BOUCKVILLE, N.Y. – A World War II uniform worn by German Luftwaffe Lt. Gen. Josef Schmid sold for $20,800 at Auction #73, an Internet and catalog auction held June 26-27 by Mohawk Arms Inc. LiveAuctioneers.com provided absentee and Internet live bidding.

The lot consisted of Schmid’s tunic, breeches, rain cape and “Soldbuch,” or personal effects, which included a photo of Schmid wearing his Knight’s Cross, an ink signature and two “General Command” ink stampings. Schmid, a recipient of the Knight’s Cross and former commander of all Hermann Goring and Afrika Korps Panzer units after the departure of Erwin “The Desert Fox” Rommel, was an early supporter of the Nazi Party. He took part in the infamous “Beer Hall Putsch” of 1923 and was the recipient of a Blood Order medal.

“It was a good sale overall, but an unpredictable sale too,” said Ray Zyla of Mohawk Arms Inc. “Items I never expected to do well – common medals, for example – sold for three or four times their high estimates. Other lots fell flat or were stagnant, such as World War I uniforms, certain firearms such as sporting guns and common-type muskets, and the common Civil War artifacts.”

But, he added, Colt, Winchester and Civil War carbine weapons “continue to hold their own,” and Civil War presentation swords, especially from the Confederacy, as well as the CSA belts, buckles and bayonets, always seem to do well. “It’s a fickle market,” Zyla said. “The demand for certain items is high, but by and large things are a bit flat from where they were five years ago.”

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium, which could range from 16-22 percent, depending on how the bid was submitted.

A uniform grouping for 1st Lt. Cline E. Mason, who served during World War II with the U.S. Army Air Force in the CBI Theater of Operations, went for $2,440. Along with the uniform, the lot also featured Mason’s A-2 leather jacket with an Air Transport Command patch on the front and a Nationalist Chinese flag patch on the back, an Army Air Force duffel bag and other items.

A Prussian officer’s helmet – Brunswick 92nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion – with a solid black leather body, gaveled for $5,400. The rare piece of headgear had an elaborate tiered front plate having an age toned silver oak leaf decorated “Peninsula” banner affixed to a blue enameled cross, with a detailed galloping horse and crowned pillar, all applied to a convex silver starburst.

Another Imperial German helmet – a Bavarian Artillery Regiment officer’s parade helmet, also with an excellent solid black leather body – breezed to $3,120. The age-toned large Bavarian crowned coat-of-arms showed a pair of lions holding the state arms (with “In Treue fest”) on the front plate. Other features included silk lining, gilt brass convex chin scales and red parade bush.

The star lot of the Imperial German uniforms category was a Colonial Southwest Africa cavalry tunic, or “Schutztruppe, that realized $3,000. The two-pocket tunic with blue collar, cuffs and epaulets had blue piping down the front and on the six-button skirt.

Civil War lots included an ambrotype portrait of a young Confederate militiaman in a floral decorated gilt frame and with case. The early photographic image on glass sold for $488.

Two British medals awarded for the Sudan campaign in the 1880s sold together for $519. One showing a likeness of Queen Victoria and a sphinx and one with a sphinx and pyramids. Both were mounted on a pin-back bar.

For details contact Mohawk Arms Inc. by calling 315-893-7888 or emailing Mohawk@MilitaryRelics.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.