GEORGE WASHINGTON’S SADDLE PISTOLS

This set of saddle pistols was originally given to Washington by his French ally, Marquis de Lafayette, and was used by Washington throughout the Revolutionary War. The pistols feature beautiful gold inlays and detailed rococo carvings that make them just as much a work of art as they are weapons. After Washington’s death, these pistols eventually fell into the possession of President Andrew Jackson, who cherished them for most of his life, before gifting them back to Washington’s family. In 2002, the pistols were sold at a Christie’s Americana auction for a record-breaking 1,987,000 dollars. The buyer was the Richard King Mellon Foundation, who donated the pistols to the Fort Ligonier historic site and museum outside of Pittsburg.