Major sale of arms and armoury from single collection to take place in late March

A major auction of arms and armour hailing from a single, private collection that has up until now been housed at the Stratford Armouries Civil War Museum is set to take place on Saturday, 28th March 2015.

The on-site auction marks a change of direction for the museum which, located on the former WWII RAF Snitterfield airfield on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon, will retain its significant collection of items relating to the English Civil War, First and Second World Wars and re-focus its objective to tell the story of these three major historic conflicts.

West Midlands auction house Cuttlestones will handle the sale, which will include lots derived primarily from arms and armour spanning various periods and continents. Items set to come under the hammer include an important 19th Century horse armour complete with knight in full suit of armour, which was once exhibited at the New York Metropolitan museum and is expected to achieve in the region of £30,000-40,000.

Other lots of particular interest include a battery of Walker & Co 32 powder cannon dated 1834 carrying an estimate of £20,000-40,000; a rare English Civil war period siege helmet estimated at £2,000-4,000; a rock crystal hilted dagger, believed to have been the property of T E Lawrence – otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia – with a guide price of £2,000-3,000; a 17th Century Chinese bronze breech loading Lantaka cannon guided at £4,000-6,000 and a full size oak carved figure of a man in Maximilian armour, dating early 16th century, which is also expected to fetch £4,000-6,000.

This, however, barely scratches the surface of a hugely diverse catalogue of some 600 lots, as MD and Head Auctioneer of Cuttlestones Auctioneers and Valuers, Ben Gamble, explains:
“The diversity of the collection really is astonishing – there’s everything from tribal and oriental armour through to medieval suits of armour, heavy artillery, game taxidermy, naval interest, and even a few items connected to Shakespeare. In short, it really is a once-in-a-lifetime sale of items that will really get specialist collectors hot under the collar. The fact that the items hail from a single, private collection and have been housed in a museum for several years – added to the rarity of many – will mean that global buyers will be out in force, and we fully expect the telephone lines and live internet bidding facility to be incredibly busy.”

The auction will take place on Saturday, 28th March at the Stratford Armouries museum, with viewing taking place for three full days prior to the sale.

The full catalogue will be available to view online at www.cuttlestones.co.uk from the beginning of March; with commission, telephone and live online bidding options for those unable to attend the sale in person.

For more information, call Cuttlestones on 01785 714905.