Rock Island Auction Company has published the digital catalog of their upcoming September 2019 Premiere Firearms Auction and as always, it is full of rare, unique, historically significant and incredibly interesting lots. One of these lots is a cased and engraved presentation grade Mannlicher Model 1900 pistol which was presumably presented to the 34th Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II.
Here is how Rock Island Auction describes this lot:
” This is an exceptionally rare, early production 1900 Mannlicher semi-automatic presentation pistol that has been lavishly factory deep relief chisel engraved and fitted with a beautiful set of walnut grips that have been adorned with various inlays. The Calligraphic monogram of Sultan Abdülhamid II is among the medallion designs. The pistol itself also carries a factory inscription or presentation which experts attribute to the Sultan of Turkey. This pistol, various accessories and tools are all housed in a hand tooled, gold guilded and dyed, leather bound display case. “
The Germanic style deep relief engraving covers 95% of the pistol’s metal surfaces leaving only the barrel rib and front strap of the grip unengraved. The walnut grips are inlaid with a floral pattern to match the engraving theme of the pistol. In the center of each grip, in the oval panel is the coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire.
The inscription on the front strap of the grip of this pistol reads: ” RHEINISCHE METALLWAAREN U./ MASCHINEN FABRIK, ABTEILUNG SÖMMERDA EHRHARDT WERKE “. The inscription is one of the reasons why the pistol is attributed to the Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Here is another excerpt from Rock Island Auction’s description.
Based on what the inscription says and the time frame for this pistol, this describer theorizes that this pistol was probably a gift or presentation to the Sultan of Turkey for a military contract that may have used some of the raw material from this company or actually for small arms fabricated at the Sommerda works, probably in the 1901-1905 time frame. The Imperial German government and the Turkish Empire were very close allies during this time and sold thousands of rifles, pistols, cannons and various war material to each other.
The case of this pistol is also highly decorated. Besides the handgun itself, the case also has compartments for a screwdriver, cleaning rod, silver oil bottle and pin punch.
Besides being a unique example of a Mannlicher Model 1900 pistol, this lot is also in perfect condition retaining more than 95% of the original blued finish. The estimated price range that the auction company predicts this lot to be sold at is $40,000 – $60,000. Once the auction ends, we’ll update this article with the actual price that this pistol was sold at.
UPDATE: This lot was sold for $21,850.
Images courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company, www.rockislandauction.com