On Wednesday, April 14 Dominic Winter Auctions had a sale of medals, militaria and military books. The auction offered 340 collectibles of many different kinds. But there was a stand-out piece.
The General Officer's pattern mameluke style presentation sword, was given to General Sir Dighton Probyn in 1876 following his accompanying of the prince on a tour of India.
One side of the sword is marked "from H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G., G.C.S.I. India 1875-76" and on the other side is "To Major General Sir Dighton Probyn, KC.S.I., C.B., V.C.".
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The hilt is of heavy quality cast brass with applied silver devices of the Prince of Wales crest on the front langet and his initials AE on the other. It also contains ivory.
The sword is in excellent general condition: there is some light pitting to the scabbard and three small fixing screws are missing from the scabbard mounts.
Offered at £7,000-9,000 in the Gloucestershire auction, the rare and valuable piece was pushed a little higher by competitive bidding, finally selling for £10,000 to a happy collector. Those interested in collecting (or investment in) Royal memorabilia may wish to take a look at this portfolio, which is on the market now.
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