Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.forbes From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: COLLECTORS - PERSONAL AFFAIRS Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 11:08:08 EST Message-ID: "Copyright 1992 Forbes, Inc. Any further reproduction or redistribution without the express written permission of Forbes and ACC is prohibited." COLLECTORS - PERSONAL AFFAIRS Arms talk Medieval arms and armor were dangerous to those who got in their way. They can still be hazardous for people who now collect them. By Christie Brown In 1983, at a Sotheby's auction, an entrepreneur named Barry Trupin plunked down $3 million for a suit of armor that was made in about 1540 for Henry II of France (see photo). Trupin wanted the armor as the crowning touch to Dragon's Head, the beach- side mansion in Southamp- ton, N.Y. Trupin was redo- ing it in a medieval motif, reportedly costing $25 mil- lion. But Trupin's securi- ties and brokerage busi- ness, Rothschild Reserve International, went out of business in the late Eight- ies; Dragon's Head was sold this summer for a mere $3.2 million. The armor--which is now back on the market-- was a better investment than Dragon's Head. Ar- mor experts predict it should eventually fetch near what Trupin paid. With seven-figure prices being paid for items so easy to copy, you would think that the woods would be full of forgers. They are. Experts estimate 70% of all European arms and armor on the market are either reproductions or outright forgeries. ''They are making fakes hand over fist in India and Eastern Europe,'' sighs Nicholas McCollough, head of the arms and armor department at Sotheby's in London and New York. ''There are also big indus- tries in Spain and Italy in high-quality fakes made to deceive--it's been going on since 1840, when the baronial look came back in style.'' Like classic cars, even highly valued suits of armor often lack some original parts. Full suits of armor, used in Europe from the 15th through the 18th centuries, were composed of up to 100 separate pieces, with inter- changeable parts for ground fighting, tournament fighting or wearing in a parade. Over time, pieces got lost. Now most old suits of armor on the market are composites--made up from several suits, or fixed up with newly machined parts. Originality makes an enormous dif- ference in price. An original and com- plete suit of armor from the late 17th century may be worth about $80,000. But if the same suit embod- ies parts from other period pieces or newly made pieces, the value drops to around $30,000. And a high-quality 19th-century copy can be had for about $7,000. For $3,495, San Francis- co's The Sharper Image will sell you a brand-new copy of a 15th-century suit of armor that was made for the royal court of Spain. Com- plete with sword, it is made in Toledo, Spain, weighs about 75 pounds and stands over 6 feet tall. In this field, novices learn fast or get soaked. On a visit to Switzerland in 1967, Se- attle ophthalmologist Dr. Herschel Boyd and his wife, Marili, walked into the Ga- lerie Fischer auction house in Lucerne and were en- tranced by an armor display. One particular piece up for auction caught their eye--a shining suit of armor in per- fect condition. That alone should have triggered warn- ing bells. ''I kept bidding and the price went up and up,'' recalls Marili. Marili Boyd continues the story: ''Then a dealer next to me said if there was someone who knew less about armor than I did, it was the man I was bidding against. The piece was about 100 years old and had no value whatsoever.'' Marili dropped out; the other bidder got it for about $10,000. Having made a lucky es- cape, but also having decid- ed to start collecting armor, the Boyds vowed thereafter to seek professional advice. They now double-check every piece they purchase with Peter Gwynn, a noted British collector and dealer. Other sources have included the Galerie Fischer and the experts at Christie's and Sotheby's in London. The Boyds have now amassed one of the best private collections of Euro- pean arms and armor in the world. Numbering about 100 pieces dating from 700 to 1700, the collection includes tunics of chain mail, swords, pole arms, helmets and gauntlets. These pieces decorate the walls of a formal gallery in the Boyds' home in Seattle. Like most good collections, the Boyds' medieval arms bring history to life. The nine pieces of parade ar- mor--a helmet, shield, breastplate, gauntlets, armored saddle and a steel chanfron (armor for a horse's head)-- were made for Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, in 1560. A sleekly designed helmet with blackened eye- slits and hinged visor was worn during the time of the battle of Agincourt in 1415, when Henry V invaded France. And a 4-foot-long sword dating from 1099 was captured during the Cru- sades by the Ottomans, who later inscribed vindictive messages in be- tween the Christian symbols on the blade. ''They say things like 'death to whomever wields this,''' explains Boyd with relish. The Boyds have only one complete suit of armor; it stands guard in their den. It's not their favorite since it is a composite, made from about six suits dating from 1470. But they like the provenance. The suit was once owned by William Randolph Hearst, who had a huge arms and armor collection in the 1930s. The best public collection of arms and armor in the country is at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Meanwhile, a fine loan exhibit from the oldest and largest surviving armory in Europe is now touring the country for the first time. ''Imperial Austria: treasures of art, arms and armor from the State of Styria'' is at the Smithsonian Institution in Wash- ington, D.C. through Jan. 24, 1993 and will be at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston Mar. 14 through June 27, 1993. "This information is the property of Forbes, Inc., ACC takes no responsibility for its content, or the actions of any individual or institution, predicated on the information herin. Forbes Subscriptions are available to students and faculty members at the student/educator rate of $33 for one year, 27 issues. Regularly priced $52. Information about print subscriptions may be had by calling 1-800-888-9896. For further information about the electronic version of Forbes, contact usa@AmeriCast.COM"