Browning Renaissance Three-Pistol Cased Set

Browning's Renaissance grade was the company's top engraving tier, cut by FN's master engravers in Herstal and reserved for buyers who wanted the full menu of Belgian craftsmanship. This is the complete trio. The High Power, the Model 1955 in .380, and the Baby in .25 ACP, all wearing the same flowing floral scrollwork over silvery coin finish, all dressed in pearlite grips and gold-plated triggers. And here's what raises it above a parts-bin assembly. A 1996 letter from Commemorative Arms of St. Louis confirms these three left FN together as a factory matched set, sold June 15, 1954 to A.L. Paulson Sporting Goods in Chicago.

The engraving runs corner to corner on each piece. Scrollwork wraps the slides, frames, and trigger guards, and the deep coverage plays beautifully against the bright coin finish FN used on Renaissance guns. The High Power carries the Browning Arms Company St. Louis address along with the FN Herstal proofs. The .380 shows its St. Louis Missouri marking and CAL 9m/m00 stamp. The little Baby reads CAL 6m/m35 with Liege proof marks tucked into the scroll.

The pearlite grips deserve a word. The original panels were swapped during the gun's life, and per the Commemorative Arms letter the replacements are real mother of pearl. Each set glows with that wet, shifting luster that only natural pearl produces. The gold triggers add the last bit of contrast against all that bright steel.

The set rests in a custom walnut presentation case lined in deep blue velvet, with the Automatics by Browning St. Louis medallion set into the corner. For a collector chasing Renaissance grade Brownings, finding one engraved example is the usual hunt. Landing a documented factory trio in matching dress, cased and lettered, is a different order of opportunity.