Article about: Hello everyone! This is my first proper post on the forum, happy to join all of you! I'm looking to bid on my first German edged weapon or really any type of militaria item, so any help with
This is my first proper post on the forum, happy to join all of you! I'm looking to bid on my first German edged weapon or really any type of militaria item, so any help with assessing this bayonet would be greatly appreciated. I currently have a very modest budget to use on the hobby due to wife and child, so that's why this piece got my attention due to it's modest price which to me seems a good value for the condition of the bayonet itself, of course assuming it's authentic and from the period. The current bid on it is 215€, to me that seems like a good price for this item. Would you agree? The highest I would be ready to pay for this would be around 250€ to 300€. Do you think that's a good price? I know you don't value items on this forum, but to me this seems a very good price so just wanted to check whether I'm missing something on that...
I think it's authentic, but I have limited experience and no reference books, so... The only thing I haven't seen before is the marking with just the number "11" on it with no letters or Roman numerals, is that normal? How about the mortise, I know those are rarer to have on police dress bayonets, but does it look authentic to you? Especially the "square" shaped side of it? The seller says that the frog is likely a post war reproduction. I don't have better pictures of the scabbard, so I don't know if there's any markings in there. The scabbard is in a pretty rough shape, but the bayonet itself seems pretty decent.
It has the 35-41 Eickhorn logo as far as I know, were these types made during that period as new or were they all cut down from Weimar period pieces? Just thinking that if it's a cut down piece, then it probably shouldn't have that logo, but my knowledge level especially for police bayonets is quite low as I'm more interested in daggers.
Any help with this would be really appreciated! Especially on it's authenticity and it's price, but certainly more information on the bayonet itself would be very nice to know too. Thank you very much!
Nice item and post, cant help with the information you seek however some in the collecting community may recommend utilising gloves, or a good wipe down after inspection in order to properly care for the blade and in general the whole specimen, G
Thanks Gwar! These are the sellers pictures for an auction, I haven't actually handled this piece myself, but I'll keep that in mind if I end up purchasing it.
Reading others posts, I found out that these were indeed made during the Third Reich period so that period of logo wouldn't be out of place and apparently on that period pieces there aren't unit markings. Anyone know what the "11" marking is?
I've asked the seller for more pictures of the scabbard without the frog to see more of that and also of the back of it to see the slot and if there's any markings on the "back side" of the blade. I'll post them if I get them.
I'm itching to bid on this, but there's still a bit more than 2 days, so I'll definitely wait for evaluation from some knowledgeable kind hearted forum member.
EDIT: Then again, I think the blade is of the shortened type due to the fuller going all the way and there's the cut slot, which I read someone writing that wasn't made for the newer pieces. Oh well... I'm sure, someone will be able to answer all of this, now I'll wait patiently.
Got quite a few more pictures from the seller, there's still more than these if there's some part someone would like to see. He mentioned that apparently the number "11" is a police district number and that everything up to 31 would be in the Berlin area, that's something he heard from a collector. There seems to be a number stamped on the inside of the mortise / locking piece, possibly 90 or 06.
I think these help with defining that it looks authentic, but also maybe a bit rougher condition than what it looked from the first pictures. Would you still consider something between 220€ and 300€ a good price for something like this? Is that something I could relatively easily sell it for later on if I want to upgrade or possibly even for a bit more? Thanks!
Here's a couple more pictures on the blade for good measure. Now I'll wait for answers... As you might have noticed, I'm pretty excited about the possibility of acquiring my first historical edged weapon.
I would guess that this was made right at the start or just before the Third Reich began as the blade is actually a cut down Prussian Police blade.
You can tell it has been shortened by looking at the fuller (the concave shape running down each side). It runs right to the end of the blade whereas a purpose made TR period bayonet would have the fuller in "full" if you like.
I'm not sure the scabbard is original to the bayonet, it appears to be a cavalry scabbard (hence the leather cross strap and button) but many K98 bayonet frogs fit perfectly well with Polizei items.
As for the number 11, I can't add any info to what you already have. I have a bayonet which has the number 50 stamped on the crossguard but I am no further forward in finding out what this means other than the number designated to that particular weapon.
As for price, if you get it for the price you quote then you have done superbly well, in todays climate I'd be looking for it to go double at least, and then add on auction house fees and shipping to that also.
Good luck
Here are a few photos of some of mine, start off with a Third Reich produced bayonet which has the blade manufactured with the complete fuller. The fittings are made of aluminium. Also the grips on this one are wood which has been fashioned to look like stag horn!
Thank you very much for the detailed answer jamie7d7, I appreciate that very much! The only thing that I'm left wondering is the trademark, as far as I know Eickhorn used that trademark between 1935 and 1941, so that would be in the Third Reich period fully. Did the order to shorten the blade come after 1935, so that this blade would have been manufactured after 1935 as a Third Reich piece with the long blade, but then cut short when that order came in? I haven't heard of them restamping manufacture's logos on the blades afterwards and I think the work was apparently done by the police organisation itself, not the manufacturer.
Did you mean to say that the "frog" / leather hanger is not original or that the scabbard itself is not original? The seller mentioned the frog not likely being original, but nothing about the scabbard, which looks like a police scabbard to me.
In any case, you have helped me very much and given confidence that it's an authentic piece with a good price, assuming it won't go up much. This piece is on a generic auction page that has everything on sale on it, it's not an auction house and doesn't have much militaria for sale so there's a chance to grab this with a very reasonable price.
Thanks for sharing your piece, that's a really nice one! Interesting grip certainly.
Other opinions on the piece are of course welcome as well, thank you all!
Sorry for spamming the thread, in addition to the question I had in my last post about the Eickhorn trademark and the blade being shortened, I would also like to know what material was used in the fittings during this period for police bayonets? I think some of the later ones where done with aluminium and there's some rare early types with brass, but what would the bayonet I'm asking about have? Is that just pot metal that used to have either a silver or nickel plating? Doesn't look like solid nickel to me at least. Thanks again!
This bayonet is a legitimate period produced example. Based on the maker mark, this one was made during the 3R, as stated, the ‘35-‘41 period. The hilt is made of aluminum which is typical for examples showing this maker mark. I’ve owned at least 2 of them and they all looked quite similar with aluminum hilts that were slotted. Unfortunately the plating used on these wasn’t great and you will sometimes see the plate loss.
This one originally had a 17” blade which was cut down to 13” probably in 1937 or 1938 contemporaneous with the consolidation of the Polizei. Those I’ve owned had uncut blades but they’re seen in both varieties.
The crossguard number is some sort of accountability number, typically the original scabbard will have the same number but not always. Mismatches are often seen too as I guess the police weren’t so concerned with matching things as we later collectors are.
The frog with crossstrap is probably not original to the bayonet although who knows? Typically a thick leather frog with rivits would have been used on a service weapon like this based on the extra weight. Sometimes frog variants are observed but usually on the smaller examples which were for higher ranks and would have been purchased privately. This example has accountability numbers so it was likely the property of a Polizei unit.
It’s a decent example overall but something you should not overbid on considering the fees and buyer’s premium associated with auctions. Police bayonets are fairly plentiful and can often be acquired without overpaying.
Thank you very much for the evaluation Billy G, I appreciate that very much! It's not for sale in an auction house so there's no fees other than a 7€ postal so if there's no bidding war, I might be able to get it for less than 250€ total which looks very reasonable to me. I'll certainly keep your advice in mind.
I think I have pretty much as much information about the bayonet there is to have based on the pictures, but certainly others are more than welcome to chime in on my questions.
I'll let you know if I'll get it and at what price.
Help w/ Police Bayonet for a Novice
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