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RFV KS98 Bayonet


SARGE
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Gents,

 

This is a model KS98 bayonet made for the ReichsFinanzVerwaltung (RFV) Customs and Zollschutz service made by Eickhorn. This is an item of issue service bayonet and not the generally seen nickel plated private purchase KS98.

 

This bayonet is slightly larger overall than the private purchase bayonets of this style and is made of un-plated steel that is finished "bright". This bright finish is accomplished by polishing at the factory. The black checkered grips are made of hard rubber instead of the plastic seen on private purchase "Extrawaffen" or "Extra-Seitengewehre". This bayonet will actually affix to a rifle and has a "T" shaped slot instead of a "T/O" slot in the pommel. This means the bayonet was made to fix onto a Kar.98a police style carbine and will not fit onto a standard military Kar.98k unless the cleaning/stacking rod is removed. The steel scabbard is blued but these may also be found that have been painted black over the original bluing to refresh it. The bayonet is property marked to the "R.F.V." on the reverse guard. This bayonet was worn in a standard black frog and an aluminum/green Zollschutz knot was attached to the frog.

 

 

RFV KS98 2.JPG

RFV KS98.JPG

RFV KS98 hilt.JPG

RFV KS98 pommel.JPG

RFV KS98 markings.JPG

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Nice bayonet. Different than mine. Mine is a regular 98k. Rich A. in pa.

 

Rich,

 

You are quite right that the Zollschutz also carried "RFV" marked standard S84/98 bayonets made for the regular Kar98k. The bayonet you have will fit the Kar98k without removing the cleaning/stacking rod since they have a "T/O" slot instead of the "T" slot as seen on this KS98 bayonet. The RFV got these bayonets like yours from Army stores and they are just like the standard Heer issue except for the "R.F.V." property markings on the back of the guard.

 

Good observation!

 

Here is a photo of the KS98 bayonet in wear by Customs men. Notice the men are all armed with the earlier police style Kar98a rifles that these bayonets will fit on.

Zollschutz.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Windraider
Hello,
Unfortunately, I believe that there is something wrong with this Bayonet of the Reichsfinanzverwaltung (RFV).
It is a simple walking out bayonet with an RFV stamp that does not match the original one and was placed the wrong way around.
The RFV had their own bayonet model with typical bird head handle and scabbard.
Known makers are Alcoso und E&F Hörster Solingen.

 

 

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Windraider,

 

Thank you for the reply and showing your bayonet.

 

I cover these bayonets in my book, "Seitengewehr: History of the German Bayonet 1919-1945". I talk about the differences between Extra-Seitengewehre (walking our bayonets) that are private purchase and those that were items of issue in Chapter 5. I also talk about these all steel RFV bayonets on page 186 of Chapter 7 and show one of these bayonets made by Alexander Coppel that is also property marked "RFV" without the full stops where I discuss these different die stamps used by Zollschutz armorers in property marking them.

 

These Zollschutz KS98 are quite different from their walking out cousins. They are one of a series of what I call "Police style" KS98 that have the following characteristics:

 

All are made with or without rifle/carbine lug attachments and/or with either T or T/O slots. All have large magnetic steel hilts that are polished bright at the factory and have no plating. All have black hard rubber checkered grips, some with, and some without, drain holes. All have over sized polished steel blades that are a bit longer and wider than the normal Extra-Seitengewehr. All have slightly over sized (to fit the blades) blued steel scabbards. These fit the police manual definition of Polizei-Seitengewehre of with- and without- pommel attachments on bayonets for long arms.

 

Your bayonet is a textbook example of the RFV Zollschutz KS98. But, it is not the only style made by a variety of makers including: Coppel, Eickhorn, & Weyersberg in addition to the two that you name.

 

Here are some other examples of this over sized all steel KS98. Most of these that are encountered have property markings of all different styles and sizes, utilizing all sorts of different die stamps.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

 

KS98 Eick.JPG

KS98 Eick no slot.JPG

KS98 Eick slot.JPG

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  • 10 months later...

Recently picked up a K-98 Bayonet but not sure of its time period. Bayonet is totally unmarked as is the scabbard. It has the early wood grips on it but again to marking of any king. All the metal is blued and there is no evidence of any markings removed. Has anyone ever seen one like this.

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Recently picked up a K-98 Bayonet but not sure of its time period. Bayonet is totally unmarked as is the scabbard. It has the early wood grips on it but again to marking of any king. All the metal is blued and there is no evidence of any markings removed. Has anyone ever seen one like this.

 

Yes, what you are describing sounds like an early S84/98 bayonet rather than a KS98 bayonet like those above. Some of those were unmarked while some have different markings depending upon the finish. If you can post some photos perhaps we can help you better identify what you have.

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