On the evening of Sunday, October 1, a charity auction of two Repetitor military knives—bearing the names of two soldiers who fell during a 1995 UN peacekeeping mission, Luděk Zeman and Petr Valeš—came to a close. Both knives were auctioned off for a total of 95,700 CZK. Mikov will now donate the proceeds, through the organization Vlčí máky, to support war veterans.
Both Repetitor military knives were on display throughout the auction at the Museum of Knife-Making Tradition, which Mikov established in Mikulášovice. Unlike standard Repetitor knives, Mikov’s technicians embedded authentic shrapnel from the mortar shell that caused the tragedy into their handles. The Repetitor knives also come in a gift box that includes an original UN forces patch and a brochure describing the entire mission and bearing the signatures of all surviving participants.
For their new owners, both knives will thus be not only a rare collector’s item but also a valuable historical artifact. The value of both knives is further underscored by the fact that this is only the second time Mikov has auctioned knives in this manner, and it does so only on truly exceptional occasions.
Mikov systematically supports veterans as part of the War Veteran Project. Currently, there are two numbered editions of knives from this project on the market commemorating our army’s overseas missions— Storm and Repetitor. Thanks to them, 380 thousand crowns have already been raised for the Military Solidarity Fund.