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 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 is a very good example, and comes complete with the original scabbard and a brown leather frog. The bayonet has a has a very nice custom "double-etched" nickel plated blade. It also has has a nice alloy hilt, which still has over 90% of the original nickel plating, and a fully functional mortise button and lug channel, complete with a red felt insert. There is no real bubbling of the nickel finish, just some light oxidation which could easily be polished out if desired. The grip plates are both lovely checkered black bakelite, and both are in very good condition, showing some wear near the cross guard. They are retained by plated steel rivets, which have dressed heads on the obverse, showing some oxidation.

The blade on this example is nickel-plated, as were all dress bayonets. There is some light plating wear, mostly related to the runner inside the scabbard. There is a bit of light oxidation, but nothing major, and the edge is still correctly blunt, with no dents or other issues.

Unlike most examples that we see, this bayonet is etched on BOTH sides of the blade, which was definitely an upcharge when these were ordered. One side shows a classic WWI era battle scene with a Maxim machine gun and artillery shown, with a Wehrmacht Heer closed wing eagle on the left side, and oak leaf & acorn borders. The other side has another eagle, and more oak leaves and acorns, with a banner bearing a standard German black letter type face inscription:

This translates to "As a reminder of my service", which is a very common inscription for these dress bayonets. There is no maker mark on the blade, but that is not uncommon, as many outfitters would purchase unmarked blade blanks in bulk, which they then would custom etch and plate themselves. The leather blade buffer is still present and in great shape.

The scabbard is straight throughout with no dents, and really is in good shape considering the age. The original black enamel finish has however checked and flaked quite a bit, and now is retained at probably 40%, with the balance replaced by an oxidized patina. The scabbard is held in a very nice brown leather belt frog, which is in very good shape, though it may be a period replacement.

A very nice example of a double etched German Short 98k dress bayonet, complete with scabbard and frog. Ready to display!

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