Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 11th November 2012, 12:03 AM

I agree with Fernando. While the Versailles stamp on the guard is consistant with weapons assembled at that armory, the briquet was probably one of the most common and voluminous sidearms known. Ironically the Versailles stamp alone identifying this as French would be sufficient as these briquets were used by virtually every European army.
Boutet was the director of the Versailles armory 1793-1818, and was known mostly for extremely high end firearms of presentation grade to the royal and imperial courts, so why such attention in engraving would be placed on a rank and file hanger is more than extremely unlikely in my opinion.

11th November 2012, 12:03 AM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	I agree with Fernando. While the Versailles stamp on the guard is consistant with weapons assembled at that armory, the briquet was probably one of the most common and voluminous sidearms known. Ironically the Versailles stamp alone identifying this as French would be sufficient as these briquets were used by virtually every European army. Boutet was the director of the Versailles armory 1793-1818, and was known mostly for extremely high end firearms of presentation grade to the royal and imperial courts, so why such attention in engraving would be placed on a rank and file hanger is more than extremely unlikely in my opinion.