Beretta 92FS Ducato 500 years limited edition tribute pistol
The 92FS Ducato pistol is the latest entry in the vast line of new tribute models launched by Beretta to celebrate the 500th anniversary of its foundation: five centuries of iconic designs, deeply rooted in tradition
Beretta 92FS Ducato 500 years limited edition tribute pistol
On October 3rd, 1526, a payment of 296 ducats to Bartolomeo Beretta marked the first documented transaction in Beretta's history.
Five hundred years later, that moment inspires the 92FS Ducato, a limited edition of just 296 pistols combining one of Beretta's most iconic designs with a tribute to the origins of the world's oldest industrial dynasty.
Inspired by the legendary Beretta 92 and chambered in 9mm Luger, the 92FS Ducato combines a steel frame and DLC finish with exquisite side grips crafted out of Abonos – a prized fossilized wood that's remained submerged under river waters in the Balkans and was transformed by deposits and sediments as the millennia went by.
The engraved details on the frame and slide pay tribute to Beretta's extraordinary anniversary. A gold 500 Year logo on the rear of the slide, a gold spark with a dedicated 500 Year Anniversary engraving on the frame, and a unique serial number make the 92FS Ducato a true collector's piece, honoring a legacy that continues to shape the future while celebrating its remarkable past.
Beretta 92FS Ducato 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol – right side
Beretta 92FS Ducato 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol – left side
Presented in a handcrafted collector’s case, the 92FS Ducato preserves the memory of Beretta’s earliest recorded transaction.
Elegantly embroidered into the interior lid is the story of that historic moment, while an authentic 16th-century Venetian ducat coin is housed alongside the pistol.
Completing this tribute, two gold inserts set into the grips faithfully reproduce the obverse and reverse of the very coin that inspired its name.
Irene Ferlito, Product Manager for PB Selection at Beretta, says:
The 92 Ducato is a tribute to the moment when it all began. The coin that inspired this limited edition represents more than monetary value; it is the first tangible sign of a story destined to endure for five centuries. Today, that symbol lives on in a creation conceived for collectors who recognize the true value of time, rarity, and memory.
The Abonos used to manufacture the grip panels of the Beretta 92FS Ducato – Quercus robur and Quercus petraea oak wood, estimated to be anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 years old – was dredged out of the ancient sediments of the Sava river, at the border between Slovenia and Serbia.
There, hidden for centuries beneath water and soil layers, the wood was preserved by extraordinary natural conditions. Over time, minerals, water, and pressure slowly transformed it, creating its distinctive dark hues and remarkable texture.
Every grain pattern, every variation in color, every natural marking tells a story written over centuries, making each set of grips entirely unique and impossible to replicate.
Embedded within the grips are two golden inserts reproducing the obverse and reverse of a 16th-century Venetian Ducat coin, the very same type of currency that Bartolomeo Beretta received as payment for supplying arquebus barrels to the Arsenal of the Republic of Venice in 1526.
That sale, and the relevant payment, were recorded in a document whose discovery and precise dating allowed historians to trace the origins of the Beretta industrial legacy back to 500 years ago, and farther.
To honor this extraordinary legacy, a reproduction of the original 1526 manuscript has been elegantly stitched into the French-fitted red canvas lining of the presentation case lid.
Handcrafted at the PB Selection Custom Atelier in Gardone Val Trompia, Italy, the exquisite 92FS Ducato case is crafted from richly grained dark wood, chosen to echo the distinctive Abonos Oak grips of the pistol.
A metallic Beretta 500 Years emblem, set at its center, completes this exclusive tribute to five centuries of craftsmanship.
Accompanying the pistol within its refined presentation case is an authentic Venetian Ducat coin dating back to the 16th century. A symbol of the prosperity and global influence of the Republic of Venice, the coin preserves a tangible connection to the historical context in which the Beretta story began.
The presentation case also includes a double-stack 15-rounds magazine (with 10-rounds magazines available as a replacement for customers living in restrictive jurisdictions), as well as a cleaning kit and a cable lock, along with a certificate of authenticity for the Venetian Ducat coin, issued by the renowned auction house Bolaffi; a certificate attesting to the age, authenticity, and provenance of the millenary Abonos Oak used for the grips; and a commemorative document granting the owner access to a digital copy of the Beretta 500 Years Limited Edition certificate for their pistol.
The Beretta 92FS Ducato pistol will be available in just 296 numbered samples worldwide – a number homaging the payment of 296 Ducats made to Bartolomeo Beretta by the Republic of Venice that faithful day five centuries ago; for further information, and to seize the opportunity and make one of these unique masterpieces yours forever, visit the official Beretta website.