Germany, Wehrmacht. An Etched Dress Bayonet, by Carl Eickhorn

(Heer Bajonett). A well-preserved Wehrmacht commemorative dress bayonet, measuring 350 mm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 200 mm-long polished magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and lower edge, with a fuller running approximately two-thirds the length of each side. Acid-etched onto the obverse of the blade is an acid-etched stylized banner bearing an inscription of “ZUR ERINNERUNG AN MEINE DIENSTZEIT” (“IN MEMORY OF MY SERVICE TIME”) in Fraktur script. The banner is flanked on the right by a Heer-style German national eagle clutching a mobile swastika, and one the left by a Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, in turn set within an oval oak leaf wreath. The reverse ricasso bears a maker’s mark of “ORIGINAL EICKHORN, SOLINGEN”, surrounding the firm’s classic logo of a squirrel clutching a sword. The blade sits firmly within a one-piece nickel-plated hilt, with the seam covered by a fully-intact black leather buffer pad. The hilt features a hooked quillon meeting a curvature emanating from the pommel for a secure grip. An insertion slot is set into the pommel, retaining an original red wool liner, retaining a functional push-button spring release. The handle grip is composed of two pieces of pebbled black bakelite, secured together with dual magnetic metal rivets. Accompanying the bayonet is its period original scabbard, constructed of a black-painted magnetic metal shaft. Emanating from the side of the shaft is a downward-pointing hook for the accommodation of a frog. The throat retains a functional spring catch to firmly hold the bayonet in place during storage, and is held together by a single side rivet. Minor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include some oxidation of the blade, slight loss of nickel plating, and some oxidation and loss of paint to the scabbard. The bayonet is in an overall better than very fine condition.