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Customer 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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SS Pioneer officer's cap, 1938 model - German
This cap would have been worn by a Pioneer officer in the Waffen SS in the early years of WW2. The Pioneers were responsible for bridge-building, flame-thrower team, etc. This has 1940 pattern Bevo SS other ranks insignia and the lining is stamped 'Maria Damm 57' (the 57 indicates size).
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.32 Whitneyville five-shot revolver, single action rim fire - American
This was made at the Whitneyville Armory, Connecticut, USA, and is marked accordingly on the top barrel flat. It has a 3.25" barrel, stub trigger and lacquered rosewood grips. It fired a rim fire cartridge with a soft lead slug and a black powder load. Some 30,000 were made in various barrel lengths and other calibres, notably .22 and .38.
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KNIL service revolver (Vickers), model 1891 - Dutch
This is a nice example of a Schmidt-Galand 9.4 mm centre-fire double-action revolver. It was unique to the Dutch colonial army (KNIL = Royal Netherlands East Indies Army) and was carried by officers and police personnel. This was made by Vickers under a Dutch ordnance contract for about 5,000 guns in the early 1920s.
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US dragoon officer's sword, 1831 model - American
This is one of the rarest of the post-1812 War cavalry swords. The Federal army was microscopic at this time, perhaps only 30,000 strong, the numbers only gearing up for the Mexican War of 1848. The design is a direct copy of the British light cavalry sabre of the same era.
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Prussian breast plate (cuirass) - German
This clean example is marked '2' and 'Hartkopf', very probably a retailer's mark, Hartkopf being an early 19th century firm of arms dealers and sword cutlers. Its construction suggests a date nearer to 1760 than later. They were, in any case, proscribed (specifically forbidden) in 1790 by the Prussian army.
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KS98 issue bayonet with DOA markings - German
This rare bayonet was issued to the German troops in German East Africa and is marked DOA on the cross guard. Only some 11,000 men of these troops at one point kept 50,000 British and Indian men at bay. Von Lettow Vorbeck surrendered six weeks after the armistice on the Western Front and, by his own account, could have gone on fighting for ever.
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a little history on my antiques interest
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.
