beestonboxer Posted 4 April , 2013 Share Posted 4 April , 2013 i have what i believe is the 1888 Mannlincher knife bayonet , it has the makers mark of Simpson and Co suhl on the blade the other side of the blade shows a lion rampant , there is also a lion rampant on the scabbard , it has K R stamped on the bottom part thick edge of the of the blade , it has a screw on top of the muzzle ring, approx 37.5cm total length , the tip ball part of the scabbard has m stamped on it , does the description sound like the 1888 Mannlincher bayonet , made in Germany for the Bulgarian market ? what does the initials K R stand for and the initial M ? were they used in ww1 ? and what would the value be of one in very good condition ? there are no other marks on it apart from what i have already described , i will try and get some photos of it on at the weekend . Thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 4 April , 2013 Share Posted 4 April , 2013 Others will know better but I ususally associate the rampant lion markings with Czech bayonets. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 4 April , 2013 Share Posted 4 April , 2013 It will be either the M1888 or M1890 Austrian bayonet of which many were reworked and used by other countries after the war. The 375mm length does fit. The photos will help confirm the ID and a measurement of the ring (MRD) will help ascertain exactly which country may have reworked it (the lion is Czech) The screw on the muzzle ring is the giveaway here - does it look like the one shown below. There is plenty more info on the Old-Smithy website linked HERE Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 4 April , 2013 Share Posted 4 April , 2013 Thinking about it some more - the lion may also be Bulgarian. See the photo added below for the Bulgarian version lion. More info on these bayonets HERE Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beestonboxer Posted 5 April , 2013 Author Share Posted 5 April , 2013 Great it is exactly the same as the 3rd bayonet in the link given which just shows Date as 1888 , makers mark , scabbard and ricasso markings , the lion is located in the same positions on my bayonet as in those in the link , an identical match. Thank you at least i know what i am looking at now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beestonboxer Posted 5 April , 2013 Author Share Posted 5 April , 2013 photos added and another last photo bayonet2.pdf bayonet4.pdf bayonet5.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 5 April , 2013 Share Posted 5 April , 2013 Very nice bayonet indeed. And you were spot on with the identification - M1888 Mannlicher knife bayonet made by Simson for the Bulgarians ... too easy.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 6 April , 2013 Share Posted 6 April , 2013 Too easy indeed but its not that common a bayonet! Mind you, IIRC, Simpson also made a Mp34 bayonet that is like the Mannlicher 1888 but I don't have any further details on that or who they were issued to... Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beestonboxer Posted 6 April , 2013 Author Share Posted 6 April , 2013 Thanks for your help on this its a long time since i had anything to do with bayonets and bayonet markings it had me a bit puzzled when i first saw it but thought it was a little unusual so i had it anyway , good to find one with a nice bit of woodwork to it and a blade in such good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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