Lot 309

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Description:

BRITISH SERGEANT''S HALBERD
18th-century British halberd, 14 1/2" head, 100" long overall, consisting of an iron leaf-shaped spear blade, the base of which has been pierced to allow the fitting of an axe blade with two small hooks inside the cutting edge, with a large beak opposite. The head is attached to the shaft by two 5" iron straps, each secured by three pins (all but one replaced by later flat-head screw. A conical iron foot is pinned to the base of the shaft, allowing the user to plant the weapon in the ground to better resist a mounted charge. The right side of the axe blade bears a cursive initial "G". Weapons of this pattern were carried by sergeants in the British Army and were copied by colonial militias in the late 17th - early 18th centuries, and saw some service in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Each sergeant would be responsible for commissioning his own halberd from a blacksmith, and many were handed down through successive generations, thus seeing service in multiple conflicts. This example bears a crack in one iron strap, the foot is loose but attached, with expected age wear and patination throughout, else very good. Provenance: Collection of Rodney Hilton Brown, author of Ämerican Polearms" (1967), as illustrated therein.

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December 10, 2016 11:00 AM EST
Wilmington, DE, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000