GermannK98 bayo in crome??.

[Jacob Andreasen]

GermannK98 bayo in crome??.

Does any one know the use of these K98 bayonetts in crome.
I have had severel of them in the past years, most of them found in old peoples estates.

The one of these below is in mint condition, the two other is in used condition. The mint one i got from a museum.
Some collectors claim that these are cromed post war, but i dont belive in that.
Some of the ones i have had, have shown everyday use.
and have been in very poor cindition and rusty.

[Skipper Greenwade]

I suppose they could be period plated, but I personally would be suspicious of them.

Skip

[CRAIGGOODWIN]

I agree

I have always been under the impression that this was done post war either by or for GI's

[Jim Maclean]

I've got to echo Skipper's and Craig's thoughts on this one, never seen any mention of them as period pieces. I would take one as a gift, but would never believe it was correct. Certainly wouldn't buy one.


Jim

[jacob77]

Hello....I also have an chromed bayonet it is been used because the blade shows lotts of wear .

I believe some could be chromed pre 45...the one I have is an police bayonet and they wore it sometimes like an dressbayo

[Skipper Greenwade]

The police bayonets are normally encountered with plated blades.

The bayonets pictuerd and being discussed here are the standard pattern service issue bayonets that have had the blades and hilts plated. There is little evidence to suggest this was a 1933-1945 era practice.

Best,
Skip

[jacob77]

And is there evidence to support that they where post war?

best jacob

[Skipper Greenwade]

Yes...as Craig mentioned in his earlier post, the bayonets were either plated by the Germans and sold to souvenir-hunting GI's assigned to the occupation forces (the same ones who bought those funky "Field Day" parts daggers!) or they were plated once the GI's got home with them. (The plating gave the rather plain service bayonets a lot more eye appeal.) The dress and police bayonets already had that "shiny" look so - thankfully - most of them were left alone!

I have also seen far too many chromed Lugersand P-38'sl, so the bayonets weren't the only items that fell vicgtim to the electroplaters' vats!

Skip

[voodoo]

Let me also throw my bayo into the fire.

I have heard some opinions over the years that some of these may be reworks. Sent back to the factory, had the original blueing removed, polished, and for some reason, sat in the armory and not sent into service. Perhaps from there, a GI could of liberated it for his own.

Glasmanden, have you ever taken the grip off? Are the scabbard and bayo matching?

Jeff

[voodoo]

1

[GerColctor]

It was a fairly common practice for returning GIs or friend who bought the bayonet off the vet to have them chromed or nickel plated in the machine shops that use to dot the northeast in the 50s.

As a kid I saw a number of these chromed bayonets and Lugers or P-38s. The guys chromed them in that era, as chrome was BIG then, just look at the bumpers on cars from that day. The chrome also made them look "sexier", gave them "style". You will find bayonets with wear marks on the blades or scabbards, because people, mostly kids [like me] played around with them in the backyard, throwing them at trees, sticking them into the ground, etc.

Recently a guy I know offered to sell me a "great" P-38. When he showed it to me it was dated 1940 and still had it's original matching serial numbered mag. The only problem was, it had been chromed years ago, destroying it's value.

I have to agree with Jim, take one as a gift, but never spend any money to own one.

Some people on these forms try to say that the chromed or nickeled guns were issued to the SS, thus attempting to increase their value. Just what every member of the SS wanted, to be in a serious firefight with a shinny gun that could be easily seen.

[Erik Snider]

I have always thought of these as post war. For one it is chrome, not nickel plated. Also the fact it shows wear doesn't mean it is period. I have heard plenty of stories from people about how they would "play mumbly peg" with their dads nazi souvenirs when they were kids. The wear could just mean some kid in the 60s used it to dig around his sand box.
Really I have a problem with the logic behind why the chroming would be period. Assuming it was meant for a parade piece, why would they take millitary property and convert it over for display purposes? Why wouldn't they have chromed non-army police S84s instead? There wasn't a shortage of KS98s, and if there had been they sure wouldn't have taken the time to chrome combat bayonets as the walls of great Germany began to crumble.

The fact that there are chromed p38s etc. only adds to my suspicion almost all these pieces are post war. Chromed P38s were never part of a dress code, or am I wrong?
Never the less I think they are interesting, and I would like to see one with the grips off.
Also would it be possible to reverse plate it assuming the original finish was not buffed off? It might be worth trying if you had a matching luger.

[voodoo]

Here are a few photos that it took some time ago. The maker of this bayonet is Berg & CO., with the number s/n 6351 and the letter g in the reverse. The bayonet is stampped WaA253, twice one the pommel,once on the crossgaurd, and once on the flashgaurd, and the spine is stamped 38.
The scabbards maker is E. Pack & S. 1940 S/N 8453 a.
I took the bard apart and found that there are three numbers on the spring 465 which match the last three numbers on the bard s/n 84465. The is also a Wa mark 253 with the Eagle with outstretched wings. The bayos cleaning rod channel does have some evidence of darkened metal in the middle, but whether this is blued, I can not tell.

[voodoo]

throat

[voodoo]

bard