In this article we will focus on last year´s merger of two renowned manufacturers of small arms, thanks to which an extraordinary strong international group was born with an ambition to be the world leader in the manufacture of small arms. This merger is unique mainly because CZ zbrojovka was involved and can therefore expand.
Tribute to legends
As the name suggest, to celebrate the anniversary, the limited and unique edition of the legendary pistols was born. American Colt is represented by Colt 1911 pistol and Cz zbrojovka by CZ 75 pistol. All engravings were undertaken by the internationally respected engraver René Ondra, who transforms each firearm into new, valuable and distinctive piece of art.
The first one of this 50 sets was donated to a charity auction organized by the Kodl Gallery in Prague, the Czech Republic, on 27.11.2022. The proceeds from the auction were donated to the Military Solidarity Fund, Police and Firefighters Foundation and to the fundraising bank account of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Czech Republic. The auctions for remaining 49 sets will follow and will represent an extremely interesting collector´s item and very likely highly profitable investment. We must mention, that both pistols are fully functional and can only be purchased by holders of valid firearm licence.
René Ondra
The author of the engravings on these limited edition pistols Tribute to Legends is real Master Engraver. His motto is : " the only time I am truly satisfied is when the customer is amazed". Currently, he is mainly focused on CZ products which transforms into immensely valuable work of art.
The appearance of weapons
Both pistols have been decorated with a similar style that unifies artwork of Colt and CZ Česká zbrojovka. The style of the font and the ornaments was inspired by descriptions of North American guns from th 19th century. Colt 1911 and CZ 75 are thanks to the high-gloss bluing, maple grips that come with brand´s logo and gold-plated controls, perfectly aesthetically matched. For the first in the history of limited series from Česká zbrojovka, firearms are stored together in a single large case. The case is made of maple along with birch root veneer and with its appearance perfectly matches set of two pistols.
CZ 75
CZ Česká zbrojovka refers to the pistol CZ 75 simply as a legend that does not age. The common feature of the CZ 75 pistols is a reliable trigger mechanism, extraordinary ergonomics, perfect reliability, great accuracy and large magazine capacity. The CZ 75 pistol is the second most copied pistol of all time after Colt 1911.
Colt 1911
The iconic Colt 1911 ranked in active service 111 years ago. During this time it gained great popularity by the military and civilian units. Its timeless construction is proved by the fact that even after more than 100 years today's weapons manufacturers still modify and innovate this pistol.
Charity auctions of limited series
Hand - engraved firearms are often sought after goods among the collectors. In recent years, Česká zbrojovka has organized several auctions of which are known primarily the auctions of limited edition pistols CZ 75 REPUBLIKA or CZ 75 TOBRUK. The auction of the first model first brought 650,000 and then even 980,000 CZK for charitable purposes. In March 2022 TOBRUK limited series helped to raise money for charity in amount of almost 5 000 000 CZK. The charity auction from 27. 11. 2022 of Tribute to Legends limited edition pistols helped to raise 1 700 000 CZK.
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- Radek Mládek
- Radek is a student of psychology, a military enthusiast and last but not least, a member of the Faust military history club. He is a fan of military since childhood, he says ( with little bit of exaggeration) that it has been accompanying him all his life. His other hobbies include sport, bushcraft and airsoft.
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