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Nation : Japanese
Local Price : $1,995.00

Japanese WWII Officer’s Shin Gunto Katana Sword. Wartime production using non-traditional methods, the blade features a 25 1/8” (63.8 cm) cutting edge and gunome hamon (zigzag temper line). Nakago (tang) is signed “ Noshu Seku ju Hattori Masahiro saku”, with Seki arsenal stamp. Gunto (military) mounts, but featuring an older decorative pierced iron tsuba (guard) and bronze menuke (grip ornaments) representing what appears to be some kind of insect. Brown silk ito (braid) over non-traditional textile tsuka (grip) cover. Steel saya (scabbard) with single carry ring and wartime leather combat cover. Overall length 35 3/8” (90 cm), not including saya. Blade smooth and bright, with scratches, spotting and a shallow nick about 6” from the tip; the hamon clearly visible. Combat cover with a large portion of the seam open; the leather generally soft and supple. The Japanese were the last army to carry and use swords on the battlefield. Despite them being obsolete in modern warfare, they were often used in last ditch bonzai attacks or ritual suicide.

Nation : British
Local Price : £1995.00

A Very Good, Original, Napoleonic Wars Period, Imperial Russian Romanov Cavalry Sabre Engraved With The Russian Double Eagle Crest. French Invasion and Retreat From Moscow Period of 1812. Probably 18th to early 19th century from the era of Catherine the Great to Czar Alexander Ist. Russian campaign sabre from the 1812 Russian campaign, Borodino, Smolensk and Moscow. In the cossack sasqua style, worn with the blade cutting side up. With walrus tooth hilt and engraved quillon bearing the Russian Romanov double crowned twin headed eagle crest with two cyrillic letters English equivalent M E within a shield. Leather scabbard with chequered decoration and wire decorative seaming at the throat. A little known fact about the Napoleon's campaign into Russia is that Napoleon’s army actually lost more men on the way to Moscow than on the way back. The heat, disease, battle and desertion meant that by the time the Russian capital was seen on the horizon he had lost half his men. Nevertheless, what was important to the Corsican General was that he had reached the city. Battles at Smolensk and Borodino along the way had been costly and hard-fought, but nothing Tsar Alexander had done had been able to halt the Imperial juggernaut in its tracks though he had managed to extricate most of the Russian army intact from the fighting. In September the exhausted and bloodied Grand Arm?e reached Moscow with its promise of food and shelter, but it was not to be. So determined were the Russians to resist the invader that they burned their own old and beautiful capital in order to deny its uses to the French. Camped in a burned and empty shell, Napoleon dithered about whether to remain over the bitter winter or claim victory and march home. He was mindful of earlier campaigns into Russia such as that of Charles XII of Sweden a century earlier and made the fateful decision to return to friendly territory rather than face the snows without adequate shelter. When it became clear that the Russians would not accept a favourable peace, Napoleon marched his troops out of the city in October. It was already too late. As the once-great army trudged across the empty vastness of Russia, the cold set in, as early as the French generals could possibly have feared. And that was the least of their worries. The horses died first, for there was no food for them. Then after the men ate them they started dying too, for all the supplies in Moscow had been burned a month earlier. All the time, hordes of cossacks harassed the increasingly bedraggled rearguard, picking off stragglers and making the survivor’s lives a constant misery. Meanwhile, Alexander ? advised by his experienced generals refused to meet Napoleon’s military genius head-on, and wisely let his army dribble away in the Russian snows. Astonishingly, by the time the remnants of the Grand Armee reached the Berezina river in late November it numbered just 27,000 effective men. 100,000 had given up and surrendered to the enemy, while 380,000 lay dead on the Russian steppes. 89.5 cm long overall

Nation : British
Local Price : £1995.00

A Very Rare and Historical 1822 Presentation Sword to Ensign Alexander Samson of the Caribbean, 1st West India Regt. In 1855, From Col. Lockyer Freestun ‘Great Officer’ of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem. Two Men Of The Regt. Were V.C. Winners. The West Indian Regiment was one of the great British colonial regiments, it was awarded 11 battle honours, and two of its other ranks volunteers, during its most notable history, were awarded the Victoria Cross, the rarest and most valuable medal for valour and gallantry in the entire military world. The regiment was made up of black volunteers, and was one of the greatest and heroic regiments, fighting in the British Army, first for the King then for the Queen and Country. In many respects this is one of the forgotten historic regiments of the British Army, formed, in greater part, for the benefit of British freed slaves fleeing from the Americas, that was as heroic as the famous, WW2, US Army Airforce and 500 RAF airmen, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, but, around 100 years before. This is very rare sword indeed, with a fabulous pierced VR Gothic half basket hilt, sharkskin multi wire bound grip, all steel combat scabbard and deluxe grade fully etched blade, presentation inscribed, and it is in simply beautiful condition for its age. Surviving, antique, British Army, West India Regimental swords are exceptionally rare, but an officer's presentation sword is so rare that this is the first we have ever seen in over 40 years, and it is possible no other surviving example may still be in existance within the collecting world, or even in museum collections. Presented by a most highly decorated and exceptional army officer who was both a Colonel of The British Army of Queen Victoria, A Colonel of the Spanish Army of The Queen of Spain and a ‘Great Officer’ of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem. Presented in 1855 by Col William Lockyer Freestun, formerly of the 93rd Highland Regt. Of Foot was also a Colonel in the service of Her Catholic Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain. Who was granted the titles of Knight and Star of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles 3rd, Knight of the First Class of the National and Military Order of San Fernando, and Knight of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic for his gallantry and approbations in facing the enemy in the field. These orders he was granted permission to accept by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, personally, on August 14th 1840, and with concession and especial mark of Her Royal favour, be thus granted all due titles in Her Majesty's College of Arms. On the 23rd of June 1860 Her Majesty further granted a British Knighthood to Col. Lockyer Freestun who was also a Great Officer of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem. Ensign Sansom served with much honour in the West Indian Regiment for around 38 years rising to the esteemed rank of Colonel of the regiment. The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. The new West India Regiments saw considerable service during the period of the Napoleonic Wars, including participation by the First WIR in the occupation of the French island of Marie-Galante in 1808. The Regiments were later involved in the War of 1812, both on the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, taking part in the British attack on New Orleans. In 1800 there were 12 battalion-sized regiments which were seen as valuable also for dealing with revolts in the West Indies colonies. With numbers decreased by the effects of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, there was a shortfall of around five thousand at the start of the War of 1812, and the war offered hope of new recruitment from slaves, yearning to serve as free men, fleeing the United States. However only eight joined the regiments from the Chesapeake Bay area in 1814, and a further thirteen on the coast of Georgia early in 1815. Following the end of the War of 1812, numbers were progressively reduced incorporating into the 1st West India Regiment the Carolina Corps that had been in existence since 1779, the original intention was both to recruit free black personel from the West Indian population and to purchase slaves from the West Indian plantations. The eighth of the newly raised regiments (Skerrett's) was disbanded the following year but the quality of the new corps led to a further five West India Regiments being raised in 1798. In 1807 all serving black soldiers recruited as slaves in the West India Regiments of the British Army were freed under the Mutiny Act passed by the British parliament that same year. In 1808 the Abolition Act caused all trading in slaves to be "utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful". In 1812 a West African recruiting depot was established on Blance Island in Sierre Leone to train West African volunteers for the West India Regiments. But it needs also to be remembered that we were in the forefront of abolishing the slave trade and that, even as Napoleon threatened our very survival, we devoted a substantial part of the Royal Navy to hunting down and destroying the slave traders. Many British ships and lives were lost in the process. By 1816 the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the reduction of the West India regiments to six enabled this depot to be closed. The free WIR soldiers became a valued part of the British forces garrisoning the West Indies, where losses from disease and climate were heavy amongst white troops. The black Caribbean soldiers by contrast proved better adapted to tropical service. They served against locally recruited French units that had been formed for the same reasons. Free black Caribbeans soldiers played a prominent and often distinguished role in the military history of Latin America and the Caribbean The 1st West India Regiment from Jamaica went to the Gold Coast of Africa to fight in the Ashanti War of 1873-4 Battle honours Dominica, Martinique 1809, Guadeloupe 1810, Ashantee 1873?74, West Africa 1887, West Africa 1892-93 & 94, Sierra Leone 1898 The Great War (2 battalions): Palestine 1917?18, E. Africa 1916-18, Cameroons 1915-16. Honours and awards Private Samuel Hodge of the WIR was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1866 for courage shown during the capture of Tubab Kolon in the Gambia. Private Hodge was the second black recipient of this decoration the first being Able Seaman William Hall of the Royal Navy. In 1891, Lance Corporal William Gordon of the 1st Battalion WIR received a VC for gallantry during a further campaign in the Gambia. Promoted to sergeant, Jamaican-born William Gordon remained in employment at regimental headquarters in Kingston until his death in 1922.

Nation : -
Local Price : 2,750.00 USD

US M.1832 GENERAL OFFICER’S SWORD. An exceptional example of a rare pattern is Peterson #113. Gilt hilt with boat-shaped guard. The guard edge and knuckle bow with the beaded motif. Olive-shaped pommel secured with a nut. Silver sheet simulating wire wrap to the grip. 30 ½” broad d.e. blade decorated with naturalistic foliage, potted foliate display, Eagle with motto ribbon, arms display with crossed cannons, draped vignette, and Indian headdress with star band. Exceptional condition throughout. The decoration is uniform and complete. Hilt with near-all heavy gold overlay, the left edge of the guard, and the pommel top are only weak/worn from being worn and resting the hand on the pommel. Just the second example we have ever offered and the best we have seen.

Nation : British
Local Price : £2,750.00

British Victorian Royal Horse Guards Post-1832 Officer’s Sword with ‘Continental’ Hilt of Cornet George William Plukenett Woodroffe, Dated 1862 by Wilkinson. Straight blade with single fuller and hatchet point. Brass hilt with three side bars, the whole cast inside and out with motifs of spiralling foliage, feathers placed on the branching section of the hilt bars, and the St Edward’s Crown, correct for the reign of Queen Victoria. Spiral ribbed grip of wood covered with black shagreen bound with wire, ribbed brass ferrule and ornate brass pommel cap. Leather washer Blancoed to be white. Steel scabbard with two large smooth oval brass bands with hanging rings, steel shoe at the chape. Blade 36 inches in length, 1¼ inches wide at the shoulder, the sword 42½ inches overall. The blade is etched at the forte on one side with the maker’s mark ‘HENRY WILKINSON PALL MALL LONDON’ and foliate motifs. At the ricasso on the other side should be a circular brass proof slug set within an etched six-pointed star – the proof slug itself has been lost leaving an empty depression. Around and above this are etched further folate motifs. The spine of the blade is stamped with the serial number ‘11767’. Wilkinson company records indicate that sword 11767 was a 'Regulation Blues Sword' (Blues being a reference to the Royal Horse Guards, nicknamed as such from their earliest days because of their blue uniforms) sold to ‘Woodroffe Esq.’ (Esquire, a courtesy title for members of the gentry) on the 18 th February 1862. George William Plukenett Woodroffe was born in July 1842. His father Skynner George Woodroffe served as a Lieutenant with the Queen's Own Worcestershire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry from 1841 until his death in February 1843, aged 33. George's mother Emily remarried to Walker Skirrow Jr in 1853. George purchased a commission as a Cornet in the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards on 7th January 1862. This matches up well with the sword’s sale date and there are no other candidates with that surname in the RHG at that time. George’s military career appears to have been short – he sold his commission and retired from the service on the 26th May 1865, totaling three years and four months. The RHG undertook no deployments during this time, only their usual guard and ceremonial duties, punctuated by the demolition and reconstruction of their barracks at Windsor in 1864 on the instruction of Queen Victoria (who had discovered them to be unhygienic) and early experimentation with what became the game of polo. While uneventful, the brevity of George’s career may have helped preserve his sword in its current good condition. In May 1866 George married Alice Maud Townshend, and in 1868 he partnered with stockbroker Henry Evans Gordon to form Gordon, Woodroffe and Co, East Indian and Colonial Merchants, which he remained involved with for the rest of his life. He is listed at various times residing at Winkfield Manor in Berkshire, Eastcott House in Surrey, and Cambridge Park House in Twickenham. In 1918 he contributed £105 towards the King Edward's Hospital Fund – a charity to support London’s voluntary hospitals, the only healthcare option for the poor at the time. George died in December 1919, aged 77, while living in Queen Anne's Mansions, the tallest block of flats in London. For a man who was only briefly a soldier George seems to have founded a thoroughly military family: his first daughter Clara married Major Edward Barrington Crake of the Rifle Brigade, and his second daughter Maud married Captain James Lionel Dugdale of the Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry. George’s only son was Brigadier-General Charles Richard Woodroffe CMG CVO CBE, of the Royal Artillery, who during WW1 served on the Western Front as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at General Headquarters from 1914-1915, then as Deputy Adjutant & Quartermaster General with the British Mission to the French Grand Quartier General from 1917-1918. His service liasing with the French was rewarded with the Croix d’Officier in 1916 and the Croix de Guerre in 1918. Charles accompanied the Prince of Wales as military secretary during his visit to Japan in 1922, for which he was awarded CVO (Commander rank of the Royal Victorian Order). George’s grandson by Charles was Lt-Col. John William Richard Woodroffe, Royal Artillery, who was the first husband of Jean Woodroffe (nee Francis) CVO, second lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II. His grandson by Maud was Thomas Lionel Dugdale, who was MP for Richmond (Yorkshire) from 1929 to 1959, served with the Scots Greys in WW1 and in Egypt with the Yorkshire Hussars in WW2, became Minister for Agriculture and later Chairman of the Conservative Party, and was made 1st Baron Crathorne in the House of Lords. Since their inception the regiments of Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards which collectively made up the Household Cavalry carried different swords than the regiments of the regular cavalry. This stemmed from their unique status as bodyguards to the sovereign, which placed them beyond the effective control of the Army bureaucracy for most of their existence. Until 1882 they designed, ordered and carried swords on their own initiative, not necessarily producing better weapons but enhancing their prestige and social status. Swords like this one were carried by officers of the Royal Horse Guards, also known as The Blues, when in Dress order and probably in the Undress order as well (Undress wear of it was confirmed in 1846). Its distinctive chunky and ornate brass hilt is very European in style, influenced primarily by French heavy cavalry swords of the First Empire and Restoration periods, collectors have thus referred to it as the ‘Continental hilt’. This model is thought to have been carried from at least 1832 and was noted in the 1834 Dress Regulations with the very vague specification: “Sword – gilt guard, pommel and shell; black fish-skin gripe twisted with yellow wire; straight cut and thrust blade, full one inch wide at shoulder, and thirty-nine long. Scabbard – steel.” Actual examples frequently differ from this spec – for instance the guards do not appear to have been gilded and blades are consistently wider than 1 inch. Overall the 1834 Regulations seem to be very confused and unreliable with regards to the swords of the Royal Horse Guards. See The British Cavalry Sword by Dellar, p210-211 for more discussion of the Regulations and this type in general. A similar sword was carried by the officers of the 2 nd Life Guards but these can be distinguished by the decoration on the hilt and pommel cap: the 2 nd Life Guards sword put a grenade badge in these spots while the Royal Horse Guards used a crown for the hilt and a Tudor rose on the pommel cap. Over time it appears the officers of the RHG moved away from the Continental hilt towards their own version of the ’12-stud’ hilt swords carried by the 1 st Life Guards: one known example is dated 1854 (Dellar p211). As usual this was totally informal. Both types probably coexisted for a period but the changeover was formalized in the 1874 Dress Regulations, in which the 12-stud sword became standard carry for all Household Cavalry, with minor variations for regimental insignia. This was referred to as the 1874 Pattern or ‘State sword’. This sword’s blade is 3 inches shorter than the above regulation. Its tip has the correct hatchet profile, the scabbard is sized to match and fits well, and this is not the only example I have seen at this length, so it was probably deliberately made that size. Perhaps to aid in wearing it when dismounted? Yet more contradiction of the Dress Regulations. The sword is firmly peened with no movement to any parts. The blade has a near-mirror polish, with a few polishing marks and a few tiny spots of light patination and frosting. The edge is unsharpened with no edge damage or tip wear. All the sword’s brass parts have an even midtone patina, darker in recesses, with good retention of detail suggesting little in the way of repolishing. The flared segment of the grip near the pommel has lost its shagreen covering, and there is also one small area of loss in the next segment beside the grip’s seam. In both areas this exposes the wood core. Some small cracks to the shagreen elsewhere, scattered spots of scale loss and light handling wear overall. Despite these minor damages the grip remains solid overall with no lifting or movement and the wire binding of the grip is all present and tight. The scabbard’s steel body section has moderate cleaned pitting peppered overall, one dent at the chape on one side which does not interfere with sheathing and drawing. Its brass parts are consistent with those of the hilt or a fraction brighter, with no dents. The screws at the throat are all present.

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £1,975.00

**SUPERIOR MASTER SMITH**WW2 Japanese Officer’s Samurai Family Shin Gunto Type 98 Gendaito Sword With Smith Signed Tang ‘ISHIDO TERU HIDE SAKU’, Scabbard & Expert Assessment. Sn 23484:10 -. An original Shin Gunto Japanese type 98 sword with hand forged gendaito blade. The sword has been assessed by UK Japanese sword expert Bill Tagg. A copy of his hand written notes and illustrations accompany the sword. In extracts from his notes he states “A type 98 Shin Gunto army Officer’s sword with gendaito water tempered blade made with Japanese sand iron This blade is not dated but appears to be late war 43/44 with the 2 mekugi ana. Genuine signature (shoshinmei) ‘ISHIDO (school / family)TERU HIDE (art name) SAKU’ (made this). See Sesko’s book on swordsmiths, rated making medium grade gendai given rating superior master by judge Aki Hide in 1941 when he won 1st seat. He was also an army approved smith. The blade is covered in fine scratches which obscure the temperline hamon and any grain. Needs a professional polish to take out tiny chips and reveal forging detail. Saya gunto parade no gilt on mounts but has all its military green paint. Tsuba quality gunto pattern in good condition still got gilt & finish with multi castellated seppa either side. Completely working locking catch and quality sarute loop. Fixed on top mount of handle is silver mon badge of Samurai family clan badge. A good example of a mid to late war gendaito by a known smith’. In his illustrations of the tang and blade he describes the cutting edge of the blade length as 66 cm & full length as 88 cm. He also translates the tang signature and describes other blade characteristics and dimensions (illustrated in image 2). The price includes UK delivery. Sn 23484:10

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £1,975.00

**RARE**SURRENDER PRESENTATION**WW2 1942 Dated Japanese Officer’s Seki Arsenal Type 98 Sword Smith Signed ‘Noshu Seki Ju Kiyo Nobu Saku’ With Presentation Plaque To Captain D.S. Young By HQBMA Malaya 1945, Japanese Officer’s Name Tag &. This sword has been assessed by a UK based Japanese sword expert Bill Tagg. His assessment accompanies this piece. In exerts from the assessment he states “ A surrendered army officer’s type 98 shin gunto with wood scabbard & leather active service cover, with a surrender presentation plaque fixed to it from British military administration headquarters Malaya 1945. In good condition & rare to find. Tsuba is good quality casting gunto pattern in brass no gilding left. Tsuka hilt is gunto pattern in used but clean condition some finish left on mounts, complete with knot loop possible re-bind ? Blade has seki arsenal inspectors stamp, so is a showa to oil tempered arsenal product. It is signed with makers name ‘Noshu (province), Seki (city), Ju (living in), Kiyo Nobu (art name), Saku (made this)’. He made showa to blades medium to high grade & gendaito medium grade. Blade is in dirty condition with old black staining and light rust needs re-polishing / restoration to see work. A genuine trophy of the second war hard to find today. His family name was ‘naga mura’. See john slough book on swordsmiths page 85 for oshigata & see fuller & gregory books of oshigata on swordsmiths pages 188/192/255”. In his illustrations he describes the cutting edge length as 64.5 cms and the overall length as 86.5 cms. He also translates the date markings on the blade (1942), Smith signature & describes other blade characteristics and measurements which can be read in the images. Also accompanying the sword is the original leather tab label with ink kanji attached to the scabbard which Bill describes as a hard to translate Japanese Officer’s name (illustrated) and another typed descriptive label found on the sword which can be read in the images". The price for this rare piece with expert assessment includes UK delivery. Sn 23228

Nation : British
Local Price : £1975

English Silver Hilted Small Sword by John Radborn of London Hallmarked for 1767 / 1768. An English silver hilted small sword by John Radborn of London with hallmarks for 1767 / 1768. The hilt is mounted with a dish guard which is exquisitely pierced and chased with rococo foliate scrolls between curling tendrils on both sides of filigree delicacy. The design is the common theme on the other major silver components of the hilt which attests to the homogeneity of the parts. The sword is well-balanced in hand and the silver hilt is, unusually, in excellent condition having experienced almost no wear, and has maintained its shape without damage or repair. The sword is mounted with a tapering hollow ground triangular section blade. The hilt is an example of the high standards of design and execution required of the 18th century London silver hilt maker, as well as an example of one of the most effective weapons of the 17th and 18th centuries, which at this time was at the pinnacle of its evolution. Silver hilted small swords were fashionable attire for gentlemen. Mostly worn for effect, someone wearing such a sword was also announcing to the world that he was able to use it. Despite the stylish and often delicate appearance of these swords they were formidable dueling weapons. The sword hilt is in excellent crisp condition without losses or repairs and has maintained its original pleasing profile. The shallow dish guard has a strengthened rim shaped as four crescents on the outside which supports the chased foliate designs within. The ricasso, pas d' ane rings, knuckle bow, quillon and pommel are pierced and chased in the same decorative style as the dish guard. The stamped maker's mark of “I R” is present on one side of the knucklebow near the pommel in raised relief inside a depressed rectangle, accompanied by the crowned leopard's head assay mark, the royal lion passant purity and date marks. The baluster shaped rounded rectangular section grip is covered with spirally wrapped bevelled silver strip, separated by wrapped silver twisted wire, flanked by thinner ropes on either side. Silver cap terminals are present top and bottom of the grip engraved with scallops on each side. The tapering, hollow ground, stiff, triangular section blade is in good mottled condition and retains evidence of its original engraved foliate panels near the hilt. John Radborn was one of the most gifted silver hilt makers and sword cutlers of his time. He worked in the New Street precinct of the City of London for all of his professional life. He is first recorded when he was indentured to the cutler Nathaniel Young in 1737. On the death of Young in 1742 he was turned over to John Smith for the remainder of his term and was sworn free of the Cutlers' Company by servitude in 1745 when he probably entered his first mark at Goldsmiths Hall which is now lost. His first surviving mark was entered in 1762. On moving address in 1769 Radborn entered another mark which was very similar to the last to confirm the move. He was admitted as a pensioner of the Cutlers' Company in 1776 and died in 1780. For further information on John Radborn see Leslie Southwick “London Silver-Hilted Swords”, their makers, suppliers and allied traders, with directory, 2001, Royal Armouries, and particularly page 206 for the biography and examples of his work in plates 46, 66, 72-3, 74 and colour plate 3. The blade is just under 33.25 inches (just over 84.5 cm) long and the overall length of the sword is just under 40 inches (101.5 cm).