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HELIOS AUCTIONS: ANTIQUE ARMS, AMOUR, MILITARIA & BOOKS

posted by editor@armsandarmoruauctions.com at 2026-07-06 12:20:00

Helios Auctions conducts its next sale in New York on 26 July. Comprising more than 400 lots, the auction includes antique edged weapons, firearms, rare books and military ephemera spanning the fifteenth through twentieth centuries.
Leading the sale is Lot 409, an exceptionally rare cased Spanish Philippines Governor-General Lefaucheux Model 1854 presentation revolver, serial number 2, richly decorated in gold by Alberdi of Eibar. Estimated at $22,000–27,000, this lavishly embellished revolver represents one of the most important firearms in the auction and should attract collectors of both early cartridge arms and Spanish colonial history.

Equally significant is Lot 408, a rare pair of 18th-century Russian Tula Factory flintlock pistols by Ivan Polin, estimated at $20,000–30,000. Signed arms from the famed Tula Arsenal rarely appear on the market, and this elegant pair ranks among the finest Russian firearms offered at auction this season. Another highlight is Lot 407, a magnificent pair of 19th-century Caucasian silver-mounted flintlock pistols, estimated at $10,000–12,000, showcasing the exceptional metalworking traditions of the Caucasus.

Collectors of Islamic arms are particularly well served. Lot 361, a large 19th-century Ottoman kilij with its original metal-mounted scabbard, carries an estimate of $5,000–6,000 and represents one of the catalogue's premier edged weapons. It is joined by a finely matched pair of silver-mounted Damascus steel Ottoman flintlock pistols (Lot 403), an elegant Ottoman-Balkan silver-mounted flintlock pistol (Lot 410), and an attractive selection of Balkan and Circassian longarms, including a Circassian flintlock rifle (Lot 417), an Ottoman brass-overlaid tufek rifle (Lot 418), and two Albanian Arnautka miquelet-lock rifles (Lots 415 and 416). Indian arms are represented by two eighteenth-century matchlocks, including a gold-inlaid example (Lots 419 and 420).

The sword section ranges across four centuries. Among the most desirable pieces are a scarce Hungarian sabre with Arabic inscription dating to around 1800 (Lot 371), a 17th-century Spanish cup-hilt taza rapier (Lot 369), a rare 16th-century German-hilted sword with bishop's head pommel (Lot 367), and a Napoleonic French An XII Dragoon sword (Lot 372). Sporting and hunting weapons are equally well represented with an Italian hunting sword from the workshop of Anthonio Pichinio (Lot 338), French and German hunting swords, and several finely engraved daggers. Scottish collectors will note an important Highland dress dirk by Wilson & Sharp of Edinburgh (Lot 326), accompanied by its original knife and fork, together with a later regimental dirk by Hawkes & Co. (Lot 327).

Armour forms another notable section of the sale. Highlights include a finely engraved 16th-century Milanese cabasset (Lot 192), a 17th-century Gioco del Ponte helmet from Pisa (Lot 191), an impressive Qajar four-piece chahar-aina armour (Lot 193), and a group of Imperial German cavalry helmets headed by a magnificent Prussian Gardes du Corps officer's helmet (Lot 182). Additional cuirassier helmets and World War II German combat helmets broaden the offering across several collecting fields.

Unusual combination and concealed weapons add further interest, including a Victor Collette gravity-feed pistol (Lot 411), a Morrill, Mosman & Blair Elgin Patent cutlass pistol with sheath (Lot 412), a Beringer rotating breech-loading pistol (Lot 413), concealed firing canes and sword canes, and a substantial Hungarian flanged mace (Lot 354). These uncommon mechanical and hybrid weapons provide an appealing complement to the sale's more traditional military arms.

Click on the image for a link to the sale.