Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.
For more detail see: LIEGE GUNMAKERS
Jean Baptiste Hanquet
A pinfire revolver of house
JB Hanquet
in Liege.
One finds the traditional
ELG on star in
an oval, acceptance between 1846 and 1893.
As well as the letter
N under crown
which is the mark of the controller: valid from December 30th, 1853 to January
26th, 1877.
There is also what seems to be a
V
between two rooms of the cylinder, but the photograph is not sufficiently clear.
Company
J.B. Hanquet was registered with the
proofhouse of Liege between 1796 and 1872, which corresponds perfectly to the
period of manufacturing of this revolver, around the years 1860.
It in any
case deserves certainly a cleaning to remove rust!
GP
Jean Baptiste Hanquet
It is about a Belgian copy of a revolver COLT Navy 1851.
This weapon arrived on the European market during the exposure of London in 1851.
It has such a success that Samuel COLT installed a factory in England since 1853.
This factory could not only cover with it all the requests and COLT was obliged to protect its patents in Belgium, to grant licenses of manufacture to several industrialists of Liège.
Very quickly true copies appeared.
It is necessary to go up at the time of the American civil war; the states of the south crossed their provisioning developed with difficulty a local production far from equalizing the originals.
In the same time, several Belgian manufacturers tried to place their weapons near the belligerents and several thousands of false Colt were used in the two camps.
Markings on these weapons were whimsical and imitated closely or by far markings of the firm COLT
The present weapon presents on the higher side of the barrel a not very readable marking but making reference to COLT and NEW YORK
(If this mark is ADRESS COL. SAM COLT NEW-YORK CITY it acts then of a mark used by Jean Baptiste HANQUET arms manufacturer in Liege).
The two cross arrows surrounded of the letters (read so well?) J.N.C which do not correspond to any manufacturers of Liège.
The barrel is marked COLTS PATENT T1137also whimsical.
Number 1510137 wants to be to be a job number which is probably quite as whimsical as the remainder.
The only real punches are those of the proofhouse of Liege, namely:
Spangled ELG in an oval: final acceptance, of use of 1846 to 1893.
Z spangled: countermark of the controller post 1877.
This weapon was thus manufactured between 1877 and 1893.
GG
