31st May 2023 - WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE

***NEW UPDATES

***MY NEW BOOK PRICES REVISED

***NEW RARE FRENCH 1st EMPIRE 1804 - 1815 MIGNOT FLAT FIGURES


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LIKE MOST OF FREE WORLD I STILL SUPPORT THE UKRAINE
IN ITS BATTLE TO RESIST PUTIN’S RUSSIAN INVASION (FROM FEB 24TH 2022),
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***NEW UPDATE 50 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL ADRIAN FORMAN AS A NUMISMATIST

***MIGNOT FLAT FIGURES COLLECTION FOR SALE SELECTION OF SETS AND FIGURE GROUPINGS. SEE GALLERIES

***NEWS - YET MORE NAPOLEON AND WWII COLLECTIONS TO COME IN THE SUMMER OF 2023
INCLUDING

RARE FRENCH 1ST EMPIRE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY FAMOUS
FRENCH MILITARY HEROES

HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BRONZE STATUE OF A FAMOUS FRENCH MARSHAL,

FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY & 1ST EMPIRE
RARE UNIFORM BUTTON COLLECTION

ORIGINAL NAPOLEONIC SUBJECT PAINTINGS & WATERCOLOURS

REFERENCE BOOKS ON MAINLY FRENCH 1ST EMPIRE SUBJECTS

MINIATURE 1ST EMPIRE FRENCH HEADGEAR COLLECTION
(EX ROY BELMONT-MAITLAND OF TRADITION PICCADILLY LONDON)


****URGENT NOTICE -
THE ALBERT PIERREPOINT MATERIAL OFFERED ON THIS WEBSITE IS RESERVED PENDING A RECENTLY AGREED DEAL TO POSSIBLY BE PURCHASED BY A PRIVATE MUSEUM

WE THEREFORE AWAIT PROGRESS WITH THIS POSSIBLE MAJOR PURCHASE

***I AM AT PRESENT IN THE CANARIES UNTIL THE 15th JUNE 2023
AT THAT POINT WE WILL ANNOUNCE IF PURCHASED
OR RELEASED BACK ON SALE TO OUR INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INDULGENCE

***MORE NEW MATERIAL WAS RECENTLY ADDED TO THE WWII GALLERIES
WHICH IS NOW BEING UPDATED & PRICED

Memories of over "50" years of International Dealing & Collecting.

***1976 was the first year I flew to America on business some 45+ years ago I remember "Sailing" by Rod Stewart on the plane… Later seeing the Statue of Liberty & a Pam-Am aircraft flying overhead as I felt like I was in a movie.. TV Detective Kojak with Telly Savalas.

I walked towards "The Soldier Shop" in New York to Peter Hlinka…..
later flying to Buffalo NYS to see Chuck Scaglione and us driving to a Gun Show in Ohio with Bob Sevier…….
meeting American & German dealers…..so began my trips….

In those long far off days I had already met American Medal Dealer Sydney Vernon who along with the famous Author & dealer Norm Flayderman visited us at Format Coin & Medal Co Birmingham and later at Forman of Mayfair, Piccadilly, London.

My earlier Trips with my parents in early 1960's & later on my own trips included visits introducing me to Paris leading dealer; Charles Marchal plus the artful Charles Bouche at the Paris Flea Market & my beloved "Les Invalides" French Army Museum with its superb Napoleon & French 1st Empire display's…

Also trips to Schulmann's in Amsterdam Holland and the Brussels Army Museum in Belgium which had the largest French Napoleonic collection in the world as a result of the battle of Waterloo.

plus visits to Waterloo battlefield itself with its waxworks Museum, Domed building with Panorama life-size vista of the battle of Waterloo 1815,the Wellington Museum plus cafe's which displayed postcards and Waterloo relics on their walls…..to be cont…..

Ok...going way Back when I was 12 I started visiting the magnificent Birmingham Reference Library housed in a classical Roman Empire style facade the interior was very light resulting from the domed panels in the ceiling with Georgian style staircases with mahogany balustrades leading to several levels of open plan
galleries, lined with shelves of finely bound leather volumes with movable ladders 

At  ground level there was a large wooden reception desk manned by female staff for visitors to request access to books after these had been located by using the index cards stored in many large freestanding oak cabinets with 100's of draws full of small typed Index cards.....

It was a pleasure to just sit at one of the small oak tables with its lamp and soak up the atmosphere where such treasures were housed surrounded by studious individuals in complete silence .......

The ladies helped me locate using the index system several great tomes, French in origin full of various  illustrations of French Revolution and French 1sr Empire headgear, uniformology or line drawings of actual size Buttons some of last dating from King Louis 15th era exquisite pieces of craftsmanship and design in such tiny detail.

This handful of extremely rare books were donated by the family of the then famous Gaunts of Birmingham manufactures of British military buttons and Regimental cap badges....

I visited mainly on Sunday's when most boy's were playing games and the like denied to me due to my childhood illnesses I later also visited the British Natural History Museum and Art Gallery in between times variously studying the likes of a giant Japanese Crab with a 9"foot span which was capable of killing castaways from shipwrecks who foolishly strayed into the giant caves....

Or I studied the gift of a magnificent collection of North American Indian artifacts including a superb eagle-feathered Chief's headrests of the Sioux plains tribes,later meeting the elderly collector who donated them it started me collecting such material many years later....

Or looking through the impressive Art  galleries I studied Pre Raphaelite works or French Impressionist canvasesOn my countless visits falling in love with many works...finally at this impressionable age

I Often visited the cinema houses with their Empire style rich red curtains, deluxe maroon velodrome seats and universe. Ceiling designs of stars moons and the like....a truly magical world as I escaped in wonder watching such epics as "The Fall of the Roman Empire" or " Ben Hur"; "Cleopatra" and "The Ten Commandments"" all influenced my love of historical costume design  and Architecture....when I was older..
To be cont......

AS ALWAYS THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS IN BUYING MY
FORMAN WWI & WWII GERMAN AWARDS GUIDE BOOKS

FOR SALE - LAST FEW COPIES OF BRITISH HANGMAN ALBERT PIERREPOINT DVD'S
= £35.95 (UK) PLUS

WWII WARTIME BRITISH TRAITOR LORD HAW-HAW NAZI RADIO BROADCASTS
= £12.95 CD'S

& THE GERMAN WWI KAISER WILHELM II BOOK
= £9.95.

( FROM MY LATE FATHERS FORMAN ARCHIVE )

& FINALLY A DVD OF WARTIME HEROES OF 3RD REICH NEWSREEL MANY CLIPS OF KNIGHTS CROSS WINNERS RARE WARTIME FOOTAGE
AT ONLY = £9.95

SALES OF MY NEW & LAST BOOK: WWI IMPERIAL GERMAN STATE AWARDS BOOK STILL GOING WELL THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT

SO SORRY FOR THE RECENT DELAYS TO MY WEBSITE WORK ………

WHAT A NIGHTMARE YEAR IT HAS BEEN RESULTING IN MY CANCELLED TRIP TO THE AMERICAN SOS SHOW AND MY PLANNED SMALL DISPLAY OF MY WWI & OTHER BOOK TITLES AT TABLES OF MY FRIEND ANDREAS THIES (AUCTIONS) WHEN I HOPED TO MEET AND CHAT WITH MANY OLD COLLECTOR AND DEALER FRIENDS

THANKS YET AGAIN FOR YOUR ENDURING SUPPORTIVE PATIENCE IN 2022-23 !!

WARMEST WISHES

ADRIAN

ADRIAN FORMAN