Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica

The German auction house Hermann Historica regularly holds antique and rare guns auction sales. In recent years, some very rare – and in some cases, unique – guns have been offered. In this gallery we will examine pistols and breech-loading revolvers of special interest for their rarity or mechanical features.

Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica — Auctioned off in the most recent Hermann Historica auction, the Bergmann model 1 of 1894 in 8mm caliber is a gun shrouded in mystery. It is, in fact, a little known and extremely rare pistol, of which the number of produced examples – very few in any case – is unknown. Since at the time of its manufacture Bergmann did not yet have the necessary machinery, it was produced in 1894 by V. C. Schilling in Suhl.

Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica — Schlund revolver prototype in .430 caliber, year 1885. It was designed by Harry Schlund, a technician at the Kynoch Gun Factory in Aston, UK. It is distinguished by the internal hammer (only a small part of the hammer spur protrudes from the frame) and the double trigger. Schlund revolvers were offered to the London Metropolitan Police in different calibers and barrel lengths, but were never adopted. It is believed that about six hundred were built.

Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica — Savage 1907/1910 US military test trial pistol in .45 ACP. It's one of the 278 Savage 1907 model pistols – originally in 7.65 Browning – scaled-up for the .45 caliber. They were produced to participate in the US Army test trials of 1910 that were ultimately won by the Colt 1911. It appears that only 181 .45 caliber pistols were returned by the Army to the manufacturer, who sold them on the civilian market.

Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica — A rare Schwarzlose Model 1898 pistol in 7.63x25 Mauser. Designed by Prussian engineer Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose, it's considered one of the first modern semi-automatic pistols and featured a short recoil and rotary bolt system. However, it was supplanted on the German market by its rival, the Mauser C96, which was considered more reliable.

Photogallery: the most interesting guns auctioned at Hermann Historica — Another early 20th century unusual pistol is the Adler (eagle) in 7.25 mm caliber marked “Adler Waffenwerke” and manufactured in Zella St. Blasii in 1906. Designed and patented by engineer Haeussler, this small blowback pistol is extremely rare, especially in these conditions. A 5.5 mm caliber prototype is also known, but little else is known.