Seven hundred years after the explorer’s passing, a tribute one-off shotgun will be up for auction live and online January 24th during the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show® Convention in Reno. Click Here to Register, Watch Live & Bid
Seven centuries ago, a man who dared to traverse the unknown and redefine the boundaries of human understanding passed away in his beloved hometown Venice. Marco Polo’s courage and curiosity made him the first documented European to journey across the entire Asian continent. His travels, immortalized in Il Milione (also known as The Travels of Marco Polo or Book of the Marvels of the World), unveiled the breathtaking riches and mysteries of the Orient, capturing the imagination of civilizations across Europe and the Mediterranean. His vivid accounts ignited the Age of Exploration, inspiring visionaries like Christopher Columbus to embark on journeys that forever reshaped history.
In 2025, Beretta proudly dedicates its annual one-off to Marco Polo’s life and legacy with a bespoke creation: a one-of-a-kind firearm crafted on the legendary SO6 EELL Sparviere over-and-under platform.
Franco Gussalli Beretta, President & CEO of Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta, takes part into this celebration: “The Marco Polo PB Selection shotgun is an ode to a brave traveler who wasn’t afraid to face new cultures and people, an explorer who opened his arms and eyes to the wonder of the world, but always remaining tied to his homeland. This is the same spirit of Beretta: we bring our products around the globe, but our heart remains here, in Gardone Val Trompia, the only place where we are able to create unique pieces of engineering art. The Beretta celebrative one-offs always have a link with our history: Venice, Marco Polo’s hometown, was the place where in 1980s we found Bartolomeo Beretta’s invoice for the Republic of Venice, the document that allowed us to track the existence of our Company back to 1526, and will allow us to celebrate our 500th anniversary in 2026.”
The 12-gauge over-and-under shotgun is the result of 1500 hours of hand-engraving and another 500 hours of work by master gunsmiths, stock and gun case makers, added to months of study by Beretta’s R&D, Design, and Marketing departments.
On the hammered and punched body of the receiver, several elements recall the themes of sailing and exploring: a rutter (Portolano or Periplus), the primary store of geographic information for maritime navigation, cover seamlessly the receiver, together with the copper-inlayed and enamelled compass roses, enriching the hinge pins, top lever, screws, and the bottom of the pistol grip. A copper-inlayed pattern with diamonds and stars covers the trigger guard, forend iron, top lever, top rib, receiver shoulders, safety, bead, and the interior of the sideplates, as the hand-detachable sidelock action of the SO Sparviere allows one to admire the internal decorations.
Other details show more about the history of the Venetian explorer: a copper medallion chiseled with his profile on the bottom of the receiver, along with small figures of Polo leaving on a horse and coming back by ship. The anniversary years are engraved and copper-inlayed on the trigger guard with the Dragon (symbol of China). The top lever features also a silver-inlayed winged Lion (symbol of Venice) and the fret-worked key representing Marco Polo’s sheep, a kind of Asian argali sheep described in Il Milione. The MARCOPOLO7 dedicated serial number is copper-inlayed on the receiver tang.
The side plates represent two burin-engraved scenes from Marco Polo’s travels:
- on the left – Venice, Marco Polo’s hometown
- on the right – Marco Polo depicted on the Mongolian steppes and exploring the great architecture and nature of all Asian territories
The forend release button features a Chinese inscription meaning: Uniting Europe and Asia as two parts of a single gem.
Carlo Ferlito, General Manager & CEO of Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta, declared: “As a Company, we try to follow Marco Polo’s attitude to explore: we spend our existence pushing our boundaries and expanding our horizons, we research to find always new solutions, techniques and materials and provide hunters and shooters with innovative and unconventional products. The SO Sparviere is the perfect platform for this celebrative piece: a traditional, exclusive mechanism that was transformed by Beretta to create something outstanding and surprising, with the side plates opening like the wings of a bird. The craftsmen of our Pietro Beretta Selection atelier managed to astound us again with this unique shotgun, going beyond the limits of their immense skills and showing us something unprecedented”.
Completing the engraving, exquisite details stand out along the whole gun: the grade 5 walnut wood, finished with around 80 layers of Tru-Oil®, features a Scottish checkering to recalls the diamond pattern on the metallic components, while the blued Steelium® Optimabore® HP barrels are mirror-polished by hand.
The gun case, handmade from scratch in the PB Selection Atelier, completes the masterpiece: a bright yellow leather with a digital print of medieval map of the known world at the times of Marco Polo (depicting Europe, Asia and Africa), completed with blue leather details on the edges and handle. The interior boasts a carefully selected Venetian red silk fabric with a golden roses design, elegantly matching with the exterior.
The SO6 EELL Sparviere Marco Polo comes with a unique display case made in Murano, Venice, by the craftsmen of Arte Veneziana: a matt-lacquered cabinet with wood frame and galvanized steel metal elements. The fronts and doors are made of extra-clear 8mm tempered and hand-engraved glass. The decoration on the glass is based on the original miniatures from the book Il Milione, depicting the departure of Marco Polo and his uncles from Venice to the East. The scene reproduces San Marco’s Square in Venice in the 13th century.
Special Bonus – Beretta 500-year Anniversary Invitation: The buyer of this extraordinary legacy shotgun is invited to be part of a 500-year celebration moment at the Beretta global headquarters, where Beretta has been since before 1526. It includes a private small-group dinner with a Beretta family member.
This unique firearm has been generously offered by PB Selection to help and promote the conservation initiatives of the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Click Here to Register, Watch Live & Bid
