Zulu weapons

[Shiloh Noone]

To quote Ian Knight (I think) We go by what we think is 80 percent legitimate governed by no obvious replication, but to holistically claim a Zulu assegai or shield was used in the Anglo Zulu war is always a lottery draw while Martini Henri can be traced to the very soldier and regiment. Knobkerries are the most difficult to ascertain, again largely on dismissing the replica but then you get an authentic from 1936 , countless of these are paraded in England as used in the Victorian battles. I was literally black listed from Sotherbeys for certain discernment but they did come back and apologise after more research validated my discernment.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Thanks for your input on the subject. Certain artefacts which have appeared on the market over the years have had impeccable provenance. Just because some items are still in extremely good condition does not mean that they are more likely to be 20th century. It has been reported that in recent years, the graves of Zulu's have been robbed of buried spear-heads and sold to unsuspecting tourists. Much of the weaponry in my collection was considered to be of late 19th century origin by the well-respected collector, Mervyn Mitton.

Cheers,
Steve.