Original German WWII Heer Army Artillery Double Etched Short 98k Dress Bayonet by F.W. Höller with Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. The K-98 dress bayonet was a dress version of the combat style, and was worn by enlisted and NCO personnel for dress and parade occasions. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with stag or bakelite grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being nickel-plated short (20cm) or long (25cm) version. There was usually a red or green colored felt insert in the rifle slot and the bayonet was suspended from a black or brown leather frog. Some had a functional bayonet latch, while it was ornamental on some. Often they would also have a sword knot, or troddle, and the color would indicate the branch or rank.

Enlisted or NCO personnel were permitted to purchase K-98 dress bayonets with fancy etched blades. These etchings run the gamut from simple designs featuring the standard remembrance, Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit (In Memory of My Service Time), to very fancy, custom etched depictions, citing the individual's regiment, unit, and sometimes even his name. Many blade factories offered unique etch patterns. The etch work was often state of the art.

This lovely example is in very good condition, and comes complete with the correct original black enameled steel scabbard. The bayonet has a has a very nice custom DOUBLE etched nickel plated blade. It has has a nice alloy hilt, which still retains the plating at about 80%, showing a bit of flaking and wear, as well as overall peppering. The mortise button and blade release are functional, with a red felt insert that unfortunately is more than 50% missing due to age and mothing. The grip plates are both lovely checkered black bakelite, and both are in great condition. They are retained by plated steel rivets which have dressed heads on the obverse, showing light oxidation and plating loss.

Measuring 13.5" (345 mm) with the scabbard on, this dress bayonet features a 7 3/4" (200 mm) nickel-plated steel blade with unsharpened edges, which remains mostly bright and crisp. It is a "knife" style blade with partial fullers and a false edge on the top of the point. The right side of the blade has a lovely etched panel with the text Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit (In Memory of my Service Period), in a banner near the edge, surrounded by oak leaves. Below this is a lovely battle scene showing a machine gun emplacement, an artillery emplacement, as well as an armored vehicle. The other side of the blade has another panel, which shows a tracked transport pulling an artillery piece, bordered on both sides by closed-wing Reichsadler Eagles. Definitely quite a bit more ornate than the usual examples we see!

The ricasso is maker marked with a "losenge" style trademark logo that reads F. W. HÖLLER / SOLINGEN, surrounding the trademark Höller "Thermometer" emblem. This is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which produced many fine edged weapons. F.W. Höller, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. During the WWII Period they manufactured many SA and NSKK daggers, both with their "thermometer" trademark and later with the RZM code M7/33. They also produced numerous 98K bayonets and other edged weapons. The firm was founded in 1866, and registered in Solingen in 1883. By 1900 ownership had passed to Emil Höller, and it continued manufacture after WWII, finally closing in 1974. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The steel scabbard is in great condition, still dent free and showing only light wear. The original black enamel finish is present at over 95%, showing a lovely pattern of crazing on the lower half. There are just a few areas of chipping and finish wear, making this a great example!

An very nice example of a double etched German Short 98k dress bayonet by a well-known maker in its original scabbard, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 12 5/8“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 8 3/4"