Original German WWII Luftwaffe Single Etched Short 98k Rifle Bayonet by Paul Seilheimer Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The K-98 dress bayonet was a dress version of the Combat style. It was worn by enlisted and NCO personnel. The bayonet was finished with a high-quality nickel plating, black checkered Bakelite or genuine stag grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being nickel-plated short or long version. There was a red or green colored felt insert in the rifle slot and the bayonet was suspended from a black or brown leather frog.

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 German Etched Dress Bayonet by Paul Seilheimer, Solingen – Measuring 13.5″ (345 mm) with the scabbard on, this dagger features a 7 3/4″ (200 mm) nickel-plated steel blade, magnetic, with unsharpened edges, remaining bright and crisp. It is engraved Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit (In Memory of my Service Period) on the obverse of the blade, flanked by an Army (Heer) eagle insignia on the left and an Air Force (Luftwaffe) eagle insignia on the right, the type and insignias each separated by clusters of oak leaves, with full length fullers on both sides.

The reverse riccaso is maker marked Paul Seilheimer, Solingen, with the company’s upper case initials “P” and “S” inside a circle, along with Paul Seilheimer around the outside of the circle and SOLINGEN in upper case letters underneath the circle. It exhibits very minor surface wear and contact marks, common to extraction and return to the scabbard, and a natural shine, measuring 323 mm in length, near very fine.

Thick black finished leather washer remains supple and is intact. Crossguard with quillon and pommel exhibit light contact and gilt wear, while both plates of the black synthetic grip are firmly held in place by two rivets and central pins. Accompanied by its black metal scabbard, magnetic, with frog stud, metal locket at the blade entry end held in place by a single screw, ball finial, the scabbard with multiple contact marks overall, tight frog stud. Very fine.