LONDON.- Thomas Del Mar’s forthcoming sale of Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria which will be held on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at
Olympia Auctions, 25 Blythe Road, London W14 will include 56 lots from the Bernard Dickens Collection of fine English firearms with an estimate in the region of £150,000. This is one of several collections in the sale.
As Auctioneer and Expert in Charge Thomas Del Mar said: “This remarkable collection has been assembled over half a century and includes firearms by some of the leading British makers from the golden age of gun making. Bernard’s attention to quality and condition is evident throughout, presenting an opportunity to acquire fine pieces which will appeal to the discerning collector as well as those with an interest in the applied arts of the 18th and 19th centuries.”
Bernard Dickens, who lives in Somerset, started collecting over 50 years ago. He commented: “From early boyhood I have been fascinated by the technical development and aesthetics of muzzle-loading firearms. These were the days when local antique shops were selling flintlock long arms from a basket at a 'fiver' each, and pocket money was as much as half a crown. In adolescence, I began reading the works of the relatively few authors, many of whom were also collectors, and from them I learned the importance of provenance as well as rarity of particular systems and their significance to the development of the craft. My research into a number of areas within this field led to greater discernment when purchasing and in the consequent quality of the collection. Over nearly fifty years I have derived much pleasure from these pieces; it is with reluctance and sadness that I have decided to offer it for sale, and I hope others will now share the pleasure it has brought me and continue the tradition of care and custodianship of these fine artefacts.”
Among the highlights is a fine and rare 10-bore flintlock duck gun by London-maker James Barbar dating from circa 1755 and almost certainly made for William Constable (1721-91) of Burton Constable. An invoice from James Barbar of 1755/56 survives for three ‘very large bore steel mounted’ William Constable guns at £8.13.0 each and it seems likely this gun is one of them. It is estimated at £7,000-9,000 [lot 394]. The Collection also includes two examples by the highly desirable London- maker Durs Egg. Durs Egg, the son of the gunmaker Leonz, was born in Switzerland in 1748. After a short stay in Paris, he came to London and worked for John Twigg at 132 Strand. He was gunmaker to George IV and the Duke of York. He became blind in 1822 and died in 1831. A silver-mounted breech- loading Ferguson rifle by this maker is preserved in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. A fine cased pair of 36 bore flintlock duelling pistols with the London proof marks for circa 1816-20 carry an estimate of £14,000-18,000 [lot 421], while a fine cased pair of 32 bore flintlock duelling pistols with London proof marks and dating from circa 1790 are estimated at £8,000-12,000 [lot 422].
Also of note is a pair of 28 bore silver-mounted flintlock rifled target holster pistols by Harvey Walklate Mortimer, London, gunmaker to His Majesty with London proof and silver hallmarks for 1788, and makers mark of Michael Barnett. Harvey Walklate Mortimer (1753-1819) was appointed Gunmaker to George III, 1783, contractor to the East India Company, 1796 – 1806, and specialised in repeating pistols and gold-mounted guns for the Eastern market. He advertised “For the Inspection of the Curious, just finished, Three Pair of Elegant Pistols, mounted in solid gold value 547£ intended as a present to a foreign Prince”, in the Morning Herald, 20th August 1784. He made gold mounted firearms set with diamonds for the U.S. Government as presents for Bey of Tunis, 1801–2. They are estimated at £6,000-8,000 [lot 417].
An unusual pair of 22 bore silver-mounted flintlock duelling pistols with brass barrels by Samuel Brunn of 55 Charing Cross, London, with London proof marks and London silver hallmarks for 1797 with makers mark of Michael Barnett is estimated at £5,000-8,000 [lot 420].
More than 100 lots from the third part of the Roy Elvis Collection of Indian Arms & Armour will be offered. Notable highlights include a highly late 18th/19th century decorated North Indian sword otherwise known as a Talwar, with gold-encrusted gem-set hilt that carries an estimate of £5,000-7,000
[lot 18], while a rare 17th century South Indian mail and plate shirt, that probably originated from either Hyderabad or Golconda is estimated at £2,500-3,500 [lot 83].
The auction will include more than 87 archers rings from the collection of a distinguished scholar and collector. One of the most interesting is a fine late 17th/18th century Indian gold and gem-set jade archer's ring that is expected to fetch £2,000-3,000 [lot 136].
16 lots from the second part of the David Hayden-Wright Collection include an exceptional gold and gilt-brass mounted miniature penkife for Royal Presentation by Joseph Rodgers & Sons of Sheffield dating from the third quarter of the 19th century. The penknife has an “A” beneath a British Royal coronet which suggests that it was a presentation piece by the makers to one of Queen Victoria’s children: Princess Alice (1843-78), Prince Alfred (1844-1900) or Prince Arthur (1850-1942). Comprising over forty-eight folding blades and accessories including a saw, corkscrew, fork and picks, many are signed and some elements are in gold, it is estimated at £3,500-5,000 [lot 230].
