Original German WWI M1898/05 n/A Butcher Bayonet with Steel Scabbard by Mauser – Dated 1916 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a good example of the M-1898/05 Bayonet (Seitengewehr), which was the most common German Bayonet of the First World War. It was intended for use on the standard issue service rifle of Imperial Germany: the Mauser-designed Gewehr 98 (GEW 98). It features a heavy 14.5-inch steel blade with distinct bulge toward the point, giving extra weight and power to the business end, known as a “butcher blade”. This version is known as n/A (neuer Art = newer model). This second pattern lacks the first pattern’s vestigial muzzle ring (or ‘ears’) and has a flashguard on the back of the grip.

This example has a very nice set of original grooved wood grips, though the hilt has some surface rusting due to age. Bayonet lock is fully functional. The blade ricasso is maker marked (partially worn off):

W[AFFEN]FABRIK

M[AUSER] A.G.
OBERNDORF a.N.

The blade is also dated on the blade’s spine 16 under a proof mark of a Crown over W., for Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the year the bayonet was accepted. The blade is in good condition, though it does have some staining, and has been sharpened several times.

The steel scabbard is in  good condition, with only a few minor dents and without any major rust. The original blued finish has worn in most places to a peppery gray, typical of a 100 year old scabbard. The frog button is still intact and unbent. 

A fine example of what is becoming a difficult bayonet to find in such fine condition, never messed with, just the way we like to find them, ready to display.