Iisakki Järvenpää Ltd — Mannerheim puukko collector's series No. 1/50, Kauhava

The number 1 in a numbered special-knife series is always highly sought after. Such pieces have often been presented to, for example, the President of the Republic, ministers or other senior officials, and are rarely, if ever, available for general sale. Now there is an opportunity to acquire a collector’s rarity: the Mannerheim puukko No. 1/50, and at the same time support charity and honour those who fought for our independence.

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was born at Louhisaari Manor in Askainen on 4 June 1867. Iisakki Järvenpää was granted the title Imperial Cutler by Tsar Nicholas II in 1894 after making horse‑head knives for the newly crowned emperor and Empress Alexandra. The horse‑head knife had been Iisakki’s signature model since 1882. At the same time, Mannerheim served as a lieutenant in the Tsar’s Chevalier Guard, later becoming the procurer of the Tsar’s prized horses and head of riding instruction for cavalry regiments. The Tsarist regime was toppled by revolution, opening the way for Finland’s independence. That process was later led by Mannerheim, who by then had extensive military experience.

Mannerheim was also present in Southern Ostrobothnia. On the critical ‘Tammisunnuntai’ (Sunday of June) in 1918 he had his headquarters in Ylihärmä. The following day the HQ moved to Seinäjoki, where it stayed for one and a half months. In honour of this, Seinäjoki has Finland’s first Mannerheim statue. Mannerheim was not only a military leader; he long served as head of the Red Cross, founded the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, and was President of the Republic from 1944–46.

Having compiled these many details, we published the Mannerheim puukko on 4 June 2026. The model is naturally the Kauhava Horse‑Head puukko, the handle bearing the Finnish coat of arms — based on the same model that once formed the Emperor’s knife. The handle’s coat of arms is made in the same way as wartime models from 1939. The sheath is light leather with brass fittings. The sheath’s leather is branded with Mannerheim’s signature and the brass fitting on the upper part is engraved with the Mannerheim family coat of arms. The same coat of arms is engraved at the base of the blade. The other side of the blade bears an engraved individual number. The Mannerheim puukko will be produced as a numbered series of 50 pieces.

Only 50 numbered Mannerheim puukkos will be made, and a large portion have already been sold.

We have reserved knife No. 1/50 for this auction.

All proceeds from the auction will be used entirely for veterans’ work, the planting of flowers on war graves, wreaths and possibly other similar purposes.

Knife in sheath: 25 cm

Knife: 21 cm

Blade length: 10 cm

Weight: 130 g

Handle material
Birch bark, brass

Blade material
Polished carbon steel