WW2 Russian NR - 40 Scout Knife / ZiK Factory Marked, Dated 1942
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:157890 | Country/Region of Manufacture: Russian Federation |
For sale is an extremely rare original WW2 Russian NR-40 (Nozh Razvedchika, with “40” indicating the first year of production) Scout Knife made at the famous ZiK Factory in Zlatoust, within the Russian Ural mountains. This knife has the manufacture date of 1942 and shows the ZiK Factory marking.In 1943 the famed Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was formed and beginning in 1943, all its soldiers and officers were supplied with a special issue of the NR-40, which was painted black. The form...ation was later named by German soldiers as the “Schwarzmesser Panzer-Division” (Black Tank Division). The nickname of the division was the Black Knife Division. The knife was introduced in 1940 and was widely used throughout World War 2, but is considered extremely rare. It features a 6” clip-point blade, a large ricasso, a black wooden handle, and an S-shaped guard. The guard is "inverted" (unlike most S-shaped guards, it curves towards the edge) because standard Russian Army grips called for holding the knife with the edge upwards.The knife shows honest wear and use and the blade has been sharpened moderately. There is some of the paint missing from both the handle and original scabbard, but this is considered normal for most, if not all, the NR-40 knives discovered today. However, the knives were massed produced and not made of quality materials and most that survived WW2 have some condition issues, such as paint loss or loose parts, and this is one of the primary reasons why the original knives are considered so rare today. The vast majority of the original knives have been destroyed by use or age.I have collected WW2 Russian NR-40 knives for the past 20 years and have decided to liquidate a few pieces and will be listing several on eBay. If there are any questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you!
