Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII metropolitan police long dress bayonet manufactured by E. & F. Hörster & Co. of Solingen. Complete with its matching unit marked black leather scabbard, early pattern leather frog, and decorative Troddel knot, it is an especially attractive and well preserved police walking out ensemble.

The hilt is constructed from nickel plated alloy and features a decorated bird’s head pommel without a functional bayonet mounting slot. The upswept crossguard is ornamented with oak leaves. Both the guard and pommel retain nearly all of their original nickel plating, with only light oxidation and age related wear.

The grip is fitted with stag horn scales secured by solid aluminum rivets. The scales remain tight, with no apparent movement. An aluminum police insignia is firmly mounted to the right grip scale.

The reverse of the crossguard bears the unit marking:

S. W. I. 546.

The same marking is stamped on the reverse of the scabbard, making this a matching unit marked set. The marking is consistent with the municipal Schutzpolizei of the Wiesbaden district, First Precinct, property or weapon number 546.

The nickel plated steel blade measures approximately 33cm, or 12.75 inches, in length. It has the shortened police configuration, with the fuller extending nearly to the point. The nickel plating remains in very good condition and shows expected wear from the internal scabbard runners and past cleaning. More noticeable wear and plating loss are present near the tip and along portions of the blade edges. The original leather blade buffer remains present and is in very good condition.

The reverse ricasso is maker marked:

E. & F. HÖRSTER
SOLINGEN

The opposite ricasso bears the firm’s stamped trademark of a downward pointing sword piercing the interlocking initials HHS. E. & F. Hörster & Co Gmbh is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which marketed many fine edged weapons. Originally founded in 1850 as "Friedrich Hörster" in 1850, the company was renamed to E. & F. Hörster in 1870 at the behest of Friedrich Emil & Fritz Hörster. The firm lasted long after WWII, finally being declared insolvent in 1996. For more information please the definitive work GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The scabbard is constructed from black leather with nickel plated brass fittings. Its black finish is very well retained, with only minor pulling along the rear stitching. The stitching remains intact, and no tearing or other significant damage is apparent.

The scabbard is carried in an early pattern black leather frog fitted with aluminum rivets set through brass washers. The frog shows honest age and service wear, including cracking to the surface finish and additional wear around the upper portion.

A leather and bullion Troddel knot is tied around the frog. Its leather strap is decorated with silver and red bullion strips, with additional red and silver bullion ornamentation around the slider. The lower knot is constructed with aluminum colored thread and green striping, while the insert at the bottom is green. The knot shows age consistent wear but remains a visually appealing component of the complete ensemble.

With its matching Wiesbaden police markings, stag horn grips, retained police insignia, bright Hörster marked blade, leather scabbard, early frog, and decorative Troddel, this is a particularly desirable example of a German police walking out bayonet. The matching unit numbers substantially enhance its collector interest, making it well suited for an advanced German police, Solingen edged weapon, unit marked equipment, or WWII dress bayonet collection.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 13"
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Overall length: 17 1/2”
Crossguard: 2 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 14 1/2”