Original Item. Only One Available. This is an interesting WWII Enlisted “Pioneer” dress bayonet. A very unique Extra-Seitengewehr of the S 84/98 pattern for walking out. These bayonets looked too much like issue 84/98 bayonets and were not very popular by the soldiers and are therefore quite scarce. They were marketed as "Engineer" (Pionier) bayonets by the manufacturers, but were used by any branch of the military, including Police. As with other dress bayonet variants, the choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, either the nickel-plated short (20cm) or long (25cm) version.

This example has the correct "military style" handle, which is made from nickel plated non-magnetic alloy. It features a functional slot and catch, with checkered bakelite grip scales retained by nickel alloy rivets, which are dressed on the reverse. It sports a beautiful nickel plated 9 7/8” blade, which is shaped identically to the standard S84/98 III. The nickel plating is retained almost completely, and there have not been any attempts to sharpen the edge, as is correct. There is some scattered light oxidation and scuffing from cleaning, and there is no leather blade buffer present.

The ricasso is maker stamped with a "losenge" style trademark logo that reads F. W. HÖLLER / SOLINGEN, surrounding the trademark Höller "Thermometer" emblem, which is partly under the chappe. This is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which produced many fine edged weapons. F.W. Höller, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary "City of Blades" in western Germany. During the WWII Period they manufactured many SA and NSKK daggers, both with their "thermometer" trademark and later with the RZM code M7/33. They also produced numerous 98K bayonets and other edged weapons. The firm was founded in 1866, and registered in Solingen in 1883. By 1900 ownership had passed to Emil Höller, and it continued manufacture after WWII, finally closing in 1974. For more information please see J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

The steel scabbard is straight throughout, showing no dents or other damage, and the original black enamel lacquer finish is retained at about 90%. It has a lovely pattern of checking and crazing, showing that it has not been refinished, and there is just a bit of finish loss from contact with the leather frog. It fits the bayonet well, holding it securely. The scabbard is held in a black patent leather dress bayonet frog, which features steel rivets and a felt covered back. It is in good shape, though as we often see the patent leather finish has "melted" over time, and also shows cracking and other issues.

A very lovely & scarce pioneer bayonet, ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 7/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 14 5/8“
Crossguard: 1 1/8”
Scabbard Length: 10 1/2"