5177 - TARN pistol of the Polish Air Force in British exile, 1940

TARN pistol of the Polish Air Force in British exile, 1940 Caliber 9mm Luger, No. 101, matching serial numbers. Barrel slightly dull, length 122 mm. Eight-round capacity. British proof marks. Spring-loaded slide. Safety on the left rear. Marked “No. 101 / T A R N 9 MM” on the left side of the slide; faintly stamped “Notenglishmake” on the right side above the trigger guard. Complete, presumably renewed immersion bluing. Walnut grip panels with coarse fish-scale texture. Rear sight ring. Blued magazine with nine sight holes. Only nine units were produced in total, numbered 100–108. The firearm was patented by Zygmunt Stanislaw de Lubicz-Bakanowski and manufactured in 1940 by the Swift Rifle Company in London. It was intended for issue to the pilots of the Polish Air Force-in-exile. After it was determined that a special handgun was not necessary for this purpose, production was discontinued after nine weapons. These nine weapons were sold in 1953 by the British Ministry of Supply to the U.S. dealer Martin B. Retting. A letter from the Retting company regarding this is included. More information about this firearm can be found in *Gun Collectors Digest I*, p. 174, and in Ezell, *Handguns of the World*, p. 510. WBK: Attention—For this gun, we will need to obtain an export license for you, based on your import permit (if required in your country) or through your firearms dealer—more info here Condition: I