Medieval Prisoner's Iron Shackle and Fetter

Comprising four triangular plates each with curved profile mounted with the frontal and rear plates overlapping the lateral ones, rivetted; two small lateral rings for attachment of cheek-plates; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 3.36 kg total, 44 cm high including stand

Good condition; surface with some rusting but complete in its structure.

Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 11754-202772.

The type of helmet composed from rivetted plates is a long-lived military fashion depicted from Late Antiquity to the medieval period.

Produced with a 51cm (20") round smooth-bore .65" barrel bearing set of London proof marks fitted with percussion lock marked 'crown-over-V R' and 'TOWER 1844' with steel captive ramrod and wood full stock fitted with brass butt plate, trigger guard, ferrule and fore-end, the side sling bar a later replacement; action working well to half and full cock. 2.95 kg, 90 cm



Acquired from M J Noble Ltd, 2015. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of invoice and information.

Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the Firearms Act, 1968, to be held as a curiosity or ornament. No license required but buyer must be over 18 years of age. Overseas bidders should note that, due to UK regulations governing export of all firearms, overseas buyers will need to make arrangements for shipping this lot out of the UK directly, by air freight, with a specialist company or agent.

Comprising a double-edged tapering blade showing shallow fullers and wide cutting edges; boat-shaped lower guard with inlaid vertical copper bands; the upper guard decorated in similar fashion; five-lobed pommel with deep grooves between the lobes, each lobe inlaid with copper bands. 1.05 kg, 90 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11592-199910.

It is the decoration and the structure of the sword that suggest classifying it as a type H of Petersen, rather than type R which usually presents a five-lobed pommel. The copper markings are artistically consistent with archaeological examples of decorative work of Viking swords, notably with the one in Suomen Kansallismuseo, Helsinki, published by Peirce (2002, pp.6off.). The decoration, which here takes the form of vertical copper lines, is striped as on the Helsinki specimen.