LONDON
The pistol crafted for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, was sold in an auction in UK capital London, for 25,000 British pounds.
Christie's Auction House has announced the pistol that was crafted to be a gift for Ataturk to mark the founding of the Republic of Turkey was sold in the "Antique Arms, Armour and Collector Firearms" bidding on Wednesday.
"Browning" brand pistol, a personal side-arm was reading "General Mustafa Kemal" in gold print and was expected to sell 20,000/25,000 pounds.
It was crafted as a gift to Ataturk by Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear (1868-1942), the then President of Argentina, but Christie's assignees said that they did not have any document proving that Ataturk had received the pistol. Alvear, a world renowned pistol shot, was known to have made gifts of firearms, often pistols bearing gold-inlaid dedications, to numerous political figures of the day.
Christie's did not reveal the identity of the buyer.
