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This is the classic Turkish bayonet of WW1. According to Walter & Hughes in A primer of world bayonets, there were only two makers of these bayonets on the Turkish export contracts: Alex Koppel and WKC (Weyersberg). However, the mark doesn't correspond exactly to either of the marks, so was there a third maker? The tughra mark on the hilt is clearly visible, as are all the other ordnance markings on the bayonet. There is another obscure mark on the back of the pommel, which looks a bit like a Staffordshire knot. The black leather scabbard is quite badly rippled in the middle and further down by the chape, due, no doubt, to a combination of shrinking and ill usage. However, the seam of the scabbard is intact. The blade has minor pitting on one side and two deeper patches on the other. The maker's mark in Arabic is clearly visible. The grips are fruitwood, as are most grips on German export bayonets of this era. I would class this as condition two on account of the pitting. I have never seen what appears to be a Turkish export frog, slightly thinner leather than on a German service example. |