Midlands-based auction house Biddle & Webb is about to sell
one of the most extensive collections of militaria, so expansive
and diverse, that it justifies its own specialist sale.
The 400 plus lots are primarily from the estate of a private
collector, although there are items from other vendors. The
deceased lived within close proximity to the Wolverhampton area,
and was an avid collector of military items from wars spanning
nearly three centuries.
Items in the collection include medals, guns, rifles, pistols as
well as bayonets, knives and machetes dating back to 1850, before
the Zulu wars. There are also albums containing military badges,
buttons and insignia as well as a comprehensive range of
helmets.
The sale takes place on the 30th June and Biddle & Webb's
managing director, Jeremy Thornton is optimistic that it will
generate a lot of interest from collectors worldwide. The trend for
collecting militaria seems to be spreading wider as more items such
as medals and other military paraphernalia are being discovered. Mr
Thornton feels it is to do with a generational change of
attitude.
He said: "Of course after the devastation of the First and
Second World Wars, the people involved just wanted to
'psychologically' bury their painful memories and didn't want to be
reminded of them. I think we can now look back and be proud of our
ancestry who made incredible sacrifices and collecting these items
is a way of commemorating their bravery."
Among the items for sale is an interesting selection of webbing,
which are the fitted pockets used for carrying bullets, knives and
guns and a range of ceremonial German daggers from the Second World
War.
Mr Thornton believes that the unprecedented amount of lots
included in the sale, makes it a fairly unique event. There are
items of interest to suit the avid collector to the experienced
militaria dealer with something for everyone and every budget and
in his experience these sort of items generally appreciate in
value.
He said: "The diversity and volume of the sale items makes it
very special indeed, and in some ways this paraphernalia has helped
to shape British military history.
"What I find particularly interesting and amusing is the amount
of temperance medals included in the collection. Drunkenness among
its soldiers caused a lot of problems for the British Army,
particularly in India where there was a lack of recreation for the
troops when they were not involved in active duty. I was also
staggered as many of these were awarded to female military
personnel."