This miniature 2mm Pinfire Berloque pistol was made by Franz Pfannl of Austria. This small pistol fires pinfire “caps” that make a noise but do not fire a projectile. It was given to the donor, Don Gahagan, when he was one year old as a novelty memento of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Franz Pfannl started making Berloque or “watch fob” pistols in 1897. A similar pistol is described in Bob Urso’s book on 2mm pistols, Tiny Guns, and there is a photo of a similar model on the cover (shown in final photo below).
![A miniature 2mm Pinfire Berloque pistol.](https://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1939Mini01.jpg)
![A miniature 2mm Pinfire Berloque pistol.](https://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1939Mini02.jpg)
![Franz Pfanni's Pinfire pistol sitting on the cover of a book which featured a similar pistol.](https://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1939Mini03.jpg)