This is a Model 1906 FN pocket pistol I recently acquired. We know that serial number 1,000,000 of this model was manufactured in January, 1914, and was presented to John Browning on January 31, 1914. Since this pistol is only about 25,000 numbers later, we can safely assume it was made in the early months of 1914. The front grip strap is hand engraved with the letters "GECO" which tells us that the pistol was shipped to the distributor Gentschow & Co. for sale in Germany. (I wonder why Germany was importing Belgian pocket pistols when they themselves were producing so many fine pocket pistols.) In any event, WWI was declared on July 28, 1914, and Belgium entered the war a month after that. This means this pistol was one of the last shipped to Germany before the outbreak of the war.
