A rare German composite 'Maximilian' Full Armour was the top lot at the Bonhams Antique Arms and Armour sale on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 November. The lot achieved an astonishing £75,000 against an estimate of £40,000-60,000.

The sale also featured the Paul Murray Collection – known and revered for holding one of the most diverse collections of antique arms and armour in the world – which ranged from European pistols to Japanese arrows and was built up over a lifetime of collecting and travelling. The remarkable breadth and provenance of the lots was reflected in the results of the sale where an impressive 94% of lots were sold by value. Among the highlights from the collection area Scottish all-metal flintlock belt pistol belonging to Augustus, 3rd Duke of Grafton, dating from the third quarter of the 18th Century that achieved £15,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000; and a very rare cased pair of flintlock duelling pistols by John Manton of London that sold for £15,000.

Other highlights included a rare Caucasian sabre which sold for £20,000 – well in excess of its estimate high of £5,000 – and a rare Dutch bronze cannon of the Groote Vischerÿ Enkhuizen that achieved £20,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000.

David Williams, Head of the Antique Arms and Armour Department at Bonhams, said: 'This was the largest sale in terms of lot offered by Bonhams in this specialist area. The wide-ranging material, together with the quality and condition of the objects offered resulted in world-wide interest and maximum prices achieved.'