Afghani shashka
 

Just ended
http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Russian-...QQcmdZViewItem
I contacted the seller and informed him about the Afghani ( definitely not Russian) origin, confirmed by clearly-visible stamp from the Mazar-i-Sharif arsenal. No reaction....

Not surprized. The Russian shaska will sell for more, if it's authentic, of course:-)

That`s right Alex :D
Russian arms are extermly expensive last days.... on last auction in Luzern Russians spent lot of money paying 20-100% than other fellows....
:D

Good call Ariel!!
These shashkas are often difficult to differentiate for many, but the Mazir i Sharif stamp should have been immediately apparant and included in the description. I think too often quick associations are made by glances at the old Mollo book, which uses the 'Asiatic' term if I recall correctly.
Personally, I like the fact that this is Afghan, and think the buyer did very well at this price! :)
As noted, the Caucasian examples would fetch much higher prices, while Russian military examples of 19th century do seem reasonably rare. It seems most of the Russian examples that appear are the standard military issues of the early 20th c. thru WWII. Interesting (I always liked the Moison-Nagant bayonet setup:) but not especially high end.

All best regards,
Jim