Russia, Imperial. A Model 1881 Dragoon Shashka, c. 1917

An extremely late Imperial Russian (or early Provisional Government/Russian Soviet Republic) Model 1881 Dragoon Shashka, measuring 98.5 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features an 80.5 cm-long magnetic steel blade with a slight curvature and sharpened lower edge. The reverse of the ricasso is stamped with the maker’s mark of the Zlatoust factory, flanked by a date of “1917”. The obverse of the ricasso is stamped with an array of illegible marks. It sits within a multi-piece hilt featuring a bronze hand guard and pommel, inset with a ribbed wooden handle grip. It is accompanied by a mis-matched scabbard of earlier manufacture, constructed of polished magnetic steel. Arabic numerals stamped onto the scabbard near the throat indicate previous use on a blade wielded by personnel from the Caucasus or Russian Central Asia. An integral band near the throat retains a loop for the accommodation of a hanger, while the throat has a functional spring catch to firmly hold the Shashka in place during storage. In addition to the replacement scabbard, signs of age and wear are evident, and include running marks and tarnishing of the blade with slight pitting, loosening of the hilt, the wearing away of the wooden handle grip consistent with extensive field use, and surface oxidation throughout the scabbard. A field-used example from a transitionary period in Russian history in very fine condition.