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bayonets

I started life as a bayonet collector aged 12! A fascinating subject and one that, unlike swords, is still within the reach of the average beginner collector. This field is extremely well-covered by good reference books, mostly in English (such as The German bayonet by John Walter and British & Commonwealth bayonets by Ian D Skennerton & Robert Richardson), and tends not to be readily plagued with reproduction items. As a subject, it's an excellent introduction to the restoration and care of edged weapons.

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militaria item Enfield bayonet pattern 56/58 for artillery carbine, Luneschloss
- British
The real interest of this bayonet is the metal scabbard. Most of these bayonets have leather and iron ones, but for some reason the artillery were issued with polished iron examples. The rarity ratio of iron scabbards is 1:10 against leather examples. The maker's mark at the forte of the blade is 'P.D.L.' for Luneschloss of Solingen.

militaria item Plug bayonet with horn hilt
- Spanish
This is a typical 18th-century Spanish weapon, designed to be stuffed down a musket barrel when out on a boar hunt or in a military context. Amazingly, it appears to have most of the original scabbard, with the top chape of pressed tin with a decorative motif. The bottom chape is missing.

militaria item Enfield cutlass bayonet, model 1859, 2nd pattern
- British (German make - American contract)
This was introduced in 1859 for the Royal Navy to supply a need for a cutlass and a bayonet in one weapon for the naval rifle of the era, a .577 Enfield cap and ball weapon. This is an A & E Holler example - ie a Solingen blade. There are no UK ordnance marks, so this is almost certainly an American export item.

militaria item Bayonet knot, 1st Battalion/2nd Company
- German
These bayonet/side arm knots (troddeln) were introduced into the Prussian Army in 1808. The variant colours indicate the particular battalion and company to which the wearer belonged. They continued to be worn (normally wrapped round the frog) in the Weimar era and then in the Third Reich when the loose knot assumed a closed, barrel shaped form.

militaria item K98 combat bayonet by Eickhorn, matching numbers
- German
This is the classic Wehrmacht combat bayonet of the Third Reich era, carried by all combat units, although the brown frog would suggest Luftwaffe or perhaps early Kriegsmarine use. Carl Eickhorn is perhaps the most well known of the Solingen cutlers of the era.

militaria item Double-etched K98 dress bayonet, Ernst Pack & Sons
- German
This is a classic Ernst Pack dress bayonet, with no maker's mark, but the 'signature' screw bolts which no other maker used. The original owner must have been in a heavy artillery unit, as suggested by the obverse blade etching. These weapons were normally only worn when off duty, but in uniform.

militaria item Whitworth bayonet marked for 2nd/60th
- British
This is the bayonet for the .451 muzzle-loading Whitworth rifle. In extensive trials these were issued in 1863-67 to infantry units, including various guards and rifle regiments. Some 8,000 bayonets were produced, the general scale of issue being some 68 rifles and bayonets per regiment. The 2nd Battalion 60th were in the Maori Wars 1860-70.

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testimonials

I am wholly delighted with the shako plate. [It] is a wee cracker. It is a real pleasure to have something combining both condition and quality in equal parts, and I simply could not be more pleased.

R H, UK, 08.01.2010

The pouches arrived today. EXCELLENT RELICS, THANK YOU. I look forward to doing business with you again. Thank You Chris.

J S, USA, 12.11.2005

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