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 troddle, and the color would indicate the branch or rank.
This great Heer (army) example is in excellent condition, and has a nickel plated blade, as all dress bayonets do. It has a nice alloy hilt, with most of the Nickel Plating intact, though there is some light wear, as shown. The mortise button and blade release are fully functional, though the felt insert is missing. The grip plates are both lovely checkered black bakelite, and both are in great condition. They are retained by nickel-plated steel screws.
The blade on this example is nickel-plated, as were all dress bayonets, and it shows almost no wear at all. It has not been sharpened, and still retains its blunt factory edge. The original black leather blade buffer is in place, and is in very nice condition.
The ricasso of the blade is marked with the “Siegfried” trademark logo of Ernst Pack & Söhne, which is in excellent condition. The mark shows their trademark “Young Siegfried wielding a hammer”. The whole trademark reads:
Siegfried
WAFFEN
E. PACK
& SÖHNE
SOLINGEN
Per J. Anthony Carter’s book GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, this firm used this trademark on Army Officer swords as well as daggers and bayonets before the war and during the early years. They mostly made daggers so there is not as much information regarding the swords. The company survived the war, until it was sold in the 1960s to another knife company from Solingen, and the maker mark continued to be used into the 1990s.
The scabbard is straight throughout and has black enamel paint. This paint is still in good condition with just a couple of scratches, and the usual crazing and checking from age. Attached to the scabbard is a nice leather frog, which is almost in perfect condition. A very nice scabbard and frog combination.
An great example of an German Long 98k dress bayonet by a well-known maker, complete with scabbard and frog, ready to display!
Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 1/2″
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 14 1/4“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 10 7/8″