We take a look at the five most expensive antique weapons to have ever sold at auction, from George Washington's pistols to Napoleon's sword...
Honourable mention - General Ulysses S Grant's Civil War presentation sword - $1.6m
This sword was presented to future president General Ulysses S Grant by the citizens of Kentucky in 1864, upon his promotion to "General in Chief of the Armies of the United States".
 $1.6m sword presented to Ulysses S Grant |
The sword, which features 26 mine cut diamonds composed to form Grant's monogram "U.S.G.", sold for $1.6m in June 2007 at Heritage Auctions.
5) Pair of Nicolas-Noel Boutet pistols owned by Simon Bolivar - $1.8m
In November 2004, a pair of flintlock pistols made by Nicolas-Noel Boutet sold for $1.8m at Christie's, New York.
 Simon Bolivar's pistols sold for $1.8m in 2004 |
The pistols' hefty price tag can be attributed to their famous former owner, Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), the first president of Venezuela, and one of the most influential politicians in the history of Latin America, who helped no less than six countries achieve independence from Spain.
4) Pair of steel-mounted "saddle" pistols owned by George Washington - $2m
This pair of pistols, marked by Jacob Walster, were owned by President George Washington during America's war of independence.
 George Washington's $2m pistols |
The pistols, which were also linked to the Marquis de Lafayette and later, seventh US president, Andrew Jackson, sold for $2m at a Christie's auction in New York in 2002.
They were purchased at the auction by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and are currently on display at Fort Ligonier in Pennsylvania.
3) Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan's gold dagger - $3.3m
Bonhams in London sold a gold dagger which was owned by Shah Jahan (1592-1666), the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal, for £1.7m ($3.3m) in April 2008.
 £1.7m gold dagger owned by Shah Jahan |
The dagger, which dates to 1629-30, came from the collection of Jacques Desenfans, who spent 50 years collecting south-east Asian, Indian and Islamic art.
2) 18th century Chinese jade-hilted sword - $5.9m
A ceremonial steel-bladed sword, produced during the reign of the Qianlong emperor from 1736 to 1795, sold for $5.9m at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2006.
The Baoteng Saber was one of 90 such swords produced during the emperor's reign, but the first to appear to auction.
1) Gold encrusted sword used by Napoleon Bonaparte - $6.5m
The most expensive antique weapon to have ever sold at auction is a gold encrusted sword used by Napoleon Bonaparte in battle around 200 years ago.
The sword brought €4.8m ($6.5m) against a €1.2m pre-sale estimate at an Osenat auction in Fontainebleau, France in 2007.
It is thought the sword was used by Napoleon in battle at Marengo in June 1800, before he became emperor.
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