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 stag or bakelite grip plates and black painted scabbard. The choice of blade length was left to the purchaser, being 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. Often they would also have a sword knot, or troddel, and the color would indicate the branch or rank.

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 is a wonderful Heer (Army) example, and comes complete with the original scabbard, which is in great shape. The bayonet has a has a very nice custom "double-etched" nickel plated blade. It also has has a great alloy hilt, which still has close to 100% of the original plating retained. It is a simplified version, and does not have a channel for a bayonet lug. There is no bubbling of the nickel finish, just some light oxidation which could easily be polished out if desired. The grip plates are both lovely checkered black bakelite, and both are in very good condition, showing some wear near the cross guard, and the right side has some chipping on the edge.  They are retained by plated steel rivets, which have dressed heads on the obverse, showing some oxidation.

The blade on this example is nickel-plated, as were all dress bayonets, and is in very good condition. It has more of a "knife" design than the usual dress bayonet, with a a thin fuller on both sides, and a false edge on the spine side. We often see this design on Eickhorn short dress bayonets, but it looks like other makers used them as well. There is some light plating wear on the tip area, mostly related to the runner inside the scabbard, and the edge is still correctly blunt, with no dents or other issues.

The reverse of the blade is stamped with the maker name and address:

Max Weyersberg, Waffenfabrik (Weapons Factory), was founded by a member of the larger Weyersberg family of blade makers. The company was located at Katternbergerstrasse 176 in Solingen Germany, the legendary "City of Blades" in Western Germany. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, this company was founded in 1920, and registered with authorities in 1933 as a maker of cutlery, hunting/sporting knives, and edged weapons. WMW WAFFEN was their main trade name, however very early in the NSDAP period the company name in an arc over Solingen was used, as on this example.

Unlike most examples that we see, this bayonet is etched on BOTH sides of the blade, which was definitely an upcharge when these were ordered. One side shows a classic WWI era battle scene with a Maxim machine gun and artillery shown, with a Wehrmacht Heer closed wing eagle on the left side, and oak leaf & acorn borders. The other side has another eagle, and more oak leaves and acorns, with a banner bearing a standard German black letter type face inscription:

This translates to "As a reminder of my service", which is a very common inscription for these dress bayonets. The leather blade buffer is still present and in great shape.

The scabbard is straight throughout with no dents, and really is in good shape considering the age. The original black enamel finish shows light wear and a good amount of checking and crazing, but no major damage, and the finish is probably retained at over 90%.

A very nice example of a double etched German Short 98k dress bayonet by a desirable Solingen maker, complete with scabbard. Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7 7/8"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Narrow Fuller
Overall length: 12 1/2“
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 8 7/8"