Original Dutch Napoleonic Flintlock Naval Pistol marked to Ship Staaten Generaal, Antwerpen – circa 1790 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Belgium as we know it today was only established in 1830, when the population rebelled against Dutch rule. Prior to that, most of the country had been known as Flanders and other local areas, which were possessions of Spain, France and Holland over the prior several hundreds of years. Belgium was an Industrial powerhouse with its great capacity coming from the City of Liège, where gun making was a key industry supplying Military Weapons all over Europe.

The Flintlock pistol offered here was most likely manufactured in Liège in the late 19th century for the Netherlands Navy. Pistols of this type were in wide use in Belgium itself, as well as other Countries and the Civilian Market. This is a substantial brass mounted walnut stocked completely standard Military Flintlock Pistol of the day. The design was robust, and saw use for decades, particularly during the Napoleonic wars. These were occasionally issued with a belt hook, however this example does not have one, and does not look to have been equipped with one in the past.

It is marked clearly on the top of the barrel with STAATEN GENERAAL ANTWERPEN, though if there were other proof marks on the barrel they have worn away. The lock plate is marked with a small round GI cartouche to the left of the flash pan. This is definitely a naval issue pistol, and looks to have been used on the Dutch ship “Staaten Generaal”, a 74-gun third rate ship of the line launched in 1786. The vessel saw service in the navy of the Dutch Republic and the Batavian Republic. It bore this name until 1798, after which it was renamed BATO, and was later turned into a hulked gun platform outside Batavia. She was anchored in Simon’s Bay to guard approaches to the naval base. When the Batavians were defeated in the Battle of Blaauwberg during January 1806, Bato was burned and scuttled to prevent her from being captured. “Antwerpen” is the Dutch name for Antwerp, a major port city on the North Sea in Belgium which was under French control until 1815. Definitely some fantastic research potential in this pistol.

The pistol is in very good condition, showing a lovely patina of age. It has been lightly cleaned and polished to put it into its best light. The lock functions, though a strong trigger pull can cause it to discharge at half-cock due to wear on the tumbler. There are no major breaks or damage in the stock that we can see, just a lot of scratches and small dents. The wood looks to be beech or maybe walnut, with a great color, and it has fantastic “Tiger flame” figured grain in areas on the left side! This is really a fantastic looking pistol!

Fully cleaned and ready to display and research!

Specifications:

Years of Manufacture: circa 1790
Caliber: .67″ Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 9 Inches
Overall Length: 15 1/2 Inches
Action: Flintlock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

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