Balkan(?) kindjal

ariel · 13th September 2007, 06:10 PM

The seller took it off the market and allegedly has a $1,500 offer. Good deal (for him

)!
This is not Russian, of course.
There are some Balkan experts around here and hopefully they will confirm my guess.
The handle is very "Bulgarian", but I've never seen a scabbard like that. Looks almost "Roman"

to me.
The writing on the blade is in horrendously illiterate Russian, and the writer was not a native Russian speaker based on the misspellings, declinations and grammar.
One side: For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland
Another side: Long live Russia!
My guess it is a patriotic souvenir for a Russian officer during one of the many Balkan wars of the 19th century when the Russian armies liberated Bulgaria from the Ottomans. Although the condition leans more toward the 20th.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=009
Not outstanding, but quite interesting from the historical point of view.
Any opinions?

13th September 2007, 06:10 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Balkan(?) kindjal The seller took it off the market and allegedly has a $1,500 offer. Good deal (for him )! This is not Russian, of course. There are some Balkan experts around here and hopefully they will confirm my guess. The handle is very "Bulgarian", but I've never seen a scabbard like that. Looks almost "Roman" to me. The writing on the blade is in horrendously illiterate Russian, and the writer was not a native Russian speaker based on the misspellings, declinations and grammar. One side: For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland Another side: Long live Russia! My guess it is a patriotic souvenir for a Russian officer during one of the many Balkan wars of the 19th century when the Russian armies liberated Bulgaria from the Ottomans. Although the condition leans more toward the 20th. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=009 Not outstanding, but quite interesting from the historical point of view. Any opinions?