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
Verheggen sébastien
Here are
the remains of a double-barreled side-by-side shotgun, whose condition suggests
it could be described as a wreck... Indeed, the ravages of time and previous
owners have rendered it inoperable and unsuitable for restoration: sawn-off
barrel, shortened stock, lock plates and hammers missing.
It
retains its double trigger under the trigger guard, its top-lever locking
system, the checkering on its pistol grip stock, and a six-pointed metal star
serving as a butt plate.
Markings:
Perron:
Inspector's mark (valid from June 16, 1853 to the present day).
ELG on a
star within a crowned oval: proof mark from a proof house after 1893.
J under a
star (barely legible in the provided photos and therefore subject to doubt):
proof mark of the inspector from January 27, 1877.
12 C in a
lozenge: caliber, in use from 1898 to 1924. The initials S.V. can be seen on the
underside of the barrels. This could be the signature of the gun manufacturer or
the barrel manufacturer. Only the craftsman Sébastien Verheggen is mentioned as
bearing these initials. He left no other trace than a mention in the "Who's Who
of the Liège Gunsmiths."
This 12-gauge shotgun was therefore initially proofed in Liège between
1898 and 1924, according to the analysis of the proof marks. The absence of an
annual letter on the provided images suggests production prior to 1922. The
manufacturer cannot be definitively identified; a very tentative hypothesis
points to Sébastien Verheggen.
Chris, PHL
