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Wallis & Wallis - Connoisseur Militaria Auction 14th & 15th October 2014

Wallis & Wallis - Connoisseur Militaria Auction 14th & 15th October 2014

We start this report as usual with medals and two WWI groups awarded to father and son. Each recipient was made a prisoner of war and, tragically, became a casualty.

Five: India General Service 1854, two clasps Burma 1885-7, Burma 1887-89 (Lieut. A.W. Abercrombie 1st Bn York L.I); Queen’s South Africa, one clasp Cape Colony (Capt A.W. Abercrombie 1st Connaught Rang.); 1914 star with clasp, British War and Victory medals (Lt. Col. A.W. Abercrombie). Very fine, with miniature pair: IGS 1854 two clasps and QSA one clasp; memorial plaque to Alexander William Abercrombie; two Connaught Rangers officer’s bronze lapel badges; photograph of grave. The group sold to a telephone bidder for £3600.

Five: Distinguished Service Order, George V (dated Oct.13 1915 and top mount reverse named A.R. Abercrombie), in Garrard case of issue; Military Cross, George V, (reverse engraved A.R. Abercrombie The Queen’s Regt. Belgium 1915) in case; 1914 star with clasp (2. Lieut A.R. Abercrombie The Queen’s R), British War and Victory medals (Capt), with miniature DSO in jeweller’s case gilt lettered with his initials A.R.A., and miniature MC. Also included was a pair of The Queen’s Regt officer’s bronze lapel badges and a memorial plaque to Alexander Ralph Abercrombie; letter to recipient’s mother regarding his Mentioned in Despatches on 31.5.1915, 30.4.1916 and 7th April 1918 and the three M.I.D certificates in their original envelopes (some wear and soiling. After some spirited bidding from several telephone bidders against a number of room bidders it eventually sold to the same buyer as the last lot for £6100.

A fine ‘Coastal Command’ Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar group of seven attributed to Squadron Leader Anthony Gadd RAFO comprising: DFC (dated 1944) and Bar (1945), 1939- 45 star, Atlantic star with France and Germany clasp, Pacific star, Defence and War Medals. Good to Very Fine. The medals were mounted as worn, together with the relevant miniatures; a ‘Goldfish Club’ embroidered badge. Together with many other items including two pilot flying log books and a splendid aluminium desk ornament, a Bristol Beaufighter, with inscription ‘Beaufighter Presented by the Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd to W/Com A.Gadd, DFC & Bar Officer Commg No 144 Sqdn RAF. Dallachy, Scotland 1945’. The lot sold for £3300.

A most interesting special forces WWII group of 12 to Lt. Colonel John Patrick Shelley, who raised the special Z Force (‘The Johnnies’) vital to the success of the Burma campaign. Comprising: 1914-15 star (Lieut.J.P.Shelley R.Lanc.R.), British War and Victory medals (Capt.J.P.Shelley), General Service Medal with clasp Palestine (Major J.P.Shelley G.Gds), 1939-45 star, Africa star, Burma star, Defence and War medals with MID oak leaf (privately named Col. J.P. Shelley Gren Guards), Egypt Order of the Nile, 4th class, (enamel minor crazing), Sudan 1910 medal with clasp Garjak Nuer (engraved Capt J.P.Shelley, The King’s Own Regt); Poland Krzyz Walecznych. The group was mounted court style by Spink & Son, and came with companion miniatures including the CBE to which he is entitled, the full size now no longer present. Condition was Good Very Fine. It sold to a telephone bidder against the internet for £3500.

Militaria

Next we have a fascinating and rare painted side drum, circa 1805, of The 23rd (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Regiment, bearing the Prince of Wales’s Feathers and motto, with (left) the Sphinx and ‘Egypt’ (authorised in 1802) and the Red Dragon, both in oval frames, and (right) the Rising Sun and the White Horse of Hanover in similar frames, painted rims with cords and tensioners. It was 181⁄2-inches in diameter and sold to an internet bidder for £1425. Note: At Waterloo The 23rd Foot Regt was part of the 4th British Infantry Division, positioned on the right of the British line behind Hougoumont Farm.

Edged Weapons

First we have a good late 18th Century smallsword, the slender, hollow triangular section blade 321⁄2-inches long, etched with trophies of flags and instruments, vines and scrolls, and blued and gilt for two thirds length.

It had a cast steel hilt with pierced, pointed oval guard, shallow pas d’ane rings, flat crossguard with rosette terminals, facetted bead link chain knucklebow, urn shaped pommel (tiny chip to top) and swollen grip. The blade retained virtually all original blueing and gilding and after strong bidding it finally sold to a local buyer for £1500.

Next was a lovely 1796 pattern light cavalry officer’s sword, the broad, curved and fullered 301⁄2-inch, blade marked ‘J J Runkel, Solingen’ on the backstrap, etched with crowned GR cypher, crowned pre 1801 Royal Arms, with trophies and flourishes, and blued and gilt for half its length, regulation hilt with langets on pronounced knucklebow, forward sloping facetted pommel and shagreen grip, with sword knot (worn). In its steel scabbard, it was in good clean condition, the blade retaining approximately 70% blueing and gilding. It sold to a telephone bidder for £1750.

A 1796 pattern heavy cavalry trooper’s sword, the straight, shallow fullered blade 34-inches long, with traces of maker’s name and inspector’s stamp, regulation pierced disc guard with reinforce and slender langets, broad knucklebow into plain pommel and backstrap with ears to ribbed grip, in its steel scabbard. Maker’s name ‘Woolley, Deakin & Dutton (the style of the firm 1808-12), the hilt and scabbard marked en suite ‘H/36’. It was in moderate condition for its age and sold to a telephone bidder for £1000.

As if to appeal to our many Russian bidders there was an Imperial Russian 1909 pattern infantry officer’s shasqua. A heavy curved, triple fullered blade, 30-inches long, with stamps of WK & C on one side at the forté and F Fichte, Solingen on the other, and etched with crowned Nicholas II monogram in the cartouche on one side and crowned double headed eagle in similar cartouche on the other. The knucklebow had brass hilt ring quillon and foliate panels. It was in good condition and a clean example and sold to Russian buyers in the room for £2050.

Firearms

The rest of this report is dedicated to antique firearms and we start with this steel barrelled flintlock blunderbuss with spring bayonet, by Simmons, London, circa 1820. The 131⁄4-inch two- stage bell mouth barrel with Birmingham proofs, marked ‘London’ on the top flat, and 12-inch triangular spring bayonet released by thumb catch. The lock with safety bolt and roller on the frizzen spring, plate engraved with maker’s name. It was in very good condition and sold to a bidder in the room for £1450.

An unusually large 20-bore double barrelled side by side tap action flintlock boxlock pistol, the 4-inch turn-off barrels with muzzles cut for barrel key, breeches with Tower private proofs and engraved with bouquets of flowers, frame engraved with trophies of flags and sunbursts and ‘P Bond, No 45 Corn Hill London’ in ovals, with hidden trigger, top safety and plain ivory slab butt. Good condition (some light pitting, some restoration) they sold in the room for £2500.

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A scarce British Military issue 5-shot 54-bore Beaumont Adams double action percussion revolver, with London proofs and engraved ‘London Armoury’ on the top flat, frame engraved ‘B8949 Adams’ Patent No 24,620R’ and broad arrow over WD, chequered walnut butt pierced for lanyard and with government inspector’s mark (faint). It retained approximately 40% of original blued finish. It came with a holster bearing broad arrow and an almost complete set of accessories in a leather pouch, also bearing broad arrow over WD. It went to a room buyer who was bidding strongly against several internet bidders for £1350.

A good, scarce 5-shot 38- bore Deane Harding double action percussion revolver, the top strap engraved ‘Deane & Son, King William Street, London Bridge’, London proved, frame engraved ‘Deane Harding Patent No 25161’, with checkered walnut butt and plain steel buttcap. It retained approximately 50% of original blued finish and the bore was very good with sharp clean rifling. There were a number of bidders and it finally sold to one in the room for £1600.

Next we have a scarce Volunteer officer’s .62-inch Baker type flintlock rifle, by Fenton, London, the 301⁄4-inch octagonal twist barrel with London proofs, engraved ‘R Fenton-London’ and with two folding leaf rearsights, the breech plug with silver line and maker’s poinçon. The flat stepped lock had a safety bolt, rainproof pan and roller on the frizzen spring. It sold for £4200.

Illustrated here is a really lovely pair of officer’s 16-bore percussion holster pistols, by Stevens, Holborn, London. Each pistol with 7-inch flat topped round twist barrel engraved ‘Holborn London’; stepped flintlock style bolted lock and flat hammer, engraved with scrolls and ‘Stevens’. They were in very good working order and crisp condition, retaining virtually all original browned, blued and colour hardened finish. After much bidding they finally went for £2300.

Cracking Pair

A pair of unusually long 28-bore brass barrelled silver mounted flintlock holster pistols by Knubley, London. Each pistol having a 12-inch two-stage barrel with London proofs, ‘improved’ at a later date by the addition of hand operated 61⁄2-inch folding bayonet on the left side with no means of securing them in the folded position. Each stepped brass lock engraved with maker’s name, sunburst, and flowers, frizzen spring with roller, and with plain walnut fullstock. They went to a Russian bidder for £3000.

A good .56-inch Tower Long Sea Service flintlock belt pistol, circa 1800, the 12-inch barrel with Tower proofs, lock bearing crowned ‘GR’ and ‘Tower’, and ordnance inspector’s mark. Well figured walnut fullstock bearing storekeeper’s mark, broad arrow and ‘BO’, and stock maker’s initials ‘J.A’. These pistols always sell well and this one went to a telephone bidder for £1450.

A pair of 7-shot .32-inch rimfire Tranter’s Patent single action revolvers, each 31⁄2- inch octagonal barrel with Birmingham proofs, top flat engraved ‘W Richards, Old Hall St, Liverpool’, the breech bearing oval Tranter’s Patent stamp. They were stamped with consecutive serial numbers 32084 and 32085 and were in very good condition. They went to an internet buyer for £1400.

A .65-inch William IV flintlock cavalry pistol, the 9-inch barrel with Enfield proofs, the line engraved stepped lock with safety bolt, ring neck cock and raised pan, plate stamped with crown over ‘WR’, walnut fullstock, the butt stamped with broad arrow over BO, regulation pattern brass mounts, the trigger guard engraved with number ‘61’, with swivel ramrod. It was in good order and the hammer fell at £1300.

A cased pair of officer’s 16-bore rifled percussion belt pistols by Beattie, London, each pistol with 71⁄2-inch octagonal twist barrel with two platinum lines at the breech and engraved ‘London’, each with signed back action lock, walnut fullstock with rounded chequered butt, steel mount including scroll engraved trigger guard and swivel ramrod. The came in their original green velvet lined fitted mahogany case with folding brass handle to lid and maker’s trade label, containing accessories. They made £2300.

A 6-shot .36-inch Colt Model 1851 Navy percussion revolver, number 42457 on all parts, with New York City address and clear naval scene on the cylinder. Despite some light pitting to the cylinder it was otherwise in reasonable order and had a good bore with clear rifling. It went to a commission bidder for £1400.

A cased 5-shot 54-bore Webley type wedge frame double action percussion revolver, the 61⁄4-inch barrel engraved on the top strap ‘J. Blissett, High Holborn, London’, London proved, frame engraved Patent No 1312, with rammer on the left side and two piece chequered walnut grips. The barrel retained much original blued finish and it came in its original green baize lined fitted oak case with a number of accessories. The hammer fell to a bidder in the room for £1750.

A cased 5-shot 54-bore 1st Model Tranter self cocking double trigger percussion revolver, the 7-inch barrel engraved ‘Deane Adams & Deane, 30 King William St, London Bridge’, the frame engraved ‘Adams’ Patent No 13700R’, cylinder engraved ‘No 13700R’, London proved. It came with chequered walnut butt and separate rammer stamped ‘W Tranter Patent No 50’, with a green-baize lined fitted mahogany case with circular brass lid and keyhole escutcheons and contained many accessories. It went for £1650.

Left Leaner?

Here we show a good scarce cased 5-shot 60-bore 2nd model Webley longspur single action percussion revolver, number 969, retailed by Bales of Ipswich and Colchester, the 43⁄4-inch barrel with Birmingham proofs and engraved ‘G W Bales, Ipswich & Colchester’, the line engraved frame bearing ‘Webley’s Patent’ in a banner, the backstrap engraved ‘969’, and ‘By Her Majesty’s Royal Letters Patent’. Normally the rammer is on the right on these pistols, but less than a handful were made (possibly for left handed users) with the rammer on the left, as was the case with this example. It was in good order and came in its maroon velvet lined fitted mahogany case with accessories. It sold to a buyer in the room for £2500. Note: See ‘The Revolver 1816-65’ by Taylerson, where this particular revolver is referred to on pages 254-255.

Finally in this report, a good scarce cased 5-shot 80-bore first model Tranter double trigger percussion revolver, the 5-inch barrel foliate engraved at the breech and muzzle and with London proofs, the frame engraved with foliage and ‘No 2392T’, with chequered walnut butt and engraved buttcap. It was in excellent condition and retained approximately 50% of original blued, colour hardened and burnished finish. It came in its green baize lined fitted mahogany case, containing its original detached rammer stamped ‘W Tranters Patent’, double cavity bronze bullet mould stamped ‘W Tranters Patent’, Dixon flask and many other accessories. It went to a telephone bidder for £1900.

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