Hermann Historica has accustomed collectors to seeing extraordinary firearms in its catalogs, but this example reaches a different level of rarity. Offered as lot 5177 in Auction 109, “Historical and Modern Firearms,” the 9mm TARN carries a starting price of 6,500 euros.
The 9mm TARN is among the rarest semiautomatic pistols ever produced. Developed for Polish Air Force pilots serving in exile in Great Britain, it was manufactured by the Swift Rifle Company of London in 1940, with production generally reported as just nine pistols. Sources differ on the exact number: some claim that serial number 109 was also completed, which would bring total production to ten.
A special project that became part of firearms history
Designed by Teofil Tarnowski and patented for Zygmunt Stanislaw de Lubicz-Bakanowski, the pistol was intended as a dedicated sidearm for Polish pilots.
The concept was ultimately deemed unnecessary, however, and production ended after the pistols numbered 100 through 108 had been completed, or possibly through serial number 109.
The TARN is also reported to have undergone British military testing in 1945, but was rejected because of excessive recoil and poor accuracy.
Serial number 101: an exceptional collector’s pistol
The pistol offered at auction is serial number 101, making it the second example produced.
Chambered in 9mm Luger, it has a 122 mm (4.8 in) barrel, a blowback-operated action, an eight-round single-stack magazine, a control on the left side combining slide-stop and safety functions, a lanyard loop and checkered walnut grips.
The left side of the slide is marked “No. 101 / T A R N 9 MM,” while the right side carries the unusual “Notenglishmake” marking. The pistol bears British proof marks and is accompanied by its matching blued magazine with nine witness holes.
From British military stores to a collector's legend
In 1953, the British Ministry of Supply sold the nine TARN pistols to American firearms dealer Martin B. Retting. A letter documenting the transaction accompanies the pistol and provides an unusually direct link to this remarkable chapter in its history.
The example now being offered is reportedly one of only two known TARN pistols currently in Europe; the others remained in the United States.
The same correspondence adds another intriguing detail, stating that one or more TARN pistols had been made in .25 ACP, further adding to the uncertainty surrounding the pistol's extremely limited production.
Today, the 9mm TARN is a remarkable surviving example of wartime firearms development, the history of the Polish armed forces in exile and the enduring fascination of exceptionally rare military handguns.
Previous Hermann Historica auctions have shown just how strongly collectors respond to rare Polish pistols, including the VIS 35, so considerable interest in serial number 101 would hardly be surprising.
Hermann Historica's 109th auction runs from November 16 through November 26, 2026, across several specialized catalogs covering works of art, antique and modern firearms, and military collectibles. The “Historical and Modern Firearms” sale takes place on November 19 and 20, with lot 5177 falling in the second day's sequence: Hermann Historica Website.
