Original German WWI Lot of Two M1898/05 n/A Butcher Bayonets with Scabbards – Dated 1912 & 1917 Original Items

Original Items. Only One Lot of Two Available. This is a good lot of two M-1898/05 Bayonets (Seitengewehr), which were 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.

The first example is marked (CROWN) ERFURT, one of the most sought-after makers of these, with a very early date of 1912. This example has a nice set of original grooved wood grips with some damage as shown. There is heavy oxidation across the bayonet, and the bayonet lock is no longer functional from rusting. The scabbard is in rough shape and the frog button is missing as shown, but it still wraps around the blade well. A good honest example by a very rare maker.

The second example is marked Frister and Rossmann of Berlin, with a date of 1917. Per J. Anthony Carter’s fine work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS, the Fichtel & Sachs company was founded in 1895 by Karl Fichtel and Ernst Sachs, originally
for making ball bearings and bicycle parts. They also made S.98/05 Bayonets for the Bavarian Government from 1915-1918, and during 1916-1917, many blades bore the “Crossed Keys” of Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn of Solingen. This indicates that they supplied the blade blanks for these bayonets, of which this is one example. The scabbard of this example is heavily rusted & pitted as shown. The wood grips are in fair shape overall with some damage.

This is a nice pair of bayonets in honest service-used condition, ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 14 5/8″
Blade Style: Butcher with Smoothback
Overall length: 19 3/4“
Crossguard: 3”
Scabbard Length: 15 1/4″