Brian Wolfe

Hello Leo, Many thanks for the information; you have made my day. I'd as much as given up finding any additional information on the shorter example. I still have the swords and will probably have them, and the rest of the collection, until they put me in the cold, cold ground so this information is not "late" in the least. Thanks again for this invaluable information, it is greatly appreciated. Regards Brian

Very nice and well worth the worry and wait. Thanks for posting this. Regards Brian

Hello fellow Japanese militaria collectors, I have moved this post from the Military Hardware section to here with the hope that there will be some interet in the subject here and comments might be made. After a time I will probbaly move it back to the Military Hardware Section under Edged Weapons as a permenent home for the post. Until then please feel free to comment and assist Mickey with any information you might have. Regards Brian

Priceless "scrap" that is. Very interesting artifacts, thank you for posting this piece (or pieces) of history. Regards Brian

Hi Tim, Sorry to hear that you didn't end up with the tipstaff but that's the nature of auctions. As to how much would I have gone up to, that's a little hard to say in that it is somewhat of a confession to have to admit. I don't collect with "investment" in mind so if I am really interested in an item I tend to bid well above market in order to secure it. To be honest, in this case I would have posted a snipe in the last 5 seconds (my usual trick) at £500. As Mervyn has stated these are worth in the neighbourhood of £400. I'm at the point in my collecting where missing out on a specimen is not the end of the world so no problems in not obtaining this one. It was more important to give a fellow member a chance to add it to his collection than to add it to mine. As an example, there was an India General Service Medal offered a few months ago with the Abor bar which I had never been able to obtain. These usually sell for around $300. when you can find them, which is not often. With 5 seconds to go in the auction I slapped down $800. to assue my success, needless to say it is now in my collection and it cost me just under the market value...go figure. To para-phrase Sun T'su, never go to "war" unless you have enough resources to assure a victory. Good luck on your future collecting. Regards Brian

Hi Tim, Welcome to the GMIC. Very nice tipstaff, I've been following this one myself. In keeping with my own policy of not knowingly bidding against another member I'm out. In my opinion, if you can get this either for the opening bid or a bit hight it will be a good buy. Please post the results and I hope your new tipstaff when you win the bid. Regards Brian

Always a pleasure to assist. Even better when, like your post, it prompts me to review the Japanese swords in my own collection. Regards Brian

Hi Mickey, What you have is an WWII officer's sword (shin-gunto). The tassel loop (saru-te) is not a common one but at the same time not as rare as some dealers would have you think as they try to squeeze every dollar possible out of a collector . Certainly this was not the case here as $100.00 is a good buy any time. As has been stated you should take the hamdle off, by removing the bamboo pin to see if it is signed or not. If it is signed DO NOT remove the rust as this will make the whole sword worthless to a serious collector. Rust on the tang of the blade is considered to be part of the sword and sometimes this rust can be tested to tell you more about where it was made and more importantly dating when it was made. Also the file marks left on the tang, on purpose, can tell a story as well. You must be careful when purchasing these as the Chinese are making very good copies and even "ageing" them to look antique. Yours look good but I would like to see photos of the blade and the tang if possible. By the way, you have the sword mounted up side down, the blade's edge should always be on the up side. Sword handle should be to the left when dislayed, unless you are expecting to have to defend the home, in which case the handle is to the right. Displaying the sword handle right is not polite and tells visitors that they may not be all that welcome in your home. Mine are all displayed handle right so you know how many people are welcomed into my study. Thank you for posting your new addition and I hope to see more Japanese items from your collection in the future. Regards Brian

Hi James, A nice bit of research you've done and the first time I've seen this medal makes this a very interesting post. Peter, Thanks for posting the additional information. We don't get the most activity in the section but when we do it is often very worth while. Regards Brian

Here's a photo of the one in my collection. Regards Brian

Hi Robin, I have one just like yours and Mervyn identified it as Victorian c.1850 and having been used by an Inspector. It is hard to tell from the photo but mine may have a bit smaller handle. Mervyn, what do you think? Regards Brian

Hello Odulf, I like these types of questions bacause they give me a reason to go through my reference books yet another time. I am sorry to say that this time I could not find a sword like this, however, I cannot find my book on British Naval Swords, so I will keep looking. Perhaps another member with more knowledge or better memory as to where they put all of their books will be able to assist you. Regards Brian It looks like Mervyn and I were posting at the same time, I do think the hilt looks British. What do you think Mervyn?

Excellent weapon, thanks for posting it. I had one and let it go, and have regretted it since. Regards Brian

Over the years you've made some very interesting posts, Chris. This has to be one of the best, quite educational. Thank you for taking the time to show it here. Regards Brian

A very nice specimen and the first of these I've seen. Thanks for posting it. Regards Brian

Hello, The Canadian fliers of WWII tended to jokingly called the eagle a "goony bird" which is the other name for an albatross because they felt awkward on the ground, take off was a bitch, but once in the air she ( the aircraft ) became a thing of beauty. Sadly this albatross joke made its way into urban legend slang. I have read this incorrect description in several publications that should have know better. Regards Brian

My area of interest starts with flint locks and ends with percussion, that is to say before cartridge weapons. However, upon looking at this piece I agree with Mervyn and Peter. I did take a look through some of my books that deal with match locks but to no great detail as they feature guns from the areas of my interest. My books would lead me to this conclusion; if this were on a dealer's table I would pass it by as there is too much about this that says it is a percussion weapon modified to look and perhaps function as a match lock. The trigger is not of the correct period as Peter points out and therefore would not even properly function as a match lock... so please do not test fire it. There are parts, screws included, that would not be found on a weapon made before the 19th cnetury, in my opinion. Regards Brian

Finally that dark decision of 1 February 1968 has been made right. I wish my father could have been here to hear this great news. Many thanks for this post, Frank. Regards Brian

Enhancing Your Collection It’s been a while since I have written and since we last talked I have moved my study and with it the Home Office into new surroundings; same address just a new and better location. This involved new cabinets and displays so it was a lengthy process. In addition to this I decided to retire from public service and the past six months has been spent attempting to wrap up my projects. Although to get them all completed would take another two years as new road connections through forests are limited by budget and in our country a short construction season. Still all has finally come to pass with a few more touches to the study and the unfinished work projects in the capable hands of my replacement I am free to do what I want to do with rest of my life. Reading the posts on the GMIC lately I noticed one by Robin talking about the addition of a new Crimea Medal, I’m still envious, and in addition to this the addition of a cigarette card of this medal featuring the same bar. I believe Mervyn mentioned that some members are adding cap badges and other insignia to their medals and medal groups. This is something I have been doing for some time now and I wanted to talk about this interesting augmentation to medal collections as well as other military collectables. Below is one drawer of medals where I have added the cap badges to the medals I find myself; or rather catch myself, boring family and friends with my collections and constant droning on about history and this battle and that battle and how the breakdown of diplomacy led to one conflict or another. Most of my medal collection is housed in shallow drawers and if there is one thing I’ve noticed is that the average person’s eyes will start to glaze over after the third, and if I’m lucky, the forth drawer of what is perceived as one medal or group of medals after another with little to no differences. In fact I too start to think that there is a certain monotony about a sizable collection of just about anything after a while. If you are at all like me this “monotony” somehow imparts a warm feeling of comfort and security, as does the knowledge that I am a student, of sorts, of history and how these artefacts are in concert with the events they commemorate. For most of us, we collect for ourselves and not for others, nor do we seek to garner praise for our efforts from the few upon whom we may bestow the honour of viewing our treasures. I suppose that is somewhat a joke in the average person’s opinion as many would think even an hour going over someone’s collection, their passion as it were, to be a total waste of time. However, they are simply members of the great unwashed masses so let’s not give them any more consideration here. I’ve seen several collections where the owner has framed their collection, breaking the medals up into specific themes or a grouping to one recipient. For the most part I really like this, however in my case; wall space is and always has been at a premium. Framed documents and larger photos have always taken precedence in allotting wall space so medals were placed in shallow drawers out of necessity as much as anything else. In this blog I am speaking more about additional items to enhance the experience for someone viewing a collection and even to make it more interesting for the collectors themselves. Some of those additional items could be the cigarette cards mentioned earlier which could be of a soldier in uniform as much as the particular medal. My Bahawalpur collection has a cigarette card featuring a soldier from that country in full uniform, which I think is quite interesting. In addition to this I have added a post card commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1st Bahawalpur Regiment, 1834-1934, and their battle honours. Other additions to collectables, that comes to mind; could be the addition of nipple, or hammer protectors to a black powder rifle or musket, or an authentic muzzle plug for the same type of weapon. A small word of caution here; it might be best not to make the announcement around the water cooler, in the office, that you are awaiting a shipment of vintage nipple protectors. Nasty rumors could be forthcoming. Of course rifle slings either authentic or reproductions dresses up a rifle or musket quite nicely. A discussion on reproductions, “to use or not to use”, is a topic for another time. Examples of additional items for a musket are shown below. The nipple protector and muzzle plug are on an 1853 Enfield and the sling is an original on a Pattern 1842 Brunswick Rifle marked as belonging to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). Swords too have accessories such as wrist straps and sword knots that can be added. Sadly my Japanese sword collection has no such accessories, yet, but who knows, perhaps in the future. The only one with any such strap is missing the all important knot. The British sword shown below, with original leather sword knot, is the Pattern 1895 Infantry Officer’s Sword displaying the cipher of King George V. As always I hope this short dissertation will give the reader pause to think about alternatives to simply adding yet another item to the collection and enhance the specimens you already have. Regards Brian

Hi Mervyn, This is the first one I've seen and I was into collecting bayonets in a big way a number of years past. A very interesting and historic specimen, thanks for posting it. Regards Brian

Hi Robin, I think this is a nice addition to the medals, very nice. I've done similar with uniforms to different regiments over the years. You have given me encouragement to continue do this. Thanks for posting the cards and the medals. Regards Brian

Hear, hear. Regards Brian

This post got me to thinking about the uniforms and even the people depicted in historical paintings that may not be as they were in the day. The one that comes to mind is a painting by Benjamin West in 1770 titled, “The Death of General Wolfe”, which took place on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. This painting hangs in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and has been accepted for years as an accurate depiction of the event. It is so full of errors that it becomes almost laughable, had it not depicted the death of my ancestor (not direct lineage). The other shame is that thousands of visitors to the National Gallery each year go away with the wrong picture in their minds of this part of Canadian history. First the uniforms are said to not be accurate, but I won’t go there as we have those here with much more knowledge than I possess. One of the glairing errors is the inclusion of members of the First Nations. Wolfe neither trusted their First Nation allies nor allowed them in his vicinity. The other factor that would make the Native presence impossible is that Wolfe felt that the war was a white man’s war and should not include the Natives. Before someone jumps in and makes a remark about the use of the term “Natives” it should be noted that members of the Six Nations of the Grand (Grand River) here in my area have two labels for people; Native and non-Native. Some of the other errors are that there were reportedly only three people who attend the General’s death not the crowd seen in the painting. Certainly not the crowd portrayed by West in his painting. I have read that some of the people in the painting were not even at the battle but added later after the fact, even the artist himself may be found in the painting. An earlier painting by Edward Penny in 1763, titled “The Death of General James Wolfe”, is thought to be much more accurate and based on eye witness accounts. Many times portraits were done by sketching an outline of the subject, the face completed on site and then the rest of the uniform, medals and the background finished at a later time, probably in the artist’s studio. All of this makes the reproduction of accurate uniforms a nightmare. My (contemporary) hat is off to any and all who reproduce these garments, you are true artists. Regards Brian

Ah, Jack Sparrow and Bond,James Bond have one thing in common; neither one would last very long in the real world. I won't go on with that line of thinking here as it would be well off topic. It is interesting how poeple read something, or see a picture of, say, a uniform in a book, and then decide that is the only authentic and acceptable exapmle. This is more of a ramdom comment not based on anything that has been said here, but rather to set the stage for my short story about the only uniform piece I have in the collection. A friend of mine in Australia once sent be a Mess Jacket that was worn by a British Lt. Col. of Her Majesty's Indian Army in the early 1890s. It really is a nice jacket and I purchased a torso manequin and mounted it along with a tuxedo dress shirt similar to a periond one. I am now in the process of completeing this display by having what was called a Kammerbund made from a black dress-vest. This looked like the bottom of a vest that was made into a cummerbund with two pockets. I have a period pocket watch, chain and fob as well, all of which will be on the display. After I had mounted the shirt and jacket a local "expert" on anything military, well, infact an expert on just about anything and every thing imaginable was visiting with his wife; she was a friend of my wife so I pretty well had to put up with her husband. The conversation came around regarding the jacket and I reluctantly showed him the display, as it was at that time. He took one look and proclaimed that this was totally wrong and that jacket would never have been worn by a British Officer in the Indian Army let alone by a Lt. Col. All I said was something to the effect that his comment was interesting and that I would take it under advisement. What he didn't know was that with the jacket came the officers "papers" and the final nail in this visitor's coffin, so-to-speak, that made him out the fool I knew him to be was that the jacket has the officer's name on the inside. That's my unform story for what it's worth. Regards Brian

Hi Robin, Like you I've wanted one of these for a long time as well, I'm glad you were able to obtain it. Well done. Regards Brian