Germany, Wehrmacht. A Commemorative Dress Bayonet, by Carl Eickhorn

(Heer Bajonett). A well-preserved Heer commemorative dress bayonet, measuring 40 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 25 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and lower edge. A wide fuller runs the majority of the length of the top edge of each side of the blade. Acid-etched onto the obverse is a stylized banner bearing an inscription of “ZUR ERINNERUNG AN MEINE DIENSTZEIT” (“IN MEMORY OF MY SERVICE TIME”), flanked on the right by a Heer-style German national eagle clutching a mobile swastika, and on the left by a Luftwaffe-style badge. The reverse ricasso bears a maker’s mark of “CARL EICKHORN, SOLINGEN”, circumscribing the firm’s squirrel logo. It sits securely within a one-piece nickel-plated alloy hilt with a hooked quillon, hollow insertion slot with functional push-button release, and an intact blackened leather buffer pad covering the seam. The handle grip is composed of two pieces of pebbled black bakelite, secured together with dual non-magnetic metal rivets. The bayonet is accompanied by its 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, firmly holding the bayonet in place during storage. Issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include running marks and sporadic tarnishing to the blade, minor loss of finish to the nickel plating of the hilt, and oxidation of the slot’s button release. It remains in an overall near extremely fine condition.