My son and I were cleaning out a house and he found two bayonets. Can anybody tell us anything about them? What they are? What gun were they for? what are they worth? The smaller bayonet is 19 inches long.
Some more amplifying information:
the long bayonet: Curved Blade is 22.5 inches. Overall length is 27.5 inches. Blade is 1 inch wide. The handle appears to be made of Brass. There is a numeral "2" stamped into the blade near the guard.
the shorter bayonet: Straight blade is 20 1/8 inches long. Bayonet is 25 3/8 inch overall length. Blade is 3/4 inch wide. Handle is made of wood. There are some markings on the blade near the handle, but they are so worn that they are illegible.
I think the curved bayonet is a French Yataghan from the 1800s, probably the 1870s. You can find lots of them for sale on Ebay. Check the spine of the blade for a place of manufacture or date.
The second one could be VOSS, Solingen(Germany). It's been my experience that bayonets generally aren't bringing a big price unless they're in great shape and of a desirable make, with a scabbard. Good luck with them. J.O'.
The shorter bayonet is an M1898 for use on the 8mm Mauser Gewehr 98 used in the Imperial German Army. These are known as "quillback" or "pipeback" bayonets for the rounded spine with a fuller just below the spine.
I can't tell from the pictures if it an "old model" or "new model". One piece wood handle = old model. Two piece wood handle = new model. One piece handles are very rare.
The top line of the stamp is V C S , short for V. C. Schilling & Co., which was the manufacturer.
The third line is SUHL, which is for the town where the company was located.
There MAY be regimental markings stamped into the guard on the side not shown in the photos it was ever actually issued to a specific regiment/company.
Also, look along the spine near the guard. There should be a crown over 1 or 2 letters over 2 numbers (for the year of manufacture, e.g., 02 for 1902,) over an inspector mark.
The crown refers to some segment of the Austro-Hungarian or Prussian empires, the letter will indicate which ruler and the numbers, the year of manufacture. As an example, Crown over GR over 02 would refer to King George of Saxony in the Prussian empire.
