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LOT 0296
Tower 'Brown Bess' Musket and Bayonet
CIRCA 1800 A.D.
68 in. (4.60 kg, 173 cm with bayonet).
Napoleonic era musket with 93cm (36½") smooth-bore barrel of .75" bore with London proof marks, the lockplate with 'TOWER', 'crown-over-G R' and inspection marks; fitted with full wood stock stamped 'S' and 'IR' to left side and butt with brass butt plate, trigger guard, ferrules, fore-end and sideplate; fitted with sling swivel loops and steel ramrod with cleaning rag eye; action working well in half and full cock, with correct steel socket bayonet.
ProvenanceAcquired from Andrew Bottomley, UK, 2014.
The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
Accompanied by copy of the invoice and listing.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.204080.
The 'Brown Bess' musket, in several versions, was the standard British infantry longarm from about 1736 to 1838; some were later converted to the percussion system.
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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Tranter 3rd Model Double Trigger Percussion Revolver
From 1860 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £819
Solid frame, double trigger 54 bore revolver with 15cm (6") barrel, five-shot cylinder bearing London proof marks, hinged left side loading arm screwed to frame with unclear serial number to right frame and marked 'TRANTER' to cocking trigger; foliate engraved frame and chequered wood grip; action working. 975 grams, 29 cm
Acquired from Michael J Noble Ltd, 2015. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the Noble invoice.
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. -
Medieval Iron Single-Handed Sword
Late 13th-early 14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Of Oakeshott Type XII or XIII with a double-edged, well-balanced tapering blade, shallow fullers and a parallel-sided straight lower guard of cross style 2; medium tang and disc pommel of type K with chamfered sides; the blade with later inlaid markings, one side with Passau wolf, the other side with cross within a circle; cleaned and conserved. 1.39 kg, 95 cm
fine condition, restored.
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The sword’s blade presents analogies with a sword of type XIIIa (Aleksic, 2007, pl.7,1) sharing the same type of pommel and the same length of the fuller. The sword, found in the Danube near the village Visnjica, is now in the City Museum, Belgrad, and presents a cross and a wolf impressed on the blade and inlaid with a yellow metal. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Of squat piriform shape with shallow vertical dashes decorating the upper body, stamped triangles above and below. 579 grams, 10.4 cm
Family collection, acquired 1980-2015. Ex property of a North London gentleman. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
