[E.B. Erickson]

There's a Bonham's Arms and Armour auction coming up on the 27th, and it's got some interesting lots. There's a couple of Scottish baskets, some English baskets, some Mortuarys in need of some TLC, and a variety of other items.

--ElJay

[Nathan Robinson]

Bonhams Web-site

One upcoming auction with arms and armour

[Risto Rautiainen]

There's also a quite nice rondel dagger of type I've only seen in medieval illustrations before.

Dagger

[Thomas McDonald]

Sale 13978 - The Scottish Sale, 23 Aug 2006
65 George Street, Edinburgh

Lot No: 420

A steel mounted Dirk

34.5cm blade, from a backsword, with two narrow back fullers on each side, indistincly signed Andria Farrara, the wood hilt carved with interlacing brass pommel cap in it's leather scabbard with steel locket fitted with a frog stud, (chape lacking).

Estimate: £600 - 800

Lot No: 426

A basket hilted Broadsword

88cm blade by Knubley, No 116 Charing Cross, London, etched with foliage and military trophies, steel basket hilt with wire bound fish skin grip, in it's leather and steel mounted scabbard, damage to leather on scabbard.

Estimate: £150 - 200

Lot No: 427

An 18th century basket hilted Broadsword

83cm blade, triple fullered with traces of signature, the steel basket hilt with fish skingrip and woolen liner, in it's leather scabbard, (tip of blade and scabbard missing).

Estimate: £300 - 500

Lot No: 428

A Scottish officer's basket hilted broadsword,

82cm blade by Landon and Norland, etched with scrolls and crowned VR cypher, regulation steel basket hilt with wire bound fish skin grip, in it's steel scabbard.

Estimate: £350 - 450

Lot No: 449

An 18th century Sporran

The brass cantle with foliate C scrolls and fitted with an internal sprung catch, the pleated leather bag with tooled geometric and waved decoration, with green leather border, two internal compartments, complete with it's brass suspension hook with punched decoration of foliage and dots.

Estimate: £500 - 800

[Jonathan Hopkins]

Anyone who has read Swords and Blades of the American Revolution might recognize this name. Several swords from his collection have been immortalized in the pages of Neumann's great book. The catalogue is not yet available, but here is the info on the Bonham's website: Bill Guthman Collection, 12 Oct 2006, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I think I'll be driving to New Hampshire for a preview at the very least.

[Thomas McDonald]

Harvey Withers has this interesting cavalry piece for sale .....

http://www.britishmilitaryswords.co.uk/bigswo...htext=0353

ENGLISH C.1750 HALF BASKETHILTED BROADSWORD
Unusual English C.1750 Half Baskethilted Broadsword. Of a type carried by cavalry troopers. Iron basket with fishskin to the grip. Wide, heavy blade that has been shortened during its lifetime. Blade length is 28 inches (34 inches overall).

Price: £695.00

[Jonathan Hopkins]

Sorry for the slightly off topic reply, but I wonder if the horseman's sword was shortened for infantry use or possibly sea service?

[Thomas McDonald]

[Thomas McDonald]

A few sale results on the pieces I posted about earlier !

Lot 428 - Sold for £480 plus Premium and tax
Lot 427 - Sold for £3,100 plus Premium and tax
Lot 426 - Sold for £6,000 plus Premium and tax
Lot 420 - Sold for £540 plus Premium and tax (dirk)
Lot 449 - Sold for £750 plus Premium and tax (sporran)

And they finally put up a picture of Lot 430

Lot No: 430 - A basket hilted broadsword
81cm blade, the later black painted hilt composed of rounded bars and pierced plates, (blade inscribed 'Andria Farara'
Sold for £820 plus Premium and tax

Mac

[Jonathan Hopkins]

Thanks for the update, Mac. In other Bonham's news, the catalog for the Bill Guthman Collection auction is up: http://www.bonhams.co.uk/cgi-bin/public.sh/pu...leNo=14627 . There are hunting swords, small swords, sabers, tomahawks, spontoon heads, etc., of both American and European maufacture. This is an important auction of one of the best private collections of arms from the American Revolution.

[Thomas McDonald]

Some interesting baskethilts & dirks for sale, as well as other great A&A, in the upcoming auctions at Bonhams !

Bonhams; San Francisco, 15 May 2007


Recent auction @ Bonhams Knightsbridge, UK, 30 Nov 2006

Lot No: 184
A Scottish Basket-Hilted Broadsword
The Hilt By John Simpson The Younger Of Glasgow, Early 18th Century
With flattened tapering blade incised with running wolf mark on each side, and stamped 'Andria Ferara' twice between sickle, star and cross marks within the shallow fuller along each side of the forte, iron guard of fluted bars of rectangular section involving finely fretted fluted panels pierced with stylised hearts, the central panel centred on a pierced quatrefoil, and with an oval aperture for the reins, rear quillon incised 'I.' (illegible) over 'G' and with scrolled wrist-guard, associated conical pommel and button, and later spirally-grooved wooden grip (pitted overall)
87.8 cm. blade

Sold for £4,200 plus Premium and tax
Footnote:
John Simpson the Younger was admitted to the Incorporation of Hammermen in 1711 and was dead by 1749. For another example with clearly defined maker's mark see Christie's London, Antique Arms and Armour Including Property from the W. Keith Neal and Albert Littler Collections, 18 July 2002, lot 277

Lot No: 185
A Scottish Basket-Hilted Backsword
The Hilt By John Simpson The Younger Of Glasgow, Early 18th Century
With associated tapering blade double-edged over half its length and with central fuller over its entire length on each side with a narrow fuller bordering it along the back in front of the forte, iron guard of fluted bars of rectangular section involving finely fretted incised panels pierced with circles and stylised hearts, one side panel numbered '2' over '3' at the base, the central panel centred on a pierced quatrefoil, and with an oval aperture for the reins and stamped 'Legoni R', rear quillon stamped 'I.S' over 'G' and with small scrolled wrist-guard, fluted conical pommel with button finial, fishskin-covered grip bound with twisted brass wire, and leather liner (some rust patination overall)
79.1 cm. blade

Sold for £9,800 plus Premium and tax
Footnote:
Exhibited:
The Swords and the Sorrows, Culloden Commemorative Exhibition, Culloden, 16 April-20 September 1996

Literature:
The Swords and the Sorrows, exhibition catalogue, cat. no. 1:7, p. 28 (illustrated)

See footnote to preceding lot