Original German WWII Heer Army Single Etched Long 98k Dress Bayonet by Robert Klaas 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, either the 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 troddel, 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 Heer (army) example is in very good condition, and has a nickel plated blade, as almost all dress bayonets do. It has has a nice bird's head alloy hilt, with a functional mortise button, and most of the nickel plating intact, showing loss on the reverse by the bayonet lock, where it has flaked away. There are also some areas with plating loss on the edges, and the felt insert in the bayonet slot is missing. The grip plates are lovely checkered black bakelite, and are in excellent condition. They are retained by solid nickel dome-headed rivets dressed on the reverse, which now show light oxidation.

The blade on this example is nickel-plated, as were all dress bayonets, the plating is very well retained, showing some loss on the front from runner wear, which has allowed the steel to oxidize a bit. There is also some scattered plating loss and light oxidation farther down the blade. It has correctly not been sharpened, and still retains its blunt factory edge, showing a few small dents. The original leather blade buffer is no longer present.

The etched panel itself has some lovely designs, surrounded by "Wotan's Knot" motifs, with a large spread wing Wehrmachtadler Eagle in the center. Below the wings of the eagle flanking the wreathed swas is a lovely German black letter type face inscription:

Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit

This translates to "As a reminder of my service", which is a very common inscription for these dress bayonets. 

The reverse ricasso is maker stamped with a "round" style trademark logo that reads ROBERT KLAAS / SOLINGEN, surrounding the trademark Klaas "Kissing Storks" trademark emblem. This is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which produced many fine edged weapons. The company was originally founded by Friedrich Robert Klaas, who married the daughter of knife maker Peter Daniel Pauls. After his father-in-law passed away, all was left to Klaas and his wife, so he merged his scissor business with the knife business, and registered with Solingen authorities in 1869. The company passed to his sons, and then his son-in-law. It survived WWI, WWII, and still exists today, per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The scabbard is straight throughout, without any major dents or other issues. The original black enamel finish is very well retained on both sides, and shows know signs of having been refinished. There is a lovely pattern of checking and crazing on both sides, with a bit of oxidation spotting, but no major flaking of the finish. 

An very nice example of an German etched Long 98k dress bayonet by a desirable Solingen maker, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 14 5/8“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 10 1/2"