Cossack knife ? any informations ?
 

Hello,

I just bought this old knife.
The seller called it a cossack boot-knife but I'm really not sure :
the stamp on the blade K. Marggraf Riga is the name from a 19th-early 20th century fabric of surgery blades in Riga , Latvia...

I found the shape of the blade really original and interesting.

Any idea of the (old) use of such a knife ?

Thank you !!

Not a "cossack" knife. A variation of kard.

I can see from scabbard that its intended to be carried , but could it have originally been an amputation knife? Many have similar shaped blades.

spiral

Hello,

Thank you both for your answer.

It is possible to be an amputation knife because the factory was selling surgery material...
Brrr wasn't looking for that when I bought it !

Prefer the kard idea !! :)

The answer is somewhat unexpected: it is a Latvian (Riga) knife for .... cutting flax:-)
Seriously.
Quite sme time ago I asked the same question on a Russian forum and was enlightened with other examples, pics from a museum in Riga etc.

The form is so "oriental" and "vicious", that one easily gets confused. But in reality, it is just a very peaceful agricultural/industrial implement.
Happy New Year!

You nailed it, Ariel.
Happy New Year, all

A vegetable killer knife !!

Thank you.
Good idea, I'll try in eastern Europa forums for other informations.

Interesting comment Pinnchot !

Happy New Year Everybody !!