Rating and value of your German bayonet

If you own a collector's bayonet and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will be happy to offer you their appraisal services.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on today's market. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we'll guide you towards the best possible means of obtaining the best possible price.  

Rating and value 

First introduced in the 18th century and adopted by Western armies, bayonets are now becoming veritable collector's items. They are sold at very different prices, ranging from €10 to €6,200. In 2016, a brass-handled bayonet with an iron scabbard, dating from 1866, sold for €4,700.  

The utility of the bayonet  

Designed to be attached to the barrel of a rifle or similar weapon, the bayonet is a "arme blanche", i.e. a sharp weapon requiring human strength, as opposed to firearms. It enables close, hand-to-hand combat, like a spear.

This transformed the rifle into a versatile weapon, combining the characteristics of a firearm and a hast weapon (a bladed weapon consisting of a metal point on a wooden shaft). From the 18th century onwards, pikes and halberds became obsolete in Western armies, and infantrymen increasingly used bayonets.

The history of the bayonet 

The Bayonet is thought to have been invented by the Bayonne peasants during their revolt and the sporadic conflicts that erupted in the 1660's. Lacking ammunition, the Bayonnais would have attached hunting knives to the end of their sticks.

Nevertheless, let's not forget that as early as the 17th century, the ancestor of the bayonet was mentioned and used by the King's musketeers, who added blades to the barrel of their muskets.  

Other accounts report the use of this type of weapon by a French archer. It was in 1640 that the first bayonets were used by French armies, bearing in mind that during Louis XIII's lifetime, bayonets averaged only 30 cm in length. They were of the "bouchon" type, with a cylindrical handle to secure the musket barrel. Although effective, this model was no substitute for pikemen, whose role was to protect the shooters.  

Estimate

Bayonets can be worth between €10 and €6,200.

Bayonet production  

Initially, there were two types of bayonet: the plug bayonet and the socket bayonet. The wooden handle of the plug bayonet is inserted into the barrel.

This type of bayonet was introduced in Europe around 1640-1647, making it the very first model designed for hunting. Although it has the advantage of being sharp on both sides, it is impossible to shoot when fixed.  

It was in 1695 that the socket bayonet appeared, consisting of a tube to which the blade was attached. This model was modified in 1703 to reload the weapon, and then in 1770 with the addition of the ferrule, for better attachment. The straight-bladed bayonet saber was invented by the United Kingdom in 1800 and adopted by France in 1840.

With the evolution of military tactics, the bayonet is similar to a relatively short sword, from its beginnings until the mid-19th century, one of whose archetypal models remains the Baker rifle, used by the British infantry until the 1840s. The bayonet became versatile with the invention of the "rifled rifle" in 1854, similar to the "Sawback model" invented by Prussia in 1865.

In 1869, the British appropriated this model to invent a very similar weapon. The bayonet knife was definitively adopted by Germany and Italy the year Hitler came to power, as well as by the United States in 1944. This model thus became the standard for all armies using bayonets.  

In principle, recent bayonets have a visible gutter on the emerging part of the blade. Designed to limit the weight of the bayonet, this gutter forms a concave depression. More recently, the modern U.S. M9 sawback bayonet was introduced in 1984. It incorporates one of the features of the Russian AK-47 model, which can slice through barbed wire with a cutting brush.

The M7 bayonet of the 1960s was replaced by the M9 bayonet. Today's bayonets take the form of a knife with a handle, part of which attaches to the rifle in the manner of the SKS. The type of SKS bayonet blade varies according to place and date of manufacture, and can be knife-like (Romania, Russia, Yugoslavia), cruciform (modern China) or triangular (Albania).  

Why are these objects prized on the auction market?

The market for antique weapons is relatively unknown to the general public, but is fuelled by collectors who buy and resell antique weapons such as bayonets. Closely linked to the history of France, Europe and beyond (you'll also find Ottoman, Asian and American weapons), antique weapons are sought-after both for the know-how they demonstrate and for the history they tell.

At auction, your weapon is submitted to an expert who examines it in minute detail. This expertise enables future bidders to find out, if you don't already know, about the weapon's era, the materials it was made from, the manufacturer, and the conflicts in which it may have been used.

Like French swords, crossbows and wheel guns, bayonets are sought-after items by bidders all year round.