I don't know about you, but when I think of the French, I don't think about guns.

I mean, I know they have them and I know they're tightly controlled there, but my thoughts on the French tend to revolve around food, wine, and the fact that their language is one where ordering a pizza sounds like a declaration of undying love.

And the Foreign Legion. I must not forget that.

Yet a strange happenstance came to my attention today that revolves around French pistols, of all things.

To start with, there was a recent auction where pistols that belonged to Napoleon were sold.

One point six nine million Euros ($1.63 million American) seems a pretty fancy price to pay for a pair of handguns, especially when they are single-shot, front-stuffing flintlocks.

But when those pistols belonged to the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte, once Emperor of France, that lends a whole new angle to the story. That is indeed the price the late Emperor's Gossard flintlock pistols sold for at auction on Sunday.

Two flintlock Gossard pistols once owned by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte have sold at auction for €1.69 million ($1.83 million). 

The guns were sold at French auction house Osenat in Fontainebleau, just outside Paris, on Sunday. They were originally valued at an estimated €1.2 million-€1.5 million ($1.3 million- $1.63 million). 

According to the auctioneer, they were given to Napoleon’s friend and squire Armand de Caulaincourt just after the emperor attempted suicide in April 1814.

It's unclear as to whether old Bony carried the pistols on any of his campaigns. 

Regardless, the fact that they belonged to Napoleon makes them interesting collector's pieces. The fact that they went for so much isn't all that surprising, either. For one thing, there are two of them. A pair belonging to such a notable figure in history is going to draw a lot of attention from people with very deep pockets. Especially when you consider that a lot of people still admire the French emperor.

But that's just one part of this strange coincidence.

It seems that another French monarch's pistol is up for auction.

One upcoming auction item is truly fit for royalty.

A gun that once belonged to King Louis XIII of France will hit the auction block next month, and it’s expected to achieve an impressive $425,000. The gold and silver ornamented royal presentation wheellock sporting arm is one of the headliners for Rock Island Auction Company’s August Premier Auction, taking place from August 23 to 25.

This is apparently the first time this pistol has traded hands, so the expectations could be wildly off, especially in light of what Napoleon's guns went for.

This is actually less than Al Capone's 1911 went for, surprisingly enough. Then again, Louis XIII is a figure from history but both Capone and Napoleon are more cultural icons in certain circles.

Of course, once the bidding starts, who knows where it'll end up. The expectation isn't based on what this gun got in the past, after all, so it could go for millions. If so, that should be interesting to see.

But the truth is that the fact that this gun is up for auciton so soon after Napoleon's guns were auctioned off just strikes me as strange. Nothing nefarious or supernatural or anything, mind you, just an odd occurence that would have meant nothing with a few more weeks between the sales.

Still, it should be interesting to see where this one ends up.