The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch from Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones' comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Holy Hand grenade, a "sacred relic" carried by Brother Maynard (Eric Idle) on the quest for the Holy Grail, was used to defeat the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. To activate the device, the "Book of Armaments" was consulted and its elaborate operating instructions read aloud by Brother Maynard's Brother (Michael Palin)...

"..And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it."

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was always thought to be lost since filming and was subject to much speculation and rumour. It was recently discovered to have been kept by the family of the prop maker who created it.

In the time-honoured tradition of effient prop makers, the grenade was constructed in a very rudimentary way: utilising a ballcock from a toilet cistern, finished in gold-coloured paint. A metal cross, the pin, with most its original jewels still present, sits on top.

Rows of off-white artificial pearls have been strung together to lightly sit against the orb - an addition for display purposes, as the originals were lost after production wrapped. These pearls lift off as a single piece and do not affect any original elements of the weapon. This careful work was done by long-time Python collaborator Valerie Charlton, who served as a special effects model maker on the film. Virtually all the gold paint has worn away over time, but evidence of the original pearls' placement remains, and the pin still retains seven of its original coloured jewels. The hand grenade is presented on a custom-made stand and remains in good production-used condition. Dimensions: 13 cm x 13 cm x 7 cm (5" x 5" x 7")



"O Lord, bless this, thy hand grenade, that with it, thou mayest blow thine enemies to tiny bits."



£50,000 - 100,000 M