Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.
For more detail see: LIEGE GUNMAKERS
VERVIERS-DELVAUX Noël
Here is a five-shot revolver in 8 mm caliber (Lebel I assume).
At first, the team members made the comparison with the Manufacture Liégeoise d’Armes à feu already widely mentioned on the site.
But there’s a “but”: the gun has almost certainly been folded and the left-hand punch has what could be an L, as well as an E or an H, according to one team member; and the crown is very “weak”. Admittedly, we know that this company has produced revolvers with security, visible or secret, but we are not sure at all that it is.
Fortunately, there is near unanimity that security should be assigned to Noel VERVIERS DELVAUX as punched NV.
I have reviewed the thirteen patents that I own of Noel VERVIERS DELVAUX, but none “sticks” to 100%.
It is true that patent 201855 has an air of similarity in the small plate that covers the hammer. But the security mechanism itself is not the same. Perhaps the “good” patent (that of this revolver) has been lost.
There is another possibility, namely that the second letter is an F, in which case it could be Max FLIEGENSCHMIDT.
With a brand so badly hit or erased, one can only make assumptions...
The other punches are classic:
R crowned : rifled barrel, in use from 1894 to 1968;
AE under star: countermark of a controller, in use from 1877 to 1968;
ELG on a star in a crowned oval: acceptance by the Liege proofhouse from 1893 to 1968.
GP with the help of HPH and PHL
VERVIER-DELVAUX Noël
The
weapon
It is
about a revolver of pocket of the type “PUPPY” with central percussion. The lock
has double movement. The hammer has an almost rectangular form and exceeds
little the structure. The short barrel is striped and provided with a front
sight in half-moon. The cylinder with 5 rooms is grooved. The metal rod swivels
on an axis to be introduced into the rooms and to extract the casings by the
door from them from loading being on the side right of the weapon postpones. A
safety (missing part) is present on the left side. The grips consists of two
plates out of smooth wooden joined together by a transverse screw and two brass
rivet washers. The right trigger without trigger guard is folding under the
carcass.
The
weapon is contained in a small pocket.
Punches
This
weapon carries the lawful punches of the proofhouse of Liege, namely:
ELG on
star in a crowned oval:
final acceptance post 1893.
T
spangled:
countermark of the controller post 1877.
R crowned:
rifled bore, of use of 1894 to 1968.
Marks
Crowned
NV:
this mark is not included in the book of the trade marks in Belgium!
By elimination, we put forth the assumption that it
could be a question of a mark belonging to the arms manufacturer of Liège
VERVIER Noël
of Wandre. It was registered with the proofhouse of Liège of 1890 to 1909 and is
the author of 14 patents concerning the revolvers. That remains to be confirmed
of course.
320:
gauge weapon (7,65 mm)
314:
serial number.
N in a
circle:
marks not identified which could belong to a subcontractor?
GG
VERVIER-DELVAUX Noël
Here is a revolver of unspecified caliber with
octagonal barrel, folding trigger, octagonal barrel, inner hammer and lateral
safety on the left.
Markings
R crowned: barrel rifled after 1894.
P under star : countermark of the post 1877 controller.
L sub?: probably the countermark of another controller.
Note the absence (at least among the photos
transmitted) of the classic ELG stamp in oval, crowned or not, in principle on
the barrel.
NV
crowned could be
Noël
Vervier-Delvaux, armoury maker in Wandre
(1892-1909), holder of patents for:
- a safety model applicable to all kinds of
hammerless-bossed revolver.
- an invisible security applicable to hammerless
revolvers.
- security applicable to all hammerless revolvers.
GP with the help of HPH
VERVIER-DELVAUX Noël (Maybe)
Caliber 8mm Lebel.
This revolver carries a reinforced round barrel to 8 sides to the place of the sight, it is about a primarily German fashion as for example the mouth with pad or quite useless safety on a revolver. The arms manufacturers of Liège manufacturers for Germany yielded with this fashion like Hubert MASEREEL for example.
It is obviously about a weapon of pocket with its folding trigger, unsuitable with a police use (or then into civil). She does not carry any lawful marking.
She carries the punches of Liege, that is to say:
Spangled ELG in a crowned oval: acceptance post 1893.
R crowned: rifled bore post 1894.
Spangled AR: countermark of the controller post 1877.
The manufacturer
Its identity could be dissimulated behind the crowned mark NV which is unknown for me.
The reading of Who’s Who gives us a possibility (in time and the initial ones) to knowing VERVIER-DELVAUX, Noël arms manufacturer in Wandre, registered voter with the house of tests of Liège of 1892 to 1909 and which deposited 14 patents. Nothing however indicates with certainty if this mark is well has his.
The question thus remains open.
GG
Photos Littlegun
