International Military Antiques

08/29/2026

This is an outstanding original Austro-Hungarian WWI spring-handle trench raiding mace directly from the personal collection of David F. Machnicki, author of At Arm's Length: Trench Clubs & Maces, Volume II. A near-identical example is illustrated and described on page 32 of Volume II. A printed copy of the page in Volume II will accompany the mace for reference. The page image is copyrighted material and is reproduced with permission of the author.

Machnicki’s Volume II is a recognized specialist reference devoted specifically to WWI trench clubs and maces. The Australian War Memorial holds a copy of the work in its library collection and catalogs it as a monograph on 20th-century weapons and combat history.

This is one of the most distinctive Austro-Hungarian trench club patterns, featuring a robust pear-shaped iron head mounted on a flexible steel spring handle, with a carefully turned wooden grip and original leather wrist lanyard.

The entry in Volume II reads:

“The trench club (Nahkampfkeule) illustrated above is of similar design to the example discussed on the preceding page. This club has a length of approximately 436mm and a mass of 699 grams. Its pear-shaped iron head is mounted atop a 14mm diameter steel spring handle. This flexible steel spring passes completely through the wood grip and was anchored by an 8-millimeter thick convex pommel cap to the base of its grip. The varnished wood grip exhibits a graceful design to its construction. The top of the grip begins smoothly and then tapers quickly to form the center double convex section having 21 regularly spaced, 0.5mm-deep grooves turned about its circumference. Located at the bottom of the grip is an egg-shaped pommel bearing a 9.0-mm wide groove within which a leather lanyard has been wrapped and affixed by a double-rivet. There is a 19-mm long disk-shaped steel ferrule “pressure fitted” atop the grip, which was designed to strengthen and protect the junction for the steel spring and the wood grip. A 23mm diameter steel cap covers the rounded heel for the pommel and may double as a “skull-cracker”. The trench club has no known manufacturer’s markings.

This example is very similar to the example in Volume II, with some minor differences. The grip has 25 regularly spaced grooves instead of 21, and the leather lanyard is stitched closed rather than using rivets.

This example has a small crack on both sides of the rivet in the grip, so caution should be used when handling this mace. There are also some very minor woodworm holes in the grip, only about 4. The mace measures roughly 16 ⅞” long.

A version of this distinctive spring-handle Austro-Hungarian trench mace also appears among the melee weapons in the WWI video game Battlefield 1, where an “Austrian Trench Mace” is one of the first melee weapons offered to the player.

08/29/2026

This is an outstanding original British WWII Supermarine Spitfire spade grip control-column assembly, clearly stamped AH8068 and now mounted on a wooden display base with a small Spitfire model attached at the front. The AH8068 grip is a well-documented Dunlop pattern associated with cannon-armed Spitfires and Seafires, incorporating the distinctive selective firing control that allowed the pilot to operate the cannon and machine guns from the control-column grip. This example retains its original brake lever and substantial portions of the original grip covering, while the firing-button assembly is incomplete and some wiring has been cut.

The control stick is stamped under the yoke:

AH8068
S11E-7

This is the earliest production model of the Spitfire spade grip to be fitted with the twin rocker cannon and machine gun-firing button. This model of grip was fitted to the Seafire along with the Spitfire Mks I B, II B, VB, VC, F.VI, VII, VIII, FIX, FXII, and FXXI. There are a few other small inspection stamps and other small markings in spots across the grip assembly.

This example is in great original condition although the leather wrapping is now a bit deteriorated with some material loss and cracking as shown. The original firing button is missing the front cover with the button itself, and now shows the inner workings of the small switch underneath the button. The original brake lever is still attached as well, with its spring now not connected to anything.

There is still some cut wiring coming out of the bottom of the grip as shown, and it is mounted onto a correctly-styled mount that is identical to where it would’ve attached on the plane. This piece was then screwed onto the wooden base.

The display measures roughly 16 ¼” tall, with the ovular base measuring 8 ½ x 11 ½”. There is a small Maisto model of the Spitfire aircraft attached to the base.

08/28/2026

This is an exceptionally scarce grouping of original and later veteran material connected with Cuban Assault Brigade 2506 and the April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, highlighted by a remarkable camouflage uniform fragment personally inscribed by Brigade veteran Mario Medina Castillo, No. 4012, 5th Battalion, on May 26, 1961 in Havana. An April 25th, 1961 newspaper article identifies Castillo as a captured Brigade member being held in Cuba during April 1961, making this dedication a personal artifact written during his captivity following the failed invasion. Also included are an original 1st Parachute Battalion insignia mounted on uniform cloth, an early Brigade 2506 scroll, later veteran insignia, and an unusual Cuban patriotic ribbon assemblage.

This group came from the collection of military historian and writer Alejandro de Quesada, who collected a myriad of very niche and scarce conflicts & periods, one of which is the Bay of Pigs. His published works include the extensively illustrated Osprey study The Bay of Pigs: Cuba 1961.

De Quesada’s book draws upon Brigade veteran material and includes detailed treatment of the uniforms, insignia, equipment, and organization of Assault Brigade 2506. Osprey specifically notes the use of rare photographs from Brigade veterans and detailed color plates of the insignia worn by the opposing forces.

The lot of items include:

- Original 1st Parachute Battalion, Brigade 2506 patch depicting black bird’s head in front of parachute surrounded by laurels and CUBA at the top, stitched onto uniform fabric.
- Original Brigade 2506 scroll with later Veteran’s patch. The scroll or “rocker” is yellow with a blue border and letters, reading 2506. This is the correct earlier variation worn during the operation. The loose patch showing a Cuban flag in front of a cross is a later veteran’s patch.
- Veteran’s 2506 Patch & 2506 scroll sewn onto uniform fabric. These are both later veteran-worn patches.
- Red, white, and blue (Cuban flag) ribbon reading CON LA CRUZ POR DIOS Y POR CUBA or With the Cross, for God and for Cuba. Attached at one end by safety pin is a strip of camouflage fabric, likely from a parachute, and the other end has a smaller ribbon attached which is inscribed “Penlierto Sorria Rolando tara” although it is difficult to transcribe due to it being hand-written. The end of the long ribbon itself is inscribed 29. This may have been worn by a soldier during the operation!
- Lastly is a strip of camouflage uniform fabric measuring 6 ½ x 8 ½”, which is inscribed on one side:

HABANA - MAYO 26 - 1961
DEDICADO A HILARIA Y
ELLSWORTH
MARIO MEDINA CASTILLO
NO. 4012
COMPANIA “Q”
BATTALON 5
BRIGADA “2506”
LUGAR DE DESEMBARCO =
(BAHIA DE COCHINOS
MATANZAS
FECHA - 17 ABRIL 1961
10 A.M
POSICIÓN = (FUSILERO GRANADERO)
CON CARINO = Mario

HAVANA - MAY 26, 1961
DEDICATED TO HILARIA AND
ELLSWORTH
MARIO MEDINA CASTILLO
NO. 4012
COMPANY “Q”
BATTALION 5
BRIGADE “2506”
LANDING SITE =
(BAY OF PIGS
MATANZAS
DATE - APRIL 17, 1961
10 A.M.
POSITION = (RIFLEMAN-GRENADIER)
WITH LOVE = Mario

This is a dedication made by Mario Medina Castillo, who served as a Grenadier Rifleman, Company Q, 5th Battalion, Brigade 2506, landing on the Bay of Pigs at 10AM on April 17th, 1962. We can only assume that this was made when he was a prisoner of war after being captured. We were able to find on an archival website that Medina was confirmed as a member of the brigade in a publication called "Cuba Democratica", which contains lists of 2506 personnel at Finca Homestead, Navy, UDT units, and a general list of Bay of Pigs participants. In newspapers, we found that in April 1961, Castillo was listed as a rebel prisoner being held in Cuba. We are hopeful that he was eventually released, but we could find no information confirming this. This small strip of cloth is a dedication made by a man who wasn’t sure if he would ever be released, and is worthy of being professionally framed and displayed.

08/26/2026

This is a partially complete original U.S. WWII Army Air Forces Type C-1 Emergency Sustenance Vest retaining a substantial assortment of its original or period-correct survival contents. Designed for aircrew forced down in remote areas, the C-1 combined a one-size adjustable olive drab vest with a network of specifically designated pockets for food, signaling equipment, first aid items, tools, water storage, protective clothing, and other survival necessities. This example retains its full manufacturer label identifying Sears, Roebuck and Co. of Philadelphia with manufacture by Reliance Mfg. Co. of Chicago, together with many of the kit items that would originally have been carried in the vest.

The C1 was issued in one size but was adjustable through three ties at the back and was intended to be worn under the mae west life vest, body armor and the parachute harness, but over the uniform and A2 leather jacket. This however, proved to be too cumbersome when worn in some theaters of operation when all the survival equipment was carried so a modified musette bag that attached to the parachute harness upon bailout was developed. After landing, the crew member could then remove and wear the vest.

This is a very good partially complete example of the C-1 survival vest, with many of the pockets filled with the correct contents. The original data tag is retained inside, reading:

VEST, EMERGENCY SUSTENANCE
TYPE C-1
SPEC. NO. 3206
ORDER NO. W33-038-AC 6640
SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
MFD. BY RELIANCE MFG. CO. CHICAGO, ILL.
PROPERTY A.F. U.S. ARMY

Contents are the C1 vest varied on area of deployment. These are the contents of this vest:

- Waterproof match case with compass in original box, contract dated March 1944.
- Fishing kit, in this case two sealed packs are included with the side showing the interior FISHING INSTRUCTIONS.
- Two bladed 5 inch knife, in this case a Navy Pilot "Big Jack" Survival Knife by Colonial Knife Co., one grip is a bit loose.
- ESM-2 signalling mirror in original sleeve.
- Five minute signaling flares, in this case two “5 MIN. RED FUSEE”, both sealed.
- Waterproof plastic pistol cover
- Reversible yellow safety cloth hat
- Survival manual
- Spit assembly in box.
-Gaff hook assembly in small tin.
- Plastic three pint water bladder
- Instruction/contents manual
- Carlisle Model Bandage, sealed.
- Pack of Toilet Paper

The set is missing the First Aid Kit, the pistol cartridges, the insect repellent, the emergency parachute ration, the sharpening stone, the Type D-3 leather gloves and inserts, the mosquito head net, and the Type H01 folding sun goggles.

08/25/2026

Just Dropped! Listen to IMA's Ceo Alex Cranmer on the Orvis Podcast.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NBZnTAyp10s5j18M8h2uU?si=SOQdRiybTzSsOHJnWD-zxQ&utm_source=copy-link

The Orvis Hunting and Shooting Podcast · Episode

08/24/2026

This is an outstanding post-Civil War Model 1860 Staff & Field Officer’s Sword manufactured or retailed by J.A. Joel & Co. of New York with a German-made blade, formally presented on May 19th, 1903 to Past Commander Pascal T. Hubbard of C.D. McKenzie Post No. 399, Grand Army of the Republic. The nickel-plated scabbard carries a full presentation inscription naming Hubbard and the post, and the provenance is strengthened considerably by a period newspaper account describing the presentation of a sword and belt to Hubbard by his comrades, reading:

C.D. Mackenzie Post No. 399 at its encampment on Tuesday evening, presented to Past Commander Pascal T. Hubbard a handsome sword and belt. Past Commander John R. Kimball made the presentation address. Comrade Hubbard was the first commander of Mackenzie Post and has long been a faithful and efficient Grand Army worker.

Hubbard was in the 2nd Connecticut Regiment during the war. According to another article, “Hubbard claims the distinguished honor of being the first man of the Union Army to cross onto the sacred soil of Virginia. This came about because the 2nd Regiment was in Keyes’ Brigade, which was the first in the division, and, as Hubbard was orderly sergeant, he was the first man to cross.”

08/22/2026

This is an exceptional identified Vietnam War U.S. Marine Corps Mameluke officer’s sword belonging to First Lieutenant Alfred Bayard Russ, an infantry officer with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, who was killed in action in Quang Tri Province on January 13th, 1968. His name, Alfred B. Russ, is etched directly into the blade. The sword retains its ivoroid grip scales, officer’s sword knot, stainless steel etched blade, and complete scabbard, and remains in excellent overall condition.

Russ served in Vietnam with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. On January 13th, 1968, Company I personnel were providing security for an engineer convoy on Highway 9 near Ca Lu Airfield in Quang Tri Province when the force came under a major enemy ambush involving mortar and small-arms fire. During the action, vehicles carrying ammunition were hit and explosions followed. Russ was killed by fragmentation wounds caused by a hostile explosive device.

The sword has developed a gorgeous patina over the years. The Mameluke sword is a very iconic edged weapon with roots in the Marine Corps going back 219 years to the First Barbary War. This example is etched on the blade with Alfred B. Russ, for Lieutenant Alfred Bayard Russ, who was KIA on January 13th, 1968.

The blade is stainless steel and has been etched on both sides with UNITED STATES MARINES along with the name Alfred B. Russ and various other military motifs, including the "Eagle, Globe, and Anchor" emblem of the U.S. Marine corps. The spine is etched with USMC SERIAL NO. 323, something we have never seen before. The front spine is etched GERMANY, so this is a German-made blade. The ricasso is marked with:

STAINLESS
HH
TRADEMARK
HILBORN
HAMBURGER
INC.
NEW YORK

MADE IN
SOLINGEN
GERMANY

These markings identify the sword as a Solingen-manufactured blade retailed in the United States by Hilborn-Hamburger Inc. of New York, a firm well known for military uniform accessories and ceremonial swords during the mid-20th century.

Overall condition is great, without any serious wear. Scabbard is in very good condition, with both of the original hanger rings, as well as the brass throat. The knot loops through the hole on the pommel and is in overall great shape with some minor wear, though it should be handled carefully as it is fragile leather.

Alfred Bayard Russ was a native of Ridgewood, New Jersey. He went to schools in Andover, Massachusetts, and Middlebury, Vermont. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966 and had been in Vietnam for a year. He was enrolled in the USMC Platoon Leader program at his college and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation. He had been at the front for only two weeks as executive officer of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment. Lt. Russ requested combat duty after having served several months with a Military Police unit outside of Da Nang.

08/22/2026

This is a heavily service-worn M1878 canteen with a tremendous story hidden behind over a century of wear. One side depicts the faint stencil USMC under an inscription, “U.S.S. Rainbow”. The other side is inscribed with a now-stained travel diary with locations such as Olongapo, Cavite, Woo Sun, “Wai Hail Wal”, and Guam. The combination of information provided leads to one conclusion. This canteen was carried by a U.S. Marine sent aboard the USS Rainbow to Wusong, China in October 1911 to help protect American nationals from imminent dangers of the revolutionary turmoil in China.

USS Rainbow was serving with the U.S. Asiatic Fleet during the upheaval that accompanied the fall of China's Qing dynasty. On October 26th, 1911, she departed Cavite in the Philippine Islands carrying a Marine expeditionary force. Those Marines were landed at Wusong, near Shanghai, on October 31st and November 1st to help protect American nationals from the dangers created by the rapidly developing revolution.

On November 1st, 1911, Rainbow became the temporary flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet. She subsequently cruised along the China coast as American naval forces monitored conditions affecting U.S. citizens and interests at ports including Shanghai, Wusong, Nanjing, Amoy, Shantou, Qingdao, and Taku.

On 10 October 1911, almost by accident, a local revolt began in the southern part of the country and rapidly gained momentum spreading north toward the capital. Within days of the revolt (Oct 24th) a Marine battalion of 15 officers and 362 men came up from the Philippines, under the command of Maj Philip Bannon, to reinforce the Marine Guard. And again on 7 Dec an additional company out of the PI went to Peking. By January 1912 the rebellion moved closer to the capital. Washington fearing increased anti-foreign behavior sent the Army's 15th Infantry over from the PI and the states to wait in readiness in the coastal city of Tientsin should they be needed to fight their way to the legation.

The canteen cover itself is faintly stamped near the bottom RIA / 1900 for 1900 manufacture at Rock Island Arsenal. Attached to the hooks is an M-1902 Canteen Adapter dated 1904 by Rock Island Arsenal. The hooks have been crimped to keep the adapter in place, and it shares the same heavy rust staining and degradation to the canvas as the canteen. The back of the canteen has the heaviest oxidation staining damage which has unfortunately covered much of the travel diary, with several lines now unreadable. The canteen is stenciled in the center of this side with I 25 82, likely a rack or roster number. We could not find a name for the Marine anywhere on the canteen.

08/19/2026

This is an outstanding and scarce George VI-era example of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal with a 35-year clasp, named via stamping on the rim with W.G. KERR, for William G. Kerr of Ottawa. The medal has the George VI front with the George V rear, and only 384 were issued during this period. From our research, we found that Kerr spent a great deal of time serving in the Canadian Arctic North, earning the title “Mountie” in a 1931 newspaper article. The article discusses how he is finally home in Ottawa after 36 months at lonely police posts keeping watch and ward over the aboriginal inhabitants of the country. The article reads:

“Like all Mounties, Corporal Kerr’s lips are sealed by both unwritten tradition and printed regulations when it comes to talking about his work. Much as he might like to tell of the strange things he has seen and the unusual life he has led, he is bound to preserve an impregnable silence except to his superior officers.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Long Service Medal was established in 1934 during the reign of King George V. It may be awarded to RCMP officers, non-commissioned officers, and constables of irreproachable character who complete at least 20 years of service with good conduct. It remains the oldest continuously awarded honour in the Canadian honours system and was the first Canadian honour created specifically to recognize service performed by Canadians within Canada.

The medal originated after years of advocacy by members of the Royal North-West Mounted Police Veterans’ Association, with support from senior RCMP leadership and the Canadian government. The first presentation ceremony took place at Cartier Drill Hall in Ottawa in March 1935, shortly after the decoration’s creation.

This is a very scarce example of the RCMP Long Service medal from the reign of George VI. The majority of these you see will have Elizabeth II, but this is from the 1936-1948 period, with the George VI front and George V back. This medal was unique in the history of the Canadian honours system. For the first time an honour was created to reward the service of Canadians serving within Canada. Previous awards for service in Canada, like the Canada General Service Medal were presented to both Canadian and British personnel.

In a 1944-dated Nebraska newspaper story titled “Malloy of the Royal Mounted”, Kerr is included as a member of a mountie trip to the Belcher Islands, and it is noted that Kerr “was a veteran of many Arctic expeditions, and knew his way around.” In a 1931 expedition, Kerr’s hand became infected from cranking a motor boat engine, and would have lost his hand if not for the experienced doctors who arrived just in time to save him.

In another article titled “Jail and Wonderland for Alice Bullfrog”, Kerr apprehends and arrests a native Canadian girl who murdered her baby through neglect and hid the body. Kerr accompanied her alongside an interpreter so she could stand trial. The story focuses around her exploration of the new wonderland world she found herself in, and there are illustrations depicting Kerr pushing her onto a plane and seeing sights with her.

Kerr worked in the Arctic region for a very long time. In 1959, he was working with the Northern Affairs Department and arrived in Moncton to buy eight 30-40 foot open motor boats for Eskimo Fishermen along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay and on Baffin Island.

08/19/2026

This is an exceptional WWI U.S. Army Air Service enlisted uniform distinguished by an outstanding assortment of theater made bullion insignia identifying the wearer as an aerial observer in the III Corps Observation Group, together with a separately identified M1917 helmet that was later paired with the uniform for display. The tailored jacket carries a III Corps shoulder patch with bullion center, a miniature Third Army patch with a bullion letter beneath it, three bullion overseas chevrons, a bullion aerial observer style wing above the left breast pocket, and a bullion winged propeller incorporated into the Aviation Sergeant chevrons. The combination is particularly unusual because enlisted men who actually flew operational observation missions during WWI were exceptional, with the normal Air Service system relying upon commissioned officers as pilots and observers. It required much more intensive training on top of his normal enlisted duties.

The observer wing is a very beautiful theater-made style with a US Shield bearing a single wing to the right. It is period correct and sewn with a two-star WWI victory ribbon next to it. This is one of the pre-1921 variations that only showed the number of campaigns fought in as opposed to the officially issued victory medal ribbons.

The uniform is only named with “Babe” under the collar, and the helmet has been paired with a helmet etched with a set of enlisted pilot wings with the name “Babe Edwards” and serial number #2692822 scratched under the rim. These are not the same two soldiers, as Edwards did not make it overseas, and in both cases Babe is likely used as a nickname. With more research, the uniform could be named and identified, but as of now it is sold as unnamed.

The uniform was tailored by Kohn Bros. of Cohen in Montgomery, Alabama. This could be a clue to the identity. The front buttons have some issues. Three are still stitched on but one is missing and the last is held in place by a nail. The collar has normal US & Air Service collar discs.