Looking for Info on a Bayonet

[KnifeySpooney]

Hi folks --

In cleaning out the house of an older family member, we came across a knife that I have come to understand is a K98 German dress bayonet. There is not much back story for this that I'm aware of, other than it belonged to her father who had served in the military during World War 2.

There are no numbers stamped/engraved anywhere that I can find, which makes this different than most others I've found via Google. The blade seems to be in relatively good condition (somewhat tarnished), but the tip is bent to one side a bit. There are no markings or engravings other than that in the second image below. A green piece of felt is in the opening at the rear, I assume this is where it would attach to a rifle.

Hoping to get any information that I can on this, more for curiosity than anything else (I don't believe she intends to sell it). Anything anyone can share would be much appreciated!

[TWS]

I'm not a blade guy, but it appears to be a parade bayonet. Evidenced by the plating to the handle and the crossguard and the felt in the slot used to attach it to the rifle. Also no blueing on the blade like a field bayonet would have. Appears 100% period original. E. Pack and Söhne is a well-know maker of Third Reich edged weapons.

[BlackCat1982]

Good original parade bayonet. May have been used as an impromptu hammer by someone given the marks on the pommel. But all fine with frog too.

[Anderson]

Yes, an authentic E Pack & Sohne KS98 dress bayonet. "Good" overall condition. This one has the "Pack" trademark used in the late production of these bayonets, where production ended around 1942. So probably was made 1940-42, someone else could pin point the earliest date it is likely made. The green felt mortice plug signifies the branch of service the soldier was in. Green generally believed to relate to jager and Airforce supervisory troops. But others believe the colour has no particular meaning.

[Larry C]

Welcome to the forum KnifeySpooney ..it appears you will fit in well here as the community here has a great sense of humor as yourself with a user name such as yours.

The Bayo is a standard Dress bayonet as commented above producer by Ernst Pack.

I believe there is a WRF member here named " Foam Spoon " you may get along with him very well.

Regards Larry

[BlackCat1982]

Not forgetting that of course knifeyspooney is the correct nomenclature for third reich sharp and spooney thingies.

[KnifeySpooney]

Thanks very much to all for the quick and informative responses!

While I do have something of an interest in military history, I really don't know much about memorabilia collecting. Would it be worth trying to clean it up, remove rust, straighten out the bent tip, etc... or just leave as-is? I anticipate this will remain a keepsake for now, though I wouldn't rule out the possibility of it being sold to a collector at some point down the road.

Happy to hear that my chosen nickname is period appropriate.

[cashdj]

Hi KnifeySpooney,

Best to leave it exactly as it is. Trying to "repair" them can often cause them more harm than good. I've seen a lot of scabbards etc repainted, and to most collectors, that's a big "no no", and trying to straighten out a bent tip could cause more problems.

In regards to cleaning it, I've read comments elsewhere that some collectors prefer them to be left "as is" as well (particularly the patina), whereas some collectors will clean them.

I've not cleaned any of my dress bayonets, but I'm not opposed to cleaning them either.

If you decide to clean it, use a clean, soft cotton cloth and use something like renwax to help protect it.

Long term storage in the scabbard can cause some rust problems, so some collectors recommend keeping them out of the scabbard (definitely use renwax or similar on the blade if that's the case).

I did have some links saved at one point a while back about cleaning and storing bayonets, but I've saved those links somewhere and can't find them. Hopefully others that are more experienced can offer some good advice.

Cheers,
Darren

[KnifeySpooney]

Great info, I'll not fiddle with it for now then. Thanks very much!