Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent original German WWII Fireman's short dress bayonet manufactured by Alcoso of Solingen, complete with its original style black enamel scabbard, black leather dress frog, and silver and carmine red Fire Service Troddel knot. This is the desirable short version with a 7 5/8-inch blade, and it remains exceptionally attractive throughout, retaining over 90% of the bright nickel plating on the hilt and nearly all of the blade plating. The distinctive Fireman's “S” shaped crossguard, early Alcoso scales trademark, excellent checkered Bakelite grips, and complete suspension setup give this example particularly strong display appeal.

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. This also included civic organizations such as Police and Feuerschutzpolizei (Fire Protection Police) units. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with often custom grip plates and black enamel painted scabbards. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being a 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, and others had no latch at all. This example has none at all.

This Fireman's example is the short pattern with a 7 5/8-inch blade, a configuration we do not encounter nearly as often as the longer type. Unlike some dress bayonets, this example has no bayonet mounting latch or mortise arrangement.

The steel hilt retains over 90% of its bright nickel plated finish, with only very minor wear and light oxidation around the lower edges. It has the characteristic swept “S” shaped crossguard associated with Fire Service dress bayonets.

The grip plates are closely checkered black Bakelite and remain in excellent condition. They are retained by nickel plated steel rivets with dressed obverse heads, which show only light oxidation.

The blade is an especially attractive example and has the somewhat more knife-like profile occasionally encountered on short dress bayonets. It features a false edge along approximately the upper quarter of the point and a noticeably thinner fuller than that seen on many standard dress blades.

The nickel plating is almost completely retained, with only normal runner wear and light surface scratching keeping the blade from being nearly pristine. Correctly, the edge shows no evidence of post manufacture sharpening and remains free from dents. There is only a very tiny dent at the extreme tip.

The original leather blade buffer remains present against the crossguard.

The ricasso carries the firm's prewar and early wartime scales trademark, incorporating the initials ACS with ALCOSO above and the Solingen location below:

ALCOSO
ACS / Scales Trademark
SOLINGEN

Per J. Anthony Carter's seminal reference GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this scales trademark was one of the markings associated with Alexander Coppel and Alcoso edged weapons before the later wartime AWS variation came into use. The scales emblem had long been associated with the Coppel firm's Solingen production.

Alexander Coppel & Co. was one of Solingen's important manufacturers of steel goods and edged weapons. The firm traced its history to the 19th century and operated in the city internationally known as the Klingenstadt, or “City of Blades.” The ALCOSO name itself derived from Alexander Coppel Solingen and was already in use as a registered trademark before the Third Reich period.

The history of the company during the 1930s was deeply affected by the persecution of its Jewish owners. In 1936, the Coppel enterprise was forcibly “Aryanized,” with Alexander and Carl Gustav Coppel pushed out of the business. The company subsequently continued under non-Jewish ownership as Alcoso-Werk GmbH.

The firm's history is particularly poignant. Carl Gustav Coppel died by suicide in 1941 amid the continuing persecution of the family, while Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested and deported in 1942 and died that same year at Theresienstadt. The story of the Coppel family gives surviving Alcoso edged weapons an important historical context beyond their role as military and civic sidearms.

The steel scabbard remains straight and completely free from dents. Approximately 90% of the original black enamel finish survives, showing only minor chipping and wear. The underlying steel grain remains visible through the finish, with no obvious indication that the scabbard has been refinished.

The black enamel has developed an attractive pattern of fine age related checking and crazing across the surface, giving the scabbard a very pleasing original appearance.

The scabbard is carried in a very nice black leather dress frog. The leather shows some wear around the belt loop, but most of the original stitching remains intact and the frog presents very well with the bayonet.

Wrapped around the frog and scabbard is a Fire Service Troddel knot. It has a leather strap decorated with three lines of metallic thread and a silver and carmine red, or Karminrot, end knot appropriate for Fire Service wear.

The leather strap shows wear in several areas and the metallic stripes have developed oxidation. The colored insert at the bottom of the knot remains notably vibrant, providing an attractive contrast with the aged silver thread and black leather.

For the German Fire Service, civic edged weapons, or Alcoso collector, this is an especially appealing and complete short dress bayonet. The uncommon 7 5/8-inch blade, over 90% surviving hilt plating, excellent nickel plated blade, early ACS / Alcoso scales trademark, straight 90% finished scabbard, original style black leather frog, and complete silver and carmine red Troddel combine to make this a particularly strong display example. The minor oxidation, light blade wear, tiny tip dent, and age wear to the frog and knot are fully disclosed, while the overall preservation is excellent.

Specifications:-
Blade Length: 7 5/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 12 5/8“
Crossguard: 2 7/8”
Scabbard Length: 9” + frog