I acquired this pistol and have no idea exactly what it is or what it's worth. I have been lurking around this forum quite a while and know there is an amazing wealth of knowledge here and I am hoping some of you can help.
Janssen and Sons Company, " Jiffeco " ( Janssen Fie er Cia, Liege, Belgium ) were distributors and placed their name on a number of firearms. Your. small .25 was made by Robar and deKirkhave of Liege, Belgium around the turn of the 19th century. It is a copy of the Browning 1900 and was manufactured appox. 1909/1910. Called the Robar and in fair conditon is listed at 200, in poor 100, yours looks to be more on the poor side. Hope that helps.
Thanks, that definitely helps. I definitely wouldn't be rating it in good condition, biggest concern is will it hurt or help the value either way if I were to clean it up. Not looking to sell it but I know some of the older guns build more value in their original condition (rusted and dirty) than if they were cleaned up.
By all means clean it up, remove the rust and crud, just don't remove more finsh than you have to. Put a nice coat of oil on it. Clean it just the way you would a fine expensive firarm. ( I would even shoot it a few times at least )