sorcery: when a shaman pointed such a club towards someone, it was a death sentence. Frank Hurley worked on Shackleton's Antarctic expedition of 1914-1917, photographing the Endurance whilst being marooned with the rest of the crew. In the 1920s, he mounted various expeditions to Papua New Guinea, which involved filmmaking and collecting on behalf of the Australian Museum and himself. He stored a number of artefacts in a log cabin at Whale Beach, which became an exotic setting for Sydney's glitterati attending raucous parties there in the 1930s. Selling the property after the war, he left the contents of the cabin, which were kept by the new owners, who moved to London in 1959.

Comprising: carved figure with horned headdress, rectangular transverse slot and socket to reverse; separate carved handle with scooped end and socket to one face, slot to edge with metal reinforcement, smooth tapering handle. 1.29 kg total, 47.5-54.5 cm



From the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.

Round-section staff decorated with polychrome human and bird figures. 166 grams, 46.5 cm



June Bedford collection of Northwest Coast Art, Phillips sale, London, 20th September, 2000. Ex Romy Rey collection, London, UK. From the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.

V-shaped fossilized walrus jaw bone with engraved high-relief smiling face with a wide nose and closed eyes, radiating lines around the head, two rows of drilled dots to the top, signature 'AV' to the reverse. 845 grams, 18.5 cm



From the collection of Mr Carlos Bahamonde, Manchester, UK.

Broad and shallow with four integral stub feet to the underside and four radiating barrel-shaped handles to the rim; chip-carved herringbone and other ornament to the rim with four inlaid nacre panels. 2.62 kg, 40.2 cm wide



Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Suffolk, UK, gentleman.

Biconvex in section and tongue-shaped in plan with patch of cortex and inked legend 'Found near Selby Yorkshire 1928'. 684 grams, 16.9 cm



Found near Selby, West Yorkshire, UK, 1928. Ex Martin Doyle collection, Leverstock, UK, 1980s-2000s.

Regularly formed with parallel long sides and rounded corners; inked findspot 'Clery' and number '67' to reverse. 389 grams, 13.5 cm



Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collection of the famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023). Acquired on the UK art market at auction after being sold by Mr Brox’s family. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector.

Tongue-shaped in plan and plano-convex in section with a rounded butt, small patches of cortex, inked findspot 'St. Marth (Tyting) (1930)' and pencilled notations. 235 grams, 13.1 cm



Found St Martha, Tyting Lane, near Farnham, Surrey, UK. Found during the original official excavations in the Farnham area, Surrey, UK, which were conducted by Harold Falkner (1875-1963) and William Francis Rankine (c.1877-1962), who were instrumental in the excavation works and pit dwellings at sites including Six Bells, Frensham, Tilford, Thursley and Bagshot, and Waverley, amongst others, at and near Farnham in the 1930s and 1940s. Much of the material is now in the prestigious Farnham museum. The present part of the collection having been gifted to their good friend and Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham, who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Farnham district is one of the most interesting prehistoric regions in England, and has been visited by a succession of prehistoric peoples from Palaeolithic times onwards. Along the southern slope of the Farnham valley are three gravel terraces, which are famous prehistorically and have yielded large quantities of flint implements and bones of prehistoric animals, notably the mammoth. In prehistoric times, the chalk deposits played an important role in attracting settlers, as they contained rich layers of flint nodules used to make implements. The Farnham Gravels have been an abundant source of Palaeolithic finds, most prominent being hand axes. The axes differ in type, and each type is associated with a cultural phase of the Palaeolithic period. Types similar to these are found in similar deposits in the Somme valley and in many English valley gravels. Flint mining was also carried out by the Neolithic folk. Polished axes and leaf forms, arrowheads and knives, or possibly lance heads, are characteristic of the Neolithic flint work.

Triangular in section with rounded edge, cortex to shank, inked 'Tilford' findspot and various pencilled notations. 605 grams, 20 cm



Found during the original official excavations in the Farnham area, Surrey, UK, which were conducted by Harold Falkner (1875-1963) and William Francis Rankine (c.1877-1962), who were instrumental in the excavation works and pit dwellings at sites including Six Bells, Frensham, Tilford, Thursley and Bagshot, and Waverley, amongst others, at and near Farnham in the 1930s and 1940s. Much of the material is now in the prestigious Farnham museum. The present part of the collection having been gifted to their good friend and Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham, who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Farnham district is one of the most interesting prehistoric regions in England, and has been visited by a succession of prehistoric peoples from Palaeolithic times onwards. Along the southern slope of the Farnham valley are three gravel terraces, which are famous prehistorically and have yielded large quantities of flint implements and bones of prehistoric animals, notably the mammoth. In prehistoric times, the chalk deposits played an important role in attracting settlers, as they contained rich layers of flint nodules used to make implements. The Farnham Gravels have been an abundant source of Palaeolithic finds, most prominent being hand axes. The axes differ in type, and each type is associated with a cultural phase of the Palaeolithic period. Types similar to these are found in similar deposits in the Somme valley and in many English valley gravels. Flint mining was also carried out by the Neolithic folk. Polished axes and leaf forms, arrowheads and knives, or possibly lance heads, are characteristic of the Neolithic flint work.

Group of tanged or barbed and tanged arrowheads with triangular point. 9.99 grams total, 23-31 mm



Found during the original official excavations in the Farnham area, Surrey, UK, which were conducted by Harold Falkner (1875-1963) and William Francis Rankine (c.1877-1962), who were instrumental in the excavation works and pit dwellings at sites including Six Bells, Frensham, Tilford, Thursley and Bagshot, and Waverley, amongst others, at and near Farnham in the 1930s and 1940s. Much of the material is now in the prestigious Farnham museum. The present part of the collection having been gifted to their good friend and Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham, who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Farnham district is one of the most interesting prehistoric regions in England, and has been visited by a succession of prehistoric peoples from Palaeolithic times onwards. Along the southern slope of the Farnham valley are three gravel terraces, which are famous prehistorically and have yielded large quantities of flint implements and bones of prehistoric animals, notably the mammoth. In prehistoric times, the chalk deposits played an important role in attracting settlers, as they contained rich layers of flint nodules used to make implements. The Farnham Gravels have been an abundant source of Palaeolithic finds, most prominent being hand axes. The axes differ in type, and each type is associated with a cultural phase of the Palaeolithic period. Types similar to these are found in similar deposits in the Somme valley and in many English valley gravels. Flint mining was also carried out by the Neolithic folk. Polished axes and leaf forms, arrowheads and knives, or possibly lance heads, are characteristic of the Neolithic flint work.

Tongue-shaped in plan and lentoid in section with broad butt; inked legend '53-01-10' and pasted label 'Tievebulliagh'. 290 grams, 14 cm



Found Tievebulliagh, Northern Ireland, 1st October 1953. From the collection of Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham; who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Piriform in plan and biconvex in section with irregular butt; old inked legend 'N.Romsey Hants'. 350 grams, 14.8 cm



Found North Romsey, Hampshire, UK. Ex Martin Doyle collection, Leverstock, UK, 1980s-2000s.