15th century Egyptian armour beats estimate by 360%

A 15th century shirt of Egyptian armour has sold for $2.3m at Rock Island Auction, up 360% on a $500,000 estimate.

It led a December 9 sale of firearms and armour.

suit armour Qaytbay
The plate armour shirt dates to the 15th century

The lot belonged to Qaytbay Mamluk Sultan, who ruled Egypt between 1468 and 1496.

It is one of only two surviving examples of Qaytbay Sultan's plate mail shirts. The other is housed in the Topkapi Armoury Museum in Istanbul.

Elsewhere in the sale, an 1894 Winchester rifle engraved by John Ulrich sold for $207,000.

The Ulrich family were among the most distinguished firearm carvers of the 19th century. The lot is engraved with hunting scenes and embossed with gold and silver inlays.

Patrick Hogan, president of Rock Island Auctions, comments: "We are thrilled with the results of this auction, and especially with the historic armor.

"These strong results provided yet another record-breaking year for Rock Island Auction Company. We were able to surpass $51 million in annual sales, something no other firearms auction house has approached, and maintained our place as the #1 firearms auction house in the world for a twelfth straight year.

"This also has immensely positive implications for the growth of firearm collecting as a whole."

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