1800's St. Etienne French Cap and Ball Pistol
Composed of Wood, Brass and Steel. Weight I estimate close to 4lbs. All hardware looks original with no modifications I could see. Does cock firmly in both positions and dry fire very well. Nothing is loose or broken. Appears to have been crudely engraved by hand. There is a figure of a man or woman on one side of the wood handle. On the other side its carved "Jean Chaseri 1847". Possibly the owner of the gun from the time period. Possibly could be traced to a soldier who served in France or other forces. I couldn't find any information about that as of today.
Total 13 inches Long. Barrel Length Approx 6 inches. 2 inches at widest point.
Inherited
Yes
Dear Richard,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
The presented object appears to be a French percussion pistol made by St. Etienne in the first half of the 19th century. Remarkable are the engravings of figures and the name of a former owner Jean Chaseri 1847. This smaller pocket pistol model was produced of the civil market.
Comparable objects were recently offered and sold on the international auction market.
This piece is in good condition and no severe damage is visible in the images provided.
A fair market estimation would be between 350 to 750 USD.
This estimate is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparable items. Retail "asking prices" can be higher and may vary.
With kind regards,
Gregory
Thanks Gregory. Just wanted to confirm you think this is a pocket pistol? It is 13 inches long so I dont think it would fit in a pocket and its extremely heavy. But maybe thats the way it was classified back then? Not sure. Your thoughts?
Also dont know if you could see it looks like a factory engraving of "786" on the stock. With perhaps a logo?
Dear Richard,
Thank you for the email. Can you upload a detail of this engraving?
With kind regards,
Gregory
I added another close up of "786" also just beneath that also looks like a crown with perhaps the Etienne logo? Anyway thanks for looking.
Never heard back about the 786 engraving. Do you have any additional info?
Dear Richard,
thank you for your email. Sadly the 786 is probably a model number or something similar.
With kind regards,
Gregory
Thanks Gregory. Just wanted to confirm you think this is a pocket pistol? It is 13 inches long so I dont think it would fit in a pocket and its extremely heavy. But maybe thats the way it was classified back then? Not sure. Your thoughts?