Producer unknown to us
Terzerole
Americas, United States
19th century
Wood, cast iron/steel
Collection context unknown to us
Handed over to the museum by the Deutsche Volkspolizei (German People`s Police) in 1956
NAm 4833
Due to their size, these small handguns were also known as “pocket pistols” or “lady’s pistols.” Terzerols were easy to conceal and to carry undetected. They were popular short-range weapons in the 19th century, for example, for use in enclosed spaces.
This piece was transferred to the museum in 1956 from the Leipzig District Office of the People’s Police.
Scarce documentation does not allow for clear determination of previous owners, how and when the pistol came to Germany, or why it was confiscated.
In this instance, more than a dozen historical weapons were transferred to the museum, most of which had previously been confiscated from private owners in order to comply with strict East German gun ownership laws. Similar to acquisitions from the so-called “castle recoveries” in connection with the Communist land reform or after the flight of wealthy land owners from the Red Army in the last days of the war in 1945, ethnographic objects in the GDR also came into the museum’s possession from private collections after arrests, house raids, and “Republikflucht” (escape from the GDR) through police confiscations.
Frank Usbeck