WWII-Era German KS98 Dress or Parade Bayonet with Scabbard

A German KS98-style dress bayonet, produced as a private-purchase sidearm for wear with a military uniform rather than as a standard field-issued combat bayonet. Similar examples are categorized by the Smithsonian as German dress-model knife bayonets.

This example features a long, single-edged blade with a broad fuller, black checkered grip panels, a bird’s-head pommel, recurved quillon, and nickel-finished hilt fittings. It includes the dark steel scabbard shown and measures approximately 12½ to 13 inches overall.

The bayonet displays considerable age and wear, including oxidation, pitting, scratches, staining, dark patina, and extensive loss of the original finish. The blade appears to have been sharpened or cleaned previously and has uneven discoloration along its length. The hilt fittings show heavy plating loss and surface corrosion, while the grip panels have scratches and handling wear. The scabbard shows oxidation, scratches, finish loss, and scattered dents.

No belt frog is included. Please review all photographs carefully for condition, markings, and identifying details.