Original German Weimar Police Clamshell Guard Dress Bayonet by WKC Waffenfabrik with Staghorn Grips, Scabbard & Frog Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is something that we have not had before! This is a great example of a rare Weimar Republic Police Dress “Walking Out” Bayonet, by the famous form WKC Waffenfabrik. After the NSDAP takeover in 1933, items bearing the Weimar period insignia were readily destroyed, dress bayonets such as these had their insignia removed and replaced with NSDAP sanctioned ones. This example however still has the original hexagonal nickel Weimar period Police insignia on its beautiful stag horn grip scales, and comes complete with its metal fit leather scabbard and leather frog.

The pommel is a solid decorated “Birds Head” without a bayonet slot, as seen later during the WWII Period. The “clamshell” guard shows a spread winged Weimar Eagle, and the crossguard has oak leaves embossed on both sides. The bayonet has a lovely approximately 10 1/2 inch long nickel plated steel blade, with an upper false edge, much like a fighting knife. Blade is nice and bright, of excellent quality, and still has over 90+% of the original nickel plating, with a slight area of wear to the tip.

The blade ricasso under the guard is maker marked with the trademark “Knights-Head” (Ritter-helm) logo of WKC Waffenfabrik. This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany – a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ”Kings head” as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company Weyersberg Kirschbaum & Cie was formed, which continued into the Weimar Period. It then rebranded as W.K.C. Waffenfabrik GmbH, and produced many edged weapons during the NSDAP Period. The company is still in operation today.

The scabbard is made of fine black leather, fitted with nickel plated brass, and is in very good condition. The leather does show age and finish loss, and the stitching on the back has rotted out, but it still looks great. It is held in the correct black patent leather frog, which does not have any securing rivets. The finish on this has deteriorated over time, as the patent leather have the thick finish “melt” over time. This has happened a lot on the frog, and the stitching is now loose, however this pretty much guarantees that it is the real deal!

This is a wonderful very rare Weimar Period Clamshell Police Bayonet, complete with scabbard and ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 10 1/2″
Blade Style: Single Edged with Narrow Fuller
Overall length: 15”
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 11 1/2”

The Weimar Republic (German: Weimarer Republik), officially the German Reich (Deutsches Reich), also referred to as the German People’s State (Deutscher Volksstaat) or simply the German Republic (Deutsche Republik), was the German state from 1918 to 1933. As a term, it is an unofficial historical designation that derives its name from the city of Weimar, where its constitutional assembly first took place. The official name of the republic remained the German Reich as it had been during the German Empire because of the German tradition of substates.

Although commonly translated as “German Empire,” Reich here better translates as “realm” in that the term does not necessarily have monarchical connotations in itself. The Reich was changed from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. In English, the country was usually known simply as Germany, and the Weimar Republic name became mainstream only in the 1930s.