1975 Mini antique armor

1975) A MINIATURE STECHZEUG JOUSTING ARMOR IN THE TASTE OF CIRCA 1495: 

Introduction: Medieval jousting was categorized by the intent of the combat. For example, the most common was the Joust of Peace (À Plaisance) , which was intended to be safe and non-lethal by using rebated lances and exceptionally heavy protective armor. During the 15th-16th century, other variants of jousting appeared, such as Stechen (Gestech), which was A “heavy” joust of peace where the objective was to unhorse the opponent or break your lances from the impact. Knights wore the Stechzeug, a massive suit of armor so heavy it was sometimes integrated directly into the horse’s gear. There were two main types of jousting popularized by Maxmilian , they are “rennen,” which translates to  “to run,” and “stechen,” which translates to “to sting”. Accordingly, the two types of jousting armor were called “Rennzeug” and “Stechzeug.” The miniature armor we are discussing is Stechzeug.

Discussion: There is no denying that jousting armor was made to exceptional standards for the wealthy. Jousting was a sport for royalty, knights, and the very rich in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The armor made for jousting was the absolute best, with no expense spared. It is said that owning a jousting suit with garnitures was the equivalent in today’s dollars of owning a Boeing 777 jet.    Only a very wealthy, powerful person who wanted the absolute best to impress his rich friends and had the money to do so would have owned period jousting armor. In today’s collectors’ market, jousting armor is seldom available, and when it is, it’s extremely expensive.

Construction: This little armor is remarkably well-made , probably over 100 years old, imitating a real period Stechzeug armor. The armor contains its original plinth, lance with beautiful massive octagonal vamplate, and manikin.