Samurai sword of former Kazakh security head fetches 1.5M tenge
A controversial item from the estate of Karim Massimov has been auctioned again. The price rose significantly during bidding, but the deal has not yet been finalized.
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The samurai-style saber, discovered in the home of the former head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB), has been listed multiple times. Previous auctions failed to result in completed sales.
In the latest auction, the starting price was 379,000 tenge ($800). Bidding drove the price up sharply, with the top bid reaching 1,586,954 tenge (approximately $3,200).
Description of the item
According to the listing, the blade is made of steel and features a shallow groove running along its full length. The scabbard is black, and the handle is metal with a raised geometric pattern.
In January 2026, the saber was put up for auction again, but the sale was declared void due to a lack of bidders. A month later, in February, reports indicated the saber had sold for 3.4 million tenge.
Massimov was arrested following the events of January 2022. A court later found him guilty of treason, attempted seizure of power and abuse of office. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
