Viking sword and famous actor's beret up for auction

Tennant’s Auctioneers in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, will be hosting a Militaria & Ethnographica Sale on June 26.

Among the items up for grabs is a Second World War Parachute Regiment beret, which belonged to British Army officer turned Hollywood actor Richard Todd.

The iconic 1950s actor, who was a Golden Globe winner and nominated for an Oscar, was a leading man in Hollywood. He originally trained at Sandhurst but ended up giving up a military career for the stage – something which he put on hold shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War to serve in the 7th Battalion Parachute Regiment on D-Day.

Todd went on to portray Major John Howard in the film The Longest Day, retelling the daring bid to capture Pegasus Bridge. Todd wore the beret in the film.

The Viking Sword is for sale at Tennant's Auctioneers in Leyburn, North Yorkshire (Image: Provided)

Also up for auction is a 10th century Viking sword, discovered in a river in the 1930s and kept in private collections until now.

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The sword, which has a steel blade and runes inlaid in iron, is an example of the Petersen Type X sword with its ‘tea cosy’ shaped pommel. It was created by Danish raiders, who crossed the North Sea in the mid-9th century and settled in the area around Lincoln – where it was discovered at the bottom of a river, over a millennium on.

The sword is predicted to sell for somewhere between £4,000 and £6,000.  

Other items include medals from the First World War, French resistance memorabilia, an ejector seat, and a two rare French ‘leg baths’, used by First World War soldiers.