Browning Patent Depose
I have a pistol that my husband inherited from his grandfather, Jorge Fernandez, who was ambassador to Peru in Germany around 1956. At which time, the president of Germany gave this pistol to him as a gift. The story I have been told is that after 1000 of these were made they would chose which gun was the straightest shooting and this one was the straightest shooting one out of one batch. It is in mint condition in its case. It's serial number is 520418. Engraved into the gun are the words Fabrique Nationale D'armes de Gueppe Herstal-Belgigue Browning's Patent Depose. It has a floral design engraved into its metal parts which are nickle plated. The handle is made from mother of pearl. And the initials of the ambassador of Peru are in gold. My question: is there a way to trace the gun by its number to authenticate this story. How do I go about getting the best price for this gun if it is worth anything substatial. And could this gun be worth anything substantial? Please help me in what my next steps should be. If you could be of help I could email the picture to you
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MY UNCLE BROUGHT THIS HOME FROM THE WAR, THE #'S ARE 2955 C ,I NEED A FEW PARTS ,LOOK IN GOOD TO FAIR SHAPE WITH FAMILEY PICTURES IN THE HANDALS, WERE CAN SOMEONE GET PARTS AND HOW MUCH IS WORTH,[ABIQUE NATIONALE DAMES DEGUERRE HERSTAL BELGOUE ][NOT SUTRE WHAT CALIBER IT IS.
THANKS
MAC4@TDS.NET0 -
Guns that are essentially "one of a kind" are hard to value because there is nothing to compare them to. Some of this story is likely to be story. The part about picking the one that shoots straightest is probably myth, but none the less an endearing part of the story. Guns such as this are sold by the larger auction houses and you need an expert to give you the value range for the gun. Chances are it would sell for more in Europe or Peru, where its history lies than in the U.S., but there are collectors here that collect Brownings. You mention FN, but does the guns actually saw Browning? That would also affect its value.
He Dog0 -
Unique items need documents, etc., to back them up. If you have any letters or other documents pertaining to this gun your well on your way. If not try and do some research within the family for letters, or maybe even photos of him with the gun. Generally presentation pieces are done as part of some ceremony and there are often photos taken, if nothing else by the folks making the presentation.
You can also try factory records, and maybe even gain some assistance from the German Govt. as they were the presenter and knowing the Tutonic penchant for record keeping I would be suprised if there were no records at all.
As for value ... it's one of a kind so if there is no historical tie in a sale price could be anywhere from a few dollars above the value of an equivalent, stock/common grade pistol to thousands of dollars.
If you come up with supporting docuents and photos it is then best if you contact a profession auction house. When/if your ready to do that come back and make a post asking for recommendations on auction houses.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
From your discription of the pistol, it appears to be one
of the "Renaissance" series that FN produced from the 50's till the 70's.
They were manufactured on the (3) basic pistols that FN produced during that era. ( .25 ACP Baby ), ( .380 Model 1910 ) & ( 9mm HI-Power ).
They havn't been produced for years, and are much sought after by collectors.
Here is a picture of a Renaissance HI-Power, the largest of the (3).0 -
Ashley - You should contact Anthony Vanderlinden. He is an authority on the FN pistols. Guns similar to your desciption are shown in his book "THE BELGIAN BROWNING PISTOLS 1889-1949". He can be contacted at Wet Dog Publications, 5603-B West Friendly Avenue, Suite 166, Greensboro, North Carolina 27410. His web site is www.fn-browning.com. His e-mail address is wpdbooks@ispwest.com.
Good luck in your search!0 -
I also have a gun with the same words including "Browning's patent depose" on it- mine is black in color with a FM emblem on the handles and the end of the barrel is removable to remove slide the out. It also has a removable clip capable of holding 8 bullets.
How rare is this? Is it a german or french gun? where would it of come from?
Please reply mglaser@liradiogroup.com0 -
quote:Originally posted by mglaser
I also have a gun with the same words including "Browning's patent depose" on it- mine is black in color with a FM emblem on the handles and the end of the barrel is removable to remove slide the out. It also has a removable clip capable of holding 8 bullets.
How rare is this? Is it a german or french gun? where would it of come from?
Please reply mglaser@liradiogroup.com
I believe the pistol you have is a Belgian made Model 1922 Browning similar to the one in this photo. Hundreds of thousands of them were made between the 1920's & the 1940's.0
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