Dear twoputtdog-ga;
Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. Bearing
in mind that in order to get an accurate appraisal the pistol would
have to be physically examined by a qualified appraiser. Based on your
description however it is possible to give you an estimate as to the
reasonable value of the firearm. First, let?s get some interesting
background out of the way:
Master gun manufacturer, Moses Browning, originally designed this
particular firearm.
The name ?Fabrique National DeGuerre Herstal Belgique? (sometimes seen
as ?"Fabrique Nationale D'Armes De Guerre Herstal Belgique") is the
name and location of the manufacturer:
NATIONAL FACTORY OF MILITARY WEAPONS, HERSTAL, BELGIUM
(In modern times these firearms are referred to simply as ?FN?s?)
The German marking ?Waffenamt? (which may or may not be stamped on the
example you have) is loosely translated, ?weapons office? and is
similar in meaning to the English word ?arsenal?, or weapons storage
area.
The marking ?WA140? identifies the inspector who inspected and
approved the quality of the part that the stamp is found on, or the
whole weapon.
From what I gather in my research, in terms of value these firearms
have increased a bit in value over the years. Collector interest in
these pieces is usually limited unless they are in superb condition
(95% or better original finish). The really good news is that there is
greater interest in the higher end collector pieces that are stamped
or engraved (as yours is, i.e. those with German military markings
such as a tiny eagle and swastika over a code like Wa140). This
appears to be almost universally true with these types of FN pistols
regardless of the caliber.
OLDGUNS.NET
http://www.oldguns.net/q&a10_96.htm#18
As I sometimes do, I turned to one of the many leading authorities I
have in my personal collection of ?Who?s Who? in the antique world. In
this case I consulted Bruce Herman of Grenadier Military Antiques.
GRENADIER MILITARY ANTIQUES.
http://www.grenadiermilitaryantiques.com/
Mr. Herman has an extensive background in Western European and
American military history and has been called upon by notable auction
houses for expertise and advice in the field of military antiques. He
is also a frequent guest appraiser for PBS?s famous ?Antiques
Roadshow?.
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/appraisers/f-k/herman_bruce.html
Based solely on what you have described, and without physically
examining the pistol himself, Mr. Herman estimated the value of a
weapon similar to the one you mentioned likely to be somewhere in the
$450.00 to $850.00 range.
As with all antiques and collectibles, this estimate, of course, may
increase somewhat if you have original accessories and may increase
significantly above average (though probably not immensely so) if you
have accompanying documentation establishing provenance or can
determine who the owner/carrier (possibly ?MR?) was and something
about him.
I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
WIKIPEDIA: FABRIQUE NATIONALE DE HERSTAL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabrique_Nationale
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
Consulted a known expert in this field: Special thanks to Mr. Bruce
Herman for his valuable input. |
