Wallis & Wallis (June) and Thomas Del Mar (June) auction reports
- By Pete Moore
- Last updated: 21/12/2016
As usual this auction started with the medal section, including a Distinguished Service Order, Geo V issue in original Garrard case, EF condition, with card inscribed “Lt Col A.C. Fox DSO, RAMC…” M.I.D certificate to Major A C Fox, dated 14 January 1915, with a P.O. Telegram to Mrs Fox informing her Lt Col Fox “reported missing believed drowned…”; a letter from Privy Purse office expressing the King and Queen’s regret “now that his death has been confirmed” dated 8th August 1917, transmittal letter for 1914 star (star not present); named memorial scroll; 3 news cuttings and statute booklet for the DSO. The Lot sold for £725. Note: Arthur Claude Fox was born 23rd April 1868. Studied at London Hospital gaining diplomas 1891. Joined RAMC, Captain 29 Jan 1897, Major 29th Oct 1905, was present at Ypres and Armentieres. Awarded DSO 18th Feb 1915 ‘for services in connection with operations in the field’. Gazetted Lt Col March 1915. He was drowned when the British transport Arcadian was torpedoed and sunk in five minutes in the Eastern Mediterranean on April 15th 1917.
Next was a pair: a Distinguished Conduct Medal, George V issue (T4-250444 Sjt S G Bartlett A.S.C), nearly VF, (minor edge bruising); Rocket Apparatus Volunteer Long Service medal, Geo VI (Samuel G Bartlett) GVF (2) DCM only illustrated here. They sold for £475.
Note: DCM London Gazette 13.2.1917. “For exceptional general efficiency and for conspicuous good work and devotion to duty during the evacuation of wounded from an advanced dressing station, where he was compelled by circumstances to take command.”
Following is a group of four: Military Medal, George V first type (14-19254 Cpl V Bresquar 14/ L’pool R), 1914-15 star (L. Cpl), BWM, Victory (Sjt)). VF. The group went for £550. Note: MM London Gazette 8th Dec. 1916, awarded for gallant conduct on 13th/14th September 1916 during the campaign in Macedonia. 1 DSO, 1 MC, 1 DCM and 4 MMs awarded at this time. See The History of the King’s Regiment, Liverpool 1914-1919 Vol III p112.
A Military Medal, George V first type (6156 Pte G Cooper, 1st/The Queen’s R), VF, sold for £230. Note: Pte George Augustus Cooper, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regt), died at home 7.11.1918 and was buried at Stockport (Willow Grove) Cemetery. MM London Gazette 13th June 1919.
Finally for the medals in this report was a Punjab Medal 1849, with one clasp Mooltan (Cornet John H B Dennis, 1st Lt Cavy), VF. It made £425.
Now we move on to badges with this scarce WWI Other Rank’s brass cap badge of the 1st Armoured Car Battery. It sold for £90.
A Victorian officer’s helmet plate of The Connaught Rangers, silver-plated centre badge and title scroll, blue cloth binding. It retained some original gilt and sold to a commission bidder for £360.
Last is a post-1902 officer’s helmet plate of The Royal Irish Regiment, silver plated centre badge and title scroll, red cloth backing. It retained a little original gilt and sold to the same commission bidder for £300.
Now we have a couple of edged weapons starting with a Third Reich 1933 pattern SS dagger, by Rich. Abr Herder, Solingen, with nickel silver mounts, the crosspiece stamped ‘II’ (Dresden inspection mark), in its anodised sheath. It was a generally untouched example (minor bruising to grip, some light wear to sheath). It sold to a bidder in the room against several other bidders for £1500.
A good Victorian bowie type hunting knife, the double edged 111⁄2-inch long blade with full length fullers, marked ‘CIX, Ferraby & Hare, Hull’, the hilt with steel crosspiece and one piece ivory grip engraved with crowned family crest (very worn), the pommel in the form of the head of the Duke of Wellington. It went to a bidder in the room for £500.
It is rare for an ordinary copper powder flask for a sporting gun to make more than £40 or £50. However this was no ordinary flask, for it was covered all over in fine wicker weave, which was in excellent condition. Illustrated in Riling (R1195), it was 8-inches long and was made by Hawksley, with patent top, the charger from 21⁄2 to 3 drams. It sold in the room against stiff competition for £290.
Now we move to antique firearms with this brass barrelled flintlock blunderbuss, made circa 1820. The two-stage bell mouth barrel 133⁄4-inches long, the octagonal breech with Birmingham proofs and engraved ‘London’, the flat stepped lock with safety bolt and roller on frizzen spring, the plate engraved ‘P Day’. The hammer fell to a commission bidder at £1800.
A .577 Snider Mark II carbine in superb condition would make a very good shooter if bought by a black powder enthusiast. The barrel measured 191⁄2-inches and it had almost flawless three-groove rifling, the lock marked with crowned ‘VR’ and ‘1867 Enfield’. The stock had been cut down to half with a single barrel band and the butt had a good clear Enfield storekeeper’s mark. The butt plate tang stamped ‘108/ CC/ 1’ (Cape Colony). It was all in crisp condition and after much bidding finally sold to a telephone bidder for £500.
An obsolete calibre rifle proved popular. It was an 1893 Marlin Safety full tube magazine underlever rifle in 32 to 40-inch calibre. The octagonal barrel was 261⁄4-inches long, with address and patent dates on top flat, and ‘Special Smokeless Steel’ on the left side, with ratchet rearsight and blade foresight, number 184157. It sold for £600 to a room bidder.
Finally we show a good brace of brass framed percussion boxlock sidehammer belt pistols. The first with 41⁄4-inch octagonal barrel of 22-bore, engraved ‘Witton Daw & Co, London’, the second with 4 3/8-inch barrel of 28-bore, engraved ‘Witton Daw & Co, London’ on the top strap of the frame, both were Birmingham proved, with scroll engraved frames, chequered butts with vacant escutcheons and steel butt caps with hinged traps. They had colour hardened barrels and hammers, and blued trigger guards and belt hooks (there were differences in the engraving of the frames, trigger guards and buttcaps, also the chequering of the butts and the shape of the escutcheons). They came in a well-fitted green baize lined mahogany box, containing accessories. They sold to an Internet bidder for £2000.
Next…
The next sales at Wallis & Wallis will be held on 14th & 15th October. 01273 480208 http://wallisandwallis.co.uk
With a total return of £602,646 and a very positive 86% sell through of 415 fine Lots, this was a highly successful sale of fine arms and armour.
The top 10 lots comprised of:
Lot 413: A fine and rare cased pair of 28 bore French silver-mounted flintlock pistols of presentation quality by Boutet, which sold for
£57,600.
Lot 198: A composite German and Italian Cap-a-Pie field armour in the so-called ‘Maximilian fashion’, partly Nuremberg, early 16th century. Sold for £24,000.
Lot 175: A composite North Italian Etched Corslet, late 16th Century. Sold for £20,400.
Lot 179: A mounted armour for the ‘Jousts Real’ in the Spanish style of circa 1500-10, mainly 19th Century with some early 16th Century elements. Sold for £18,000.
Lot 196: A fine pair of 16 bore Liegois flintlock holster pistols by Jean Jaques Behr, circa 1720-30. Sold for £17,400.
Lot 416: A pair of 28 bore Silesian long wheel-lock holster pistols, Cieszynie (Teschen), circa 1640-60. Sold for £16,800.
Lot 414: A fine pair of 20 bore Liegois flintlock long holster pistols, circa 1700, probably by Philippe Desellier. Sold for £12,000.
Lot 415: A fine and rare 25 bore South German (Thuringia) wheel-lock pistol ‘Suhl’ circa 1580-90. Sold for £12,000.
Lot 326: A fine pair of 38 bore Scottish flintlock belt pistols by I. Christie, Perth, circa 1780. Sold for £11,400.
Lot 192: A 120 bore Silesian wheel-lock birding rifle (Tschinke), mid-17th century, probably Cieszyn (Teschen). Sold for £9840.
Following the sale, Auctioneer and Expert-in-charge, Thomas Del Mar, commented: “Following closely on the heels of the remarkable success of the Higgins Armory auction in May we were delighted with the result. The auction included two further institutional properties, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago that were both 100% sold. The sale also included the second and final part of the Stern Collection that was well received. The highlight of the day was the Boutet pistols from the descendant family of the Viceroy Peru, achieving £57,600 to a private collector.”
For further Thomas Del Mar auction information, call 0207 602 4805 or visit www.thomasdelmar.com