About Us

When the Guild was established in 1963 it provided the small group of private collectors in Victoria, indeed Australia at that time, with a means of sharing new finds, researching their collections, and generally enjoying their pursuit. It also offered a political voice to the issue of adequate heritage protection being offered to antique arms, in a decade which saw much of Melbourne’s heritage architecture under threat from destruction.

Today, the essential aims of the Guild remain the same – to provide a network for fellow collectors to share and enjoy their pursuit, and to advocate and lobby for recognition of the important heritage status afforded to the items in private ownership. The private collector plays an important role in continuing to preserve our cultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.