When is a "Turkish" valuable?

[Steve1871]

I live in United States, over here, the only interest in Turkish stuff by collectors, or most anyone is for the M.87 Turkish mauser rifles/carbine's/Bayonet's  and the lesser known M.90 rifle with it's magazine cut off, and bayonet. 

 

  Everyone thinks of the German Commision 88 rifle and the .M.98 rifles Turkey got during and after both war's. But no one has ever seemed to want these, even the rarer ersatz Turkish Bayonet's fall into last place for value $$££ 

 

I not sure why?  I admit, I have never seen a very nice condition 

"Turked" piece, I do have both a M.87 and M.90 with bayonet, but that all. Even a rare ersatz if Turk is low price. What are the opinions of you other gent's????

 

This is a ersatz for sale, think if stil not sold in a week or so, may buy it. I do not know if it is a cut down M.0 or 98/05 cut down? Anybody?

[Steve1871]

They asking $100. For the ersatz

[Chasemuseum]

Price is fundamentally a function of supply and demand. The Turkish weapons and equipment which are in great demand are those manufactured and unmodified as used in WW1 and to a lesser extent those of the subsequent Greco-Turkish War. As Turkey was not a belligerent in WW2, and did not supply any belligerent nations, equipments manufactured or earlier equipment reworked for WW2 is relatively undesirable.

 

A great deal of Turkish material available on the market was disposed of as military surplus by Turkey since 1970. Most of this material was heavily reworked in the 1930s and early 1940s as Turkey rearmed to ensure effective border security and to protect itself from being drawn into WW2. 

 

As a generalization the short Ersatz bayonets were WW1 examples reworked in the 30s-40s. Very large quantities came on the market in the 1970s, they are relatively common and of very little interest to a collector with a WW1 or WW2 theme.

 

Cheers

Ross T

[trajan]

Well, Ross has about summed it up!

 

Just to add that this is a cut down EB 44, one of the first (I think!) Ersatz, broadly modelled on the 98/05. It has either lost its quillon, and had the muzzle-ring attached, for fitting to a Turkish post-war 'Mauser Model 1935',  or the cross guard is all brand new. The Turkish army were still using full-length 'Ersatz' and 98/05 bayonets into the 1930's and so I suspect this is those they started making around 1935 which is approximately when they started making their own knife bayonets.

 

The attached photographs of Turkish soldiers sent to me by a student are both dated 1936.

 

 

Edited 22 April , 2019 by trajan