Historical items from the armoury of the Princes Hohenlohe-Langenburg will be offered by Thomas Del Mar Ltd on December 3 in London.
 The sporting gun made from the young Prince Alfred reveals the house's ties to the British royal family |
The southern German nobles Princess Saskia and Prince Philipp zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg have chosen the auction house to sell arms and armour from the family home Schloss Langenburg in order to provide money for the conservation of the castle.
Starring in the auction will be a selection of 89 antique firearms dating from 1525-1860, with an exceptional pair of Bohemian silver-mounted holster pistols, created by Paul Poser circa 1725, expected to sell at £18,000-20,000 ($28,762-31,958).
Also featuring is an English cased percussion sporting gun which was made for Prince Alfred, son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as a young boy. Passed to his third daughter Princess Alexandra, who married Ernst II, Prince zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the gun has remained in the family collection ever since.
Both the gun and its case are engraved with a coronet of the British royal blood. It is expected to sell for between £5,000 and 7,000 ($7,989-11,185).
The Princes Hohenlohe-Langenburg have close ties with the British royal family, beginning with the 1828 marriage of Prince Ernst ze Hohenlohe-Langenburg to Princess Anna Feodora zu Leiningen, Queen Victoria's half sister.
The top lot of the sale is a superb and rare Nuremberg wheel-lock sporting carbine dating to 1600, which was stocked by the "Master of the Castle" - a celebrated stockmaker whose identity is unknown.
Etched with ornate scrollwork, the stock has an ebony veneer with horn and mother of pearl. It is valued at £25,000-30,000 ($39,947-47,937).
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