Hardwood Arms, Armor and Weapons

A fine and elaborate pair of decorative 19th century muskets, the shorter of the two a Arab Jezail flintlock gun with a barrel length of 121cm, with twel...

Antique 17th century Italian gunner’s stiletto featuring a triangular blade marked with incremented markings for measuring cannon bores / powder levels. Turned iron pommel, bolster, and cross guard, flanking a wooden grips, decorated with grooves once sporting wire inlays and accented with round amber beads. Particularly suited for thrusting, was often a gunner's last line of defense after the cannon and other arms available to the gun crew had been used. The triangular blades were often engraved with graduated markings and numbers. These divisions gave the gunner a means of measuring a gun bore and calibre of the ball, the ability to calculate distances, among other tasks. “First developed in Italy, the stiletto dates from the late 1400s, and is thought to be a development of the rondel dagger or misericordia, a needle-pointed weapon with a narrow blade designed primarily for thrusting, though possessing cutting edges.[6][7] Early stilettos normally used a one-piece cast-metal handle which was shaped and turned on a lathe. The stiletto blade was usually hammer-forged into a dense rod with a narrow, triangular cross section, without any sharpened edges. However, other examples of the period have emerged bearing round, square, or diamond cross sections. The Italian word ""stiletto"" comes from the Latin stilus,[8] the thin pointed Roman writing instrument used to engrave wax or clay tablets in ancient times. The stiletto began to gain fame during the late Middle Ages, when it was the secondary weapon of knights.[9] Originally designed as a purely offensive weapon, the stiletto was used to finish off a fallen or severely wounded heavily armored opponent. The needle-like blade could easily penetrate most mail or find its way through gaps in a knight's plate armor, and was narrow enough to pass through the eye slits of the helmeted knight. A severely wounded opponent, who was not expected to survive, would be given a ""mercy strike"" (French coup...

Vintage reproduction medieval style battle axe with a long black wood handle studded decoratively with nails and accented with chain.  

A Polynesian hardwood Ula tavatava or throwing war club Fiji, probably 18th century The top of the shaft decorated with a dotted pattern all around (possibly kill marks). Measures: Height. 44 cm Including museum-quality powder-coated stand. Provenance: Private collection, France Polynesian culture is traditionally a culture of power and prestige, and there was a fine line between battle and ceremony. Warrior people par excellence, the Fijians had at their disposal a large panoply of weapons, each for a specific use. The elegant Gata are called gun-sticks by Europeans due to the recognizable form. However, they are designed after a snake, gata in Fijian language. The Ula throwing clubs...

A Polynesian hardwood Totokia, war club or battle hammer Fiji, probably 18th century or earlier Measures: Height. 83 cm Including museum-quality powder-coated stand. Provenance: Private collection, France The curve in the Totokia club, used for obvious reasons, is made by carving into a living branch and bending it, closing the gaps, which will grow together again over the years. Weapons carried by the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine in George Lucas' Star Wars were inspired by the Totokia. Polynesian culture is traditionally a culture of power and prestige, and there was a fine line between battle and ceremony. Warrior people par excellence, the Fijians had at their disposal a large panoply of weapons, each for a specific use. The elegant Gata are called gun-sticks by Europeans due to the recognizable form. However, they are designed after a snake, gata in Fijian language. The Ula throwing clubs...

Vintage L.H. Smith miniature Frank Wesson swivel barrel two shot derringer pin fire cap gun and velvet lined walnut case marked “L.H. Smith 5.” Includes full ...

We are delighted to offer this very large and ornate Heraldic Armorial crest or Coat of arms Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for...

We are delighted to offer this stunning circa 1880’s Antique Victorian mahogany gun cabinet which has been converted to a library bookcase with original keys A good looking well m...

Vintage ice axe, Kuno Rainer. A good Austrian 'Kuno Rainer' ice axe, belonging to John Baird Tyson (1928 - 2014), OBE. He was an adventurous and darin...

Presenting a gorgeous pair of pieces of African Tribal Art, namely, a pair of vintage West African Axes Probably made in either The Congo or Cameroon, e...

Nicely shaped boar's tusk handle provides for a nice grip on this 19th century American cane with hardwood (probably hickory) tapered stem. ...

Unique cigarette box celebrating the end of WWII in Italy in 1944. If you have a passion for rare wartime antiques then this handcrafted cigarette box celebrating the end of the second world war in Italy could be yours to own and enjoy. Apart from very well made, it is also made of some beautiful woodtypes such as the solid nutwood cigarette holders and the stunning burl veneer on the front and back. Whomever created this piece must have been both very impressed and truly grateful to see the American / allied tanks roll into his town or village. With smoking still very popular amongst soldiers back in those days, we feel this work of post-trench art could very well have been presented to one of the soldiers as a token of appreciation and gratitude. This box still opens and shuts perfectly and apart from one replaced canon on the front, this unique box could not be more original. The beautiful wood inlay on top too is in excellent condition and the gun and hatch on top of that can be rotated. This one of a kind box makes a great deskpiece, but no matter where you decide to have it on display, the beauty and history of this antique talking...