Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting original German WWII Seitengewehr 84/98 III bayonet, serial numbered 1786 n and manufactured by Josua Corts Sohn of Remscheid. It is accompanied by a Czech VZ24 pattern scabbard and an original black leather frog that has been decorated with German wartime insignia, including a Heer shooting lanyard device, rank pip, and aluminum tricolor cap cockade. The unusual combination gives this set considerable character and the appearance of a wartime or early post war souvenir grouping, although no documentation accompanies the set establishing who assembled it or its specific bring back history.

The Seitengewehr 84/98 III, commonly referred to by collectors as the K98k bayonet, was the standard knife bayonet associated with the German Karabiner 98k rifle. Its compact straight blade and simple hilt made it considerably shorter than the long bayonets associated with the earlier Gewehr 98. It was normally carried on the left side of the equipment belt in a scabbard suspended from a leather frog, or Seitengewehrtragetasche.

The blade ricasso is serial numbered:

1786 / n

The reverse ricasso is marked:

42 ddl

The wartime manufacturer code ddl identifies Josua Corts Sohn, Remscheider Hobelmesser-Fabrik of Remscheid, a manufacturer of planing knives and other edged tools that also produced S84/98 bayonets for the German military. The prefix 42 indicates 1942 manufacture.

The pommel bears two Waffenamt inspection stamps:

WaA519

WaA519 is documented on ddl coded Josua Corts S84/98 bayonets from the 1942 to 1943 period and is consistent with the 42 ddl marking on this example.

Condition of the bayonet itself is very good. The blade retains over 80% of its original blued finish and still has its original factory edge profile. There is runner wear from insertion and removal from the scabbard, with additional finish wear toward the tip from contact with the scabbard runners.

The black Bakelite grip scales remain in good overall condition and show light service wear. There is cracking around the securing bolts on both sides. This is most pronounced around the lower bolt on the right grip, where the Bakelite crack extends almost completely from one side to the other. The bayonet locking button remains fully functional.

The accompanying scabbard is a Czech VZ24 Mauser type rather than the original German S84/98 III scabbard. It is numbered on the frog stud:

41704

The scabbard has the characteristic angled or “L” shaped frog stud associated with this pattern, together with the small lip at the flat side of the throat where the blade spine enters. Czech VZ24 bayonets and scabbards were used and modified by German forces after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and German modified examples are known with alterations to the scabbard throat and frog stud. This particular scabbard accepts the S84/98 III bayonet, although the supplied markings do not establish when the two were first paired.

The scabbard is fitted with an original black leather bayonet frog of wartime pattern, constructed with steel rivets and a retaining strap secured by a steel stud. The leather remains in very good condition and the stitching is sound.

What makes the frog especially unusual is the group of German insignia attached to it. Mounted on the belt loop is the metal insignia from a German Heer Army First Pattern Schützenschnur, or shooting lanyard. A small rank pip is attached just above the scabbard frog stud, while an aluminum tricolor cap cockade is mounted toward the bottom.

These additions give the set the appearance of a souvenir assembled from German military equipment and insignia. The original collection notes describe it as a USGI bring back and state that the insignia were attached by the soldier who captured it. However, no named veteran provenance or accompanying documentation is supplied with the set, so we cannot independently confirm who added the insignia or exactly when the grouping was assembled.

For the German WWII bayonet collector, this is an unusually characterful grouping combining a clearly marked 42 ddl Josua Corts Sohn S84/98 III, serial 1786 n, matching period WaA519 inspections, substantial original blade bluing, a Czech VZ24 pattern scabbard, and a wartime leather frog decorated with multiple pieces of German insignia. The cracked Bakelite grips and unmatched scabbard are fully disclosed, while the decorated frog gives the set a distinctive appearance that would stand out in a K98k bayonet, German field equipment, or WWII souvenir collection.

Specifications:
Model bayonet: Seitengewehr 84/98 III
Markings: 1786 / n and 42 ddl
Material: Blued steel
Grip material: Black Bakelite
Blade Length: 10"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 15 1/4“
Crossguard: 1 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 10 1/2"