Catawiki, Europe’s fastest growing online auction house is offering collectors the chance to bid on the world’s smallest gun, which is no bigger than the size of an average fingernail. The extremely rare 19th century style French ring gun named ‘Le Petit Protector’ is estimated to sell between £900- £1,300.
The French-made ‘Le Petit Protector’ is the first documented example of a firearm placed on top of a ring. Sitting where a jewel would usually be, is a steel recoil plate that serves as the base for a cylinder filled with live rounds that could be fired straight from the hand.
This unique lot is set in an intricately designed brass band ring, engraved with an eye-catching vine and leaf design. The ring revolver is presented in a good condition and comes complete in a velvet-lined case with the exterior marked ‘Le Petit Protector’ in silver on the lid.
Alain Dilmen, Catawiki’s specialist auctioneer, comments, “This rare piece is a spectacular show of craftsmanship and undeniably intriguing. Lots such as this rarely come to auction and with this gun being so unique we expect to see an influx of bids from across the globe.”
The auction will run from the 11th to the 18th March 2016 at http://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/4941215-a-cased-le-petit-protector-ring-revolver
