LONG Saw-Back Bayonet Donation

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-22-2011, 02:26 AM

Hello all! My family owns a recycling facility and militaria comes in all the time. Luckily, I can use it to build my collection/ share with my high school history students (I work for my parents during the summer and work as a 7-12grade history teacher during the school year).

An elderly couple came into our facility yesterday to dump some random/ worthless objects that they were not able to sell after holding a yard sale. They came up to the office to pay when they saw a sign I posted about helmets and militaria and we had a conversation about how I'm a history teacher and I love to share these historical objects with my class.

The couple told me that they had the poster and bayonet up for sale at the yard sale, but they hadn't sold. They had them in their car, and luckily they decided not to dump them. They decided to give me the bayonet and poster.

The man told me that during WW2 he was in the Boy Scouts. His troop went on a "mission to hunt for scrap metal for the war effort" and he found the bayonet. He thinks a WW1 vet gave it to him to melt down for the war effort because the vet didn't have the heart to hold onto a "Hun bayonet while our boys are over there fighting the Nazis." He said he thought the bayonet was neat and decided to hold onto it instead of turning it in to be melted down. The man said the bayonet had been sitting in the crawl space under the stairs in his family's house ever since.

The woman said she won the poster in a school spelling-bee. She said she was so excited to win the poster because at the time, she thought FDR was the only president EVER!

I loved the stories behind these two finds!

I felt so happy and honored about them giving my the bayonet and poster, that I offered to pay for their dump fee... I told them it was the least I could do. The dump fee ended up being exactly $11 and they were thrilled.

The bayonet has some rust, but I think it really is in awesome shape considering it's almost 100yrs old. The wood panels on the grip are especially in awesome condition. The button on the rear of the grip even works just like new!

My eyes literally popped out of my skull when I pulled the bayonet out of the scabbard and saw the saw-back. I have heard so many stories about these things being rare and that German soldiers were executed on the spot if they were captured with these barbaric weapons! Are these rumors true?

SO! What exactly do I have here? How rare is this bayonet and what is it's value?

I don't think I can share this one with my high school students!

Please let me know if more pictures are necessary!

THANKS FOR TAKING A LOOK!

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 08-22-2011 02:26 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Dean** · 08-22-2011, 02:53 AM

Very nice! In excellent condition as well, thanks for sharing such a find...and a great story to go with it.
~Dean

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-22-2011, 03:01 AM

by Dean

Very nice! In excellent condition as well, thanks for sharing such a find...and a great story to go with it.
~Dean

Thanks! I'm thrilled over this!

Here's a pic of the campaign poster:

Not a bad haul for $11, eh?

**Blitzkrieg Bop** · 08-22-2011, 03:33 AM

Great bayonet! Value wise, like I said earlier, probably $150.00
I wish things like this were allowed to be shown in school. This year, we were studying the Civil War, and my teacher asked me to bring in my musket ball collection. I agreed, only if the Principal said it was OK. My teacher asks, and my principal replies by saying they are explosives, and is against school code! Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.
I wish I had a teacher like you. Would be pretty sweet.

**davejb** · 08-22-2011, 03:46 AM

The german saw back butcher bayonet was considered to be against the rules of war and there are stories that soldiers captured with these faced very harsh treatment, therefore many had the saw back removed, but to be honest the damn thing was so long it could go right through a man anyway and cause massive internal damage

**davejb** · 08-22-2011, 03:52 AM

by Blitzkrieg Bop

Great bayonet! Value wise, like I said earlier, probably $150.00
I wish things like this were allowed to be shown in school. This year, we were studying the Civil War, and my teacher asked me to bring in my musket ball collection. I agreed, only if the Principal said it was OK. My teacher asks, and my principal replies by saying they are explosives, and is against school code! Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.
I wish I had a teacher like you. Would be pretty sweet.

BB, I think your head teacher needs to go back to school, hes pretty ignorant regarding the types of bullets used during the Civil war, if he thinks that musket balls are explosives take in some large ball bearings and ask him if they are also considered as explosives, see what he says

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-22-2011, 04:02 AM

by Blitzkrieg Bop

Great bayonet! Value wise, like I said earlier, probably $150.00
I wish things like this were allowed to be shown in school. This year, we were studying the Civil War, and my teacher asked me to bring in my musket ball collection. I agreed, only if the Principal said it was OK. My teacher asks, and my principal replies by saying they are explosives, and is against school code! Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.
I wish I had a teacher like you. Would be pretty sweet.

Thanks for the compliment! I had no idea you were so young!

I agree with you 100%. There are so many neat ideas I have that are not possible because of school rules that I would consider ridiculous. Our school even blocks teachers from using youtube in class. I've argued that youtube has plenty of educational and current event videos, but my argument has falled upon deaf ears.

It's unfortunate that the majority of students are NOT like you. I'm not far removed from high school... but MY GOD! so many individuals in this current generation just don't give a crap! Every day seems like a battle for their attention... "Mr. T vs. students' cell phones and ipods." As such, I try my best to be a little bit of an entertainer. I try to use humor. I try to shock my students with crazy stories and facts... I try to use classroom discussion, debates, skits, group projects, hands on activities, etc.

by davejb

The german saw back butcher bayonet was considered to be against the rules of war and there are stories that soldiers captured with these faced very harsh treatment, therefore many had the saw back removed, but to be honest the damn thing was so long it could go right through a man anyway and cause massive internal damage

Good to know, thanks!

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-22-2011, 04:32 AM

by Blitzkrieg Bop

Great bayonet! Value wise, like I said earlier, probably $150.00

Found this similar bayonet... I'm hoping your appraisal was a little low

The Collector's Guild

**AntonEbans** · 08-22-2011, 05:24 AM

by GIZMO8Z

Found this similar bayonet... I'm hoping your appraisal was a little low

The Collector's Guild

For a more realistic price, check this site; Butchers

Anton

**GIZMO8Z** · 08-22-2011, 05:38 AM

by AntonEbans

For a more realistic price, check this site; Butchers

Anton

Thanks for the response!

Hmm... well, that website certainly brought my thoughts back down to earth a little. However, he does not have one there for sale that closely resembles my bayonet, so I'm still holding out some hope that mine is a gem!

He has a pay-per-use reference section, but I hesitate to subscribe considering that I do not plan on collecting bayonets... :/