SS Bayonet. Real or fake?

[army_inc]

Hey Guys. I have a k98 bayonet here and at first glance, it just looked like any other german bayonet. I looked a little bit closer at it and noticed a few things.
The bayonet is in good shape and is marked "CLC 44" I researched it and it is made by Rich Herder. It has a fantastic frog which appears to have a unit marking on the front. I can't read it but I can just make a few numbers and slashes (/). It also looks to have an approval stamp on the bakelite handle which I thought was weird. It's really worn though, so it could be light scratches (but they are in the "V" shape with 3 lines sticking out each end of the "V") but I can't see a number or anything on the bottom. It does have the WaA stamp with the numbers (don't have it in front of me and I can't remember what the numbers were) at the top of the handle above the release button. What makes me think it is an SS bayonet is this. I was looking at it and below the release button a little to the right, I noticed a straight line. Straighter than a normal scratch I guess. I looked a little closer and changed the light on it. Sure as day there was one "S" in the same shape or style as the "SS" that they used. I will be posting pictures after work today and hopefully that will help you guys help me. Thanks again guys.

[Billy G]

Dave,

I think most of us tend to be skeptical when anything is attributed to the SS by means of an etching or engraving & particularly a stamping. A lot of unscrupulous sellers have resorted to embellishing otherwise ordinary items in an attempt to sell things at a premium. Please show us pics when you can, would love to see what you've got.

[AndyB]

Your bayonet looks like a normal Wehrmacht accepted piece, the other side should be marked with serial number and letter prefix, the frog is not unit marked but RBNr probably marked, which was a digital code of maker, is with 3 series of numbers divided by slashes. best regards,Andy
PS pictures would help

[Frogprince]

Without pictures it's very hard to make a reasonable estimate of what it is. However I'm completely in agreement that a legitimate attribution to the SS is highly unlikely from the information at hand. FP

[David Guist]

Hard to say without pics.But I have seen an original K98 with SS etching on it.So they are out there.But very rare.Best regards.

[dag001]

Agree with Billy, Andy & Fred....

[Chad1]

SS bayonet

I too have an "SS bayonet".

I recieved mine from a long time collector/friend, and it was the only one he had ever had like it. Basically, a real nice dress Eickorn bayonet, with a black patent leather frog, and the runic button from the handle of an SS dagger sunk into the grips of the bayonet.

It's a cool piece, but will forever remain a questionable item in the minds of many, just because it isn't the "norm", and it isn't "theirs".

The usual response is, "everybody did that back in the day, making poor man's SS daggers".

I don't blame them, but it is what it is, and I got it where I got it.

That's probably all you'll ever be able to say about any so-called SS bayonet.

[army_inc]

Sorry guys that it took me FOREVER to get these pics on here, but here they are. I will be putting the bayo up on the e-Stand section shortly if you are interested.

[army_inc]

pic 2

[army_inc]

pic 3

[army_inc]

pic 4

[army_inc]

under pic 4, you can see the outline of the right side of the "S" on the "SS" That makes me wonder if it was just faked after the war, or is it legit?

pic 5

[army_inc]

final pic

Since there are other lines that travel in exactly the same direction as the ones that you are referring to, I would suspect that these are scratches on the hilt, not markings.

[army_inc]

I didn't notice the other scratches, it looks a little different in person, but I clearly see your point. I appreciate your input.