Fesac Foundation For European Societies Of Arms Collectors

Arms are an essential part of our history. Whether used for hunting, sports, self protection, warfare or even ceremonial purposes, they might very well be regarded as the single most important man-made implement that shaped the development of the human race. The weapon is arguably the first tool ever invented by man. Arms, in the broadest sense of the word, therefore form an extremely important part of our heritage. To study the development of arms provides an insight into all aspects of mankind’s development through the ages. From the simple club to the assault rifle, arms have shaped our history. Private arms collectors are custodians of a considerable part of this heritage. They acquire, preserve, study, research and document these historical artefacts that shed so much light on our past and thus also on our future. It is essential that they are able to do so, so that we may better understand our own history. FESAC represents a focal point for European arms collector societies that have, as their main objective, the encouragement, guidance and proper regulation of their members’ interest in collecting, preserving and researching arms. The Foundation recognises private collectors’ significant contribution to the preservation and study of our common European heritage – hence its commitment to support their activity, which it considers to be complimentary to the obligations of the curators of existing national collections. After all, many great public collections owe their origin to accumulations by knowledgeable private collectors.