A 10.4mm (RIMFIRE) SWISS VETTERLI M1871 'SHARP-SHOOTER' BOLT-ACTION RIFLE, serial no. 9183, Waffenfabrik Bern manufacture circa 1872, with 30 7/8in. barrel, block and blade fore-sight, tangent rear-sight, tubular bolt-housing with top-eject and turned down bolt handle, slab-sided receiver with side loading aperture and iron lifter, walnut butt-stock with iron furniture including spurred trigger-guard, double set triggers, full-length walnut fore-end with square-cut chequering near breech and single iron barrel band and nose-cap, concealed tubular magazine and provision for clearing rod (rod absent). Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the 1968 Firearms Act, to be held as a curiosity or ornament

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.