BONHAMS TO SELL STUNNING COLLECTION OF MILITARY HELMETS WORTH £50,000
The Bonhams Arms and Armour sale tomorrow (Wednesday 24th April) will feature a collection of 22 military helmets, which come from a private collector and are estimated to fetch up to £50,000 in total. The group of helmets has been carefully acquired by the present owner over a number of years.
The regiments of the British Army which are represented in the collection include The Queen’s Lancers, The City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) and The Dragoon Guards.
Amongst highlights from the collection is a rare 1865 pattern full dress cap, once the property H.C.L Howard, who served as part of the 16th The Queens Lancers, a cavalry regiment in the British Army which took part in the First World War. It is estimated to sell for between £2,500 and £3,000.
The Antique Arms and Armour sale, to be held at Bonhams Knightsbridge, brings together a large and varied selection of antique firearms and other weapons from across four centuries.
Another significant lot featured in the auction is a pair of silver-mounted Flintlock Holster pistols, by the famous maker Griffin. Bearing London silver hallmarks for 1750, the pistols once formed part of the world-famous collection of the late W. Keith Neal, who is considered to be the most important collector of antique firearms of the 20th century. They are expected to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000, and it is of interest to note that a similar pair of pistols is currently exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.
