I recently received this mismatched Tokarev with 0-5% bluing on exposed surfaces of the frame and slide, and much of that turning to browning. I found it at a cool little shop in El Cerrito, CA that I frequent, while I was away on business just over two weeks ago. When I first picked it up in the shop, I saw the grips and the "02" marking, realized what it was
...then I saw the price tag that was not quite double the Classic Firearms sale price on Romanian TTCs
and I scorched my fingers pulling my wallet out of my pocket
I was excited because it's a 48.M Hungarian Tokarev with the Rákosi Coat of Arms on the grips. It has no import marks, no crappy safety that would have been added for standard US import in the 1990s or later, and it has "the look" of having been carried through SE Asia, likely by an NVA officer. A well known Vietnam bringback collector recalls seeing 3-4 of these Hungarian Tokarev bringbacks in 30 years, so I'd place this firmly in the
rare category.
It's been a really, really good summer for Vietnam bringbacks for me. Hopefully you aren't tired of seeing them. Thanks for looking!
Serial NumbersHungarian 02 Country Code MarkingsRákosi Hungarian Coat of ArmsHungarian Circle 10 ProofOther Markings