An ancient weapon, whether it be a dagger, a saber or a gun, can cost fabulous money, especially if it:
- made by a famous gunsmith;
- belonged to a famous person or participated in an important battle;
- has excellent condition, all parts are original;
- trimmed with precious stones.
These and other similar factors can increase the cost by 20, 30, 50 and even 70%, forcing collectors to pay fabulous amounts for the right to possess a rare thing.
Today we decided to tell you which weapon is the most expensive in the world, having collected 10 copies. Here are guns, a blade, a saber, and even a Japanese katana, which costs so much that not every samurai can afford it.
List
- 10. The Royal Purdey Shotgun, $ 195,000
- 9. Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe, $ 228,000
- 8. The Fabbri Shotgun, $ 229,000
- 7. Katana Kamakura, $ 418,000
- 6. Holland and Holland 20 caliber O / U, $ 550,000
- 5. VO Falcon Edition Vapen, $ 820,000
- 4. Theodore Roosevelt double-shotgun, $ 862,500
- 3. The gun from Peter Hofer, $ 1,000,000
- 2. Blade "Pearl of the East", $ 2,100,000
- 1. Saber of Napoleon Bonaparte, $ 6,400,000
10. The Royal Purdey Shotgun, $ 195,000
Purdey (the full name of James Purdey & Sons Limited) began manufacturing rifles in 1814, and its founder, James Pardi, had worked for a long time with Joseph Manton, the most famous gunsmith of those years, until he "matured" to open his own business.
The price of $ 195,000 does not seem so huge if you remember who the company's customers were. So with royal guns purdey went hunting Darwin, Brezhnev and Khrushchev, as well as they were part of the collection of Russian emperors Nicholas I and II, were one of the main exhibits.
All guns were made by craftsmen manually and in some aspects could be inferior to the weapons of competing firms, but the appearance more than compensated for the lack of speed or lethal force.
Each “trunk” is a real work of art, which a true connoisseur can admire for hours.
9. Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe, $ 228,000
To create a single shotgun Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe the masters of the company take about 900 hours, since each part is made manually, without the use of machines.
In narrow circles of collectors, the possession of such weapons is considered incredibly prestigious, as it gives the right to join the elite weapons club Royal Deluxe, which is impossible to get in other ways.
Having the latest iPhone, driving a brand-new Lamborghini sports car, or even owning a private jet is not as important for collectors as having just one Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe gun.
8. The Fabbri Shotgun, $ 229,000
Shotgun Fabbri has been manufactured by the company of the same name for more than one and a half centuries, during which the products managed to gain immense popularity not only in their homeland in Italy, but also around the world.
In the manufacturing process, the gun is coated with diamond spraying, rare and valuable wood species are used, which are skillfully stamped and carved.
Each copy is made to order, taking into account the individual wishes of the client, so we can safely say that in the world there are no two absolutely identical guns.
7. Katana Kamakura, $ 418,000
All the ancient samurai swords that have survived to this day are now officially considered a national treasure in Japan and cost crazy money.
In addition, their purchase and sale in some cases may even be illegal, so it is possible that there are swords and more expensive than this, they were simply sold at underground auctions and their price tags are unknown to the general public.
Of the well-known, the most expensive is considered katana kamakura, which dates back to the 13th century and was part of the collection of Dr. Walter Compton. With great difficulty, his personal exhibits were taken out of Japan in 1992, after which the sword was sold to an anonymous buyer for $ 418,000.
If this thing now "surfaced" and ended up at the auction, then those who wanted it would probably have to pay a significantly larger amount.
6. Holland and Holland 20 caliber O / U, $ 550,000
As we have already said, the cost of a weapon is greatly affected by the owner. If Shotgun Holland and Holland 20 caliber O / U just some rich man owned, then it, of course, would have cost decent money, but the price tag would clearly not have exceeded the mark of half a million "green" ones.
But considering that this gun was in the hands of Theodore Roosevelt himself during his safari, the amount is quite justified. This lot was sold at auction 25 years ago and now, as in the case of the Kamakura katana, it would cost a lot more.
5. VO Falcon Edition Vapen, $ 820,000
VO Falcon Edition Vapen differs from others in our list in that the manufacturing company does not have a rich history and was founded relatively recently - in 1977.
The rest of the gun is unique: only 5 copies are made, 4 of which are custom-made. The barrel has an octagonal shape and is made of Damascus steel: the manufacturer claims that this is the only barrel in the world made of this material.
The first copy was aimed at Arab sheikhs, for whom such an amount is more than acceptable.
4. Theodore Roosevelt double-shotgun, $ 862,500
It is no secret that the 26th president of the United States of America was an avid hunter and had a solid collection of knives and firearms. Alas, not all of it has survived to the present day, but the more valuable are the surviving exhibits.
Theodore Roosevelt double-barrel for 862 and a half million dollars the politician's family belonged to the family for a long time, but in 1974 the descendants put it up for auction.
3. The gun from Peter Hofer, $ 1,000,000
Peter Hofer - Almost the best gunsmith in the world of recent decades, whose workshop produces annually no more than 10 guns.
Given such a small amount, one would think that this is just a hobby, but looking at the price and the guns themselves you understand that this is not so.
Each master’s product is truly unique, as it is made to order. He has no serial samples in principle, nor cheap ones.
2. Blade "Pearl of the East", $ 2,100,000
The name of Baster Warensky is known to every fan of edged antique weapons, as this is one of the best masters.
Your blade "Pearl of the East”, According to legend, he created for as long as 20 years, since he couldn’t manage to come up with an ideal form, layout of materials, etc.
The blade is made of pure gold of 18 carats (it took about 800 grams in total), the handle is green jade, and 10 diamonds of 5 carats and 153 emeralds serve as an additional decoration of the blade and scabbard.
When the “Pearl of the East” was just about to be put up for auction, according to preliminary estimates, it was planned to bail out $ 1,200,000 for it, but during the bidding the amount increased by 900,000.
1. Saber of Napoleon Bonaparte, $ 6,400,000
Behind saber of Napoleon Bonaparte they also planned to help out no more than $ 1,200,000, but in the end the auction set a world record, as the word "Sold" sounded in the amount of 4.8 million euros.
With this saber, Napoleon participated in the battle of Marengo before he became emperor. After the battle was over and he returned home, he was invited to the wedding of his brother, to whom he handed this sword as a gift.
Since then, he was carefully kept by the descendants of Bonaparte and passed from generation to generation, and in 1978 the saber was recognized as the National Treasure of France.
It was decided to sell it in 2007. It is believed that this is the last sword of the emperor, which is in private hands.