Original Item: Only One Available. 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. The bayonets were finished with a high-quality nickel plating, with black checkered bakelite grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, either the 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.

This Heer (Army) example is in very good condition. It has a nice alloy hilt, with a good amount of the nickel plating present, though there is overall light oxidation and bubbling. It has flaked away on the spine and on some of the cross guard. The mortise button and blade release are fully functional. The grip plates are black checkered bakelite, and both are in great condition, with little wear.. They are retained by nickel-plated steel rivets, one of which has lost all the plating and oxidized.

The blade is a fine nickel-plated example, and is in very good condition, and still has the original leather blade buffer/washer. The blade is straight, with runner wear on the tip and sides, as usually seen. The blade is correctly unsharpened, with an intact tip, showing a few dents to the edge. The plating shows some oxidation as well as marks from being polished by possibly steel wool, which has left a bit of a matte finish in areas.

The blade ricasso is maker marked with the firm's trademark Pre-1941 "Scales" logo, with the firm's initials ACS interspersed with ALCOSO SOLINGEN above and below. This type of trademark was one of several used on Police and other dress bayonets before 1941, per J. Anthony Carter's seminal work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS.

Alexander Coppel & Co. KG, Stahlwarenfabrik (Steelware Factory), located in Solingen, the legendary German "City of Blades." The company was a major manufacturer of edged weapons and tools from the end of the 19th century up until the WWII period. Unfortunately, as NSDAP-control increased, brothers Carl Gustav and Dr. Alexander Coppel, the Jewish owners of the firm, were forced out. In 1936 the firm had been "Aryanized", and started using the name ALCOSO to hide the Jewish family name. By the end of 1936 the brothers were ejected from their Solingen offices, and by 1940 the brand trademark initials ACS were changed to AWS to reflect the change in ownership and name: Alexander Coppel Solingen to Alcoso-Werk Solingen. Carl Gustav Coppel committed suicide in Solingen in 1941, and Dr. Alexander Coppel was arrested in 1942 and sent to Theresienstadt Prison camp, where he died August 5th 1942.

The scabbard is quite nice and still has over 90% of the black enamel paint, with some checking and crazing from age. There are some scratches and chips missing, but no major damage. The body is held by the included black leather frog, which is in very good lightly used condition. It looks to be most likely a military issue example, and is marked on the back by the maker: E.O. Götze & Sohn / Gersdorf / 1941.

An very nice example of a German 98k Heer dress bayonet, complete with belt and frog by a maker with a somber back story.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 9 5/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 14 1/2“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 12 1/4"