Posted 13 years ago
stepback_a…
(363 items)
I found this bayonet at a small antique store about fifty miles from my house several years ago. It is a late war German K 98 bayonet for the Mauser rifle. When I first saw it, I realized there was something different about this bayonet and frog. It was dated 1944 as was the leather frog.The bayonet and scabbard also had matching numbers, which is hard to find nowadays. The late war frog was made smaller to conserve leather. The blade of the bayonet was unblued, as was the scabbard, and the bakelite reddish handle was attached with rivets instead of screws. Overall the piece was in outstanding condition. I decided NOT to buy it, and left the store. The whole time driving home I thought I should have bought it. I got home and checked out the Bayonet Collectors Network, and found this bayonet to be extremely rare. The next day I called the store to see if he still had it and he said yes. Needless to say, I went back the next day and bought the bayonet. If you see something, buy it if you can at the time. I lost many good pieces by waiting.
Being in such nice condition makes me think that this piece was captured before it was ever issued.