A pensioner is set to benefit after her good deed turned up a treasured pistol. Mark Summers reports

FOR decades, the old pistol lay undisturbed; a family heirloom from an earlier time.

No one thought to have it valued. After all, what use was the battered old Webley and Scott to anyone? It was so old no shops sold bullets for it and the original manufacturer had stopped producing firearms altogether.

It lay gathering dust until a pensioner decided to do a good deed and hand it to police, who are holding a firearms amnesty, in case it fell into the wrong hands

And that act of thoughtfulness looks set to have netted her a small fortune after the pistol turned out to be an incredibly rare .455 Webley and Scott Mark I.

Durham force firearms expert Chris Barber examined it and realised it was an extremely rare weapon.

He said: "To be honest, I have never seen one before, it is a bit like discovering the Mona Lisa in a pile of old prints."

Now the woman stands to make a four-figure sum from its sale.

The last Webley and Scott Mk I to reach the market made more than £1,500.

The pistol is one of only 50 made in 1913, initially for the Royal Horse Artillery. They were later used by pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the RAF, during the First World War.

It is in working order but ammunition is no longer available.

Police forces are running a firearms amnesty until the end of the month and the Durham force has taken in 105 guns and 2,300 rounds of ammunition.

Inspector Roy Smith, of the force's operations division, said: "No one knows how many of the initial batch survived, but they are now very much a collector's item.

"There are military museums across this country that do not have one of these guns.

"We expect there will be national and even international interest when it is finally offered for sale.

"Normally weapons handed in by members of the public in this way are sent a furnace to be smelted down.

"Because she left her name and address when she handed it in, we were able to get in touch and give her the good news.

"She was amazed and absolutely delighted as she had no idea of the value or historical significance of the pistol. She said it was like something off the Antiques Roadshow.

"From the police point of view, there is no good reason why a person who has been honest enough and responsible enough to hand in a weapon should not reap the reward.

"She told us she was worried the gun might fall into the hands of criminals and decided to come forward.''

An expert from the Historic Breach-loading Small Arms Association has been called to help the woman get the best price for the gun, which her husband, a former pilot, owned for 50 years