Big Four at Hermann Historica

The end of January and start of February sees four militaria auctions at the European auction house. There’s Antique Arms and Armour on 31 Jan, Fine Antique and Modern Firearms on 1 Feb, Orders and Military Collectibles until 1918 on 2 Feb and Orders & Military Collectibles from 1919 on 3 Feb. Let’s get things started with the Firearms auction and an Ottoman blunderbuss pistol from the first half of the 19th century. It has a Damascus barrel widened in the form of a funnel at the muzzle, upper side decorated with rich silver ornaments. The flintlock is decorated en suite but the lock mechanism is defective, battery missing. Half stock with full bone and brass wire inlays and silver furniture in relief, stamped on the trigger plate. Length 45cm. Starting price is €300 (BP is 25%).

Next we have a Miquelet pistol with silverstock, Ottoman Empire, Albanian c. 1850. It is octagonal, merging into round 330mm barrel with a smooth bore in 17mm calibre. Heavily rubbed barrel surface with unidentifiable mark. Iron miquelet lock. A screw is missing. Solid silver shaft, approximately 500g. The shaft is elaborately decorated or engraved over the entire surface. Mechanically fine. Length 51 cm. Bids start at €720.

This looks like it could pack a punch if you got too close, it’s an Afghan flintlock blunderbuss, 19th century. It has an older barrel, widened in a funnel shape towards the muzzle, elaborately cut in the muzzle area and above the chamber. Flintlock, crown emblem on the lock plate and pseudo-manufacturer, lock gear defective. Smooth full stock with rich bone inlays, brass furniture and iron barrel ring. Iron parts pitted, signs of age and wear. Length 98cm. Get bidding at €300.

Here's something you don’t see every day, it’s an Indonesian Lantaka, 18th/19th century. It’s one-piece, cast bronze with beautiful age patina. Stepped barrel with a flared, curved muzzle and a smooth bore in 27mm calibre. Lateral cradle with bronze support fork. Typical finely reliefed serrated decoration, rear sight next to the ignition hole. Short, slightly conical socket for inserting a wooden handle. Length 113cm. Bids start at €900.

A nice pair of flintlock pistols by Devillers in Liege, c. 1750, now. They feature octagonal and finely cut smooth barrels in 16mm calibre, merging into round after the baluster, silver front sights on the upper side. Smooth flintlocks, signed ‘H. Devillers’ on the lower bevel of the lock plates. Beautifully grained, slightly carved full stocks, brass furniture in relief decorated with grotesque mascarons. Length each 39cm. Bids get going at €2,000 for the pair.

Now let’s move ahead a couple of days to the post-1919 Orders auction on 3 Feb. Here’s a German steel helmet M35 with winter camouflage painting and Belgian emblem. It features a steel shell with ventilation rivets, rusty/pitted with white paint, Belgian flag painted on the front, complete leather lining and uncut chin strap. Clear signs of wear and age. Bids start at €1,500.

Then there’s an interesting knife of the Bulgarian youth organisation, Bannik Youth. The design corresponds to that of the HJ flight knife. The blade with Cyrillic currency etching and ‘rs’ manufacturer logo. The riveted, checkered black plastic grip panels have an inlaid coat of arms ‘B’. The iron scabbard with remains of the black paintwork and riveted leather loop. Length 25cm. Visible signs of wear and age. Bids start at €400.

The next item is one of those that surely should be in a museum as it’s a brochure entitled, The Wandering Jew and as such it propagates the vile Nazi racist doctrine of anti-semitism. It’s an illustrated pamphlet by Hans Diebow, 128 pages from Verlag Franz Eher Nachfahren, Munich 1937. Not in great condition, tattered, missing parts, the spine reinforced with adhesive tape and reduced in section to approximately 23.5cm x 17.5cm. It comes with a usage warning, ie for educational or current affairs only, but how strictly that is enforced remains to be seen. Bids start at €200.

Onto a signed postcard on the occasion of Edda Göring’s birth in June 1938. Features Field Marshal Hermnn Göring with his wife and little daughter. Göring in white GFM uniform, Emmy holding little Edda in her arms. Autograph ink autograph of Göring's ‘Best regards Hermann Göring’ and Emmy's addition ‘Emmy Göring and Klein Edda - June 1938’. Nice condition, bids start at €350.

Sticking with the NSDAP upper echelons, the final item here is a personal powder box of Eva Braun. Made from glass with a silver lid, engraved with the monogram ‘EB, hallmark ‘835’ and struck on the side with maker's mark ‘W F.B.’. Diameter is 9cm, silver weight 37.24g.

Provenance, because you surely need it for something like this, is her sister, Ilse Braun (1908-1979) who left to her best friend after her death. There is also a private photo with mother Franziska Braun, and sisters Ilse and Gretl, taken at Gretl Braun's second wedding to Kurt Berlinghoff in 1954. Bids start at €1,000. ■