A pair of flintlock pistols owned by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton will go to live auction at Christie’s this month.
These are not the guns used by Hamilton when he was killed in his 1804 duel with Vice President Aaron Burr, as those belong to JPMorgan Chase and are housed in its New York City headquarters.
The guns on sale were made by a French gunsmith around 1800 and have Hamilton’s initials engraved on the bottom of each trigger guard, per the Christie’s lot listing.
“They are small enough so they could fit one in each pocket; that’s why they’re sold two at a time. They are ideal for close-range defense. … If you’re accosted by a thief or something, that’s when they would come in handy,” Christie’s Americana specialist Martha Willoughby told the New York Post.
Following the death of Hamilton, who was the country’s first treasury secretary, the guns passed through his family until they were sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1950. The guns were on display at the museum from 1956 to 1972, according to the lot listing.
The pistol set will be sold at live auction on Jan. 18, and could fetch at least $500,000, according to the New York Post.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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