Army (Land Forces) officer dress dagger with leather sheath,
dated 1957.
The throat is maker marked "ZIK" and serial numbered
"БО9446". Nice, medium-toned Bakelite grip. Interestingly,
the pommel shows an early version of the Soviet state seal
with 16 scrolls representing the number of republics in the
USSR although that number had changed to 15 in 1955 (this is
not very unusual: we have seen a number of other cases when
parts with the old-style insignia that were already in the
production line were utilized a year or two after the
change).
There is a maker mark "π" lightly stamped on the leather
under the top fitting of the scabbard on the side showing
the Kremlin tower.
This piece is among the last Soviet Army daggers with ZIK
maker mark produced prior to the 1958 change in regulations.
From that point on, daggers such as this one would be worn
only for special occasion e.g. military oath ceremony or
honor guard duty. Therefore, after 1958 very few Soviet Army
or Air Force officers owned a dagger; the production had
largely stopped because the existing stock of daggers was
sufficient to fill the need (although a tiny supplemental
series of Army daggers with "Bulat" mark was produced in the
late 80s).
Note that the dagger has neither the gold finish found on
Soviet daggers of earlier vintage, nor the cheaper gold
varnish seen on the later ones, especially the Bulat-marked
models. By 1956-57, ZIK factory had been falling ever
further behind in fulfilling the demand for daggers from the
Soviet Armed Forces and had started "cutting corners" to
increase the output. Albeit not as spectacular as the
daggers from the first half of the 50s, the "no gilt" models
are not common and have their own appeal, especially when
compared with the varnished, somewhat cheaper-looking
"Bulat".
The dagger is in excellent condition. The brilliant blade
shows only tiny amount in-and-out wear, otherwise perfect
and spotless. The scabbard leather is supple, free of
significant wear. Most of it still has its original healthy
sheen except for a somewhat matte surface on side with the
Soviet Army star emblem on the fitting (this side would face
outside while the dagger was worn and was provably more
exposed to elements); the gloss may be easy to restore using
leather rejuvenation products on the market, but we feel
that this is completely unnecessary and prefer to keep the
dagger just the way it is. The brass parts are very well
preserved, showing extremely attractive even toning without
noticeable scratches, nicks or blemishes.
Item# 35897
$375.00 