UBB.threads
Posted By: JohnZ WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/10/2015 07:52 PM
Now, here is an interesting short dress bayonet with the early WKC logo (helmet only).

The interesting points are:

1) stag grips
2) TM on the obverse side
3) triple etched... this has the rarely seen spine etch
4) a dedication to an individual, Wilhelm Zimmermann
5) the early dedication 'In Treue Fest'
6) the use of Eickhorn-style fleur de lys bookends on the etches on both sides of the blade.

Not the best condition with plating loss, buggered tip, missing washer, worn etch and well-worn scabbard. But, a nice addition to the JohnZ wall. This makes my 7th WKC etch.

Post WW1. If it were a TR maker mark, I would have hesitated based on the fleur de lys pattern by itself, but I have seen this pattern etch on WW1 style bayonets. There is one on a Bavarian style bayonet here:

http://militarycollectiblesinc.com/catal...ae6a4b4f7c71bbc

John

Attached picture Obverse.JPG
Attached picture Reverse.JPG
Attached picture Obverse Grip.JPG
Attached picture Reverse Grip.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Attached picture Obverse Etch.JPG
Attached picture Reverse Etch.JPG
Attached picture Spine Etch.JPG
Posted By: Billy G. Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/10/2015 11:42 PM
This bayonet has a lot to look at & despite any condition issues, it's really a nice piece. I've always been partial to triple etched items but besides that, you have beautiful stag grips, a Bayern connection & a name to research. A cool piece with a lot of character IMHO.
Posted By: ORPO Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/11/2015 03:17 PM
Very nice John. The placement of the WKC logo on the obverse is typical for WKC in my experience. I have also seen Bavarian motto etches with this "Eickhorn" style etching template so I think it is fine on your KS98.
Posted By: JohnZ Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/11/2015 04:41 PM
Thank you for your comments, ORPO and Billy.

Here are some shots of the grip plates and the etches.

John

Attached picture Obverse Grip Plates.JPG
Attached picture Reverse Grip Plate.JPG
Attached picture Obverse Etch Front.JPG
Attached picture Obverse Etch Mid Wilh. Zimmermann.JPG
Attached picture Obverse Etch Rear.JPG
Attached picture Reverse Etch Front.JPG
Attached picture Reverse Etch Rear.JPG
Posted By: TKissinger Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/11/2015 07:34 PM
John

Can we assume the TM pictured is Pre WW2? What other pre-WW2 WKC bayonets do you have.
Posted By: JohnZ Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/11/2015 10:32 PM
Terry:

My other WKC etches all have the name of 'WKC' under the helmet, which makes them TR era, not necessarily wartime.

This etch has helmet only.

I have heard that this type of TM is seen on late Weimar, pre TR marked Hirschfangers.

The type of TM and the fleur de lys bookends and the type of etch make me all think that these are pre TR... the TR etches that I have are all Holler productions. I believe that WKC had an in house etching facility until the early 1930's, then decided to outsource their etching to Holler.

Here are the TMs from my 5 marked etched bayos, plus the one that I show in this thread. The 7th bayonet does not have a maker mark.

John

Attached picture MVC-086S.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Attached picture TM.JPG
Posted By: Billy G. Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/12/2015 01:30 AM
A veritable museum of maker marks! Always a treat to see glimpses of your collection John.
Posted By: TKissinger Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/12/2015 04:45 PM
John

I know the WKC with the Knight and King are the earliest but have always wondered how the others fall in line.

Posted By: JohnZ Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/12/2015 05:02 PM
Terry:

I have two versions of the WKC Solingen TM on Luft2s, one with small lettering on Solingen and one with larger lettering.

So, I would hazard that the WKC Solingen TM is the last one used in the TR period.

The one without WKC would be either the first one used or used late Weimar.

John

Attached picture The Tw 1.JPG
Attached picture The Two 2.JPG
Posted By: Baz69 Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/12/2015 08:36 PM
I've always been confused about the WKC marks from the weimar through to the 3rd Reich period, is it true that any WKC trademark with WKC written underneath the knights head is 3rd reich period??, I wasn't aware that this is the case.

Gary
Posted By: JohnZ Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/12/2015 09:13 PM
Fisher, 7th edition, shows the following:

-early (pre 1933), the helmet alone, the helmet with WKC. This corresponds witht the triple etch bayonet shown in this thread.

- post 1933 (TR), helmet with WKC and Solingen

- post 1945, helmet with WKC only.

The etched bayonets that I have, other than this triple etch, all have the helmet with WKC alone as TMs... but, I do not beleive that these etches are post 1945.

The early TM with the helmet and the WKC shows the lettering to be spaced farther apart and the breastplate curvature over the shoulder to be more pronounced.

John
Posted By: Steven C Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/14/2015 07:08 PM
John killer pick up!
I have one very similar TM with no letters but differs from yours.
Less detail in breastplate/ center single oval, less detail also in bottom of face mask, neck, and bottom of helmet.
I really can't ballpark date mine by grip plates as they are stag too. It is owner personalized but this one lacks any date, it dose have multiple air bases used during the TR time and marked to a heavy fighter group.
It does have a distributor mark maybe one of the guys can date it close with distributor style and with different TM ? I'll add some pics soon.

Steve,
Posted By: Steven C Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/14/2015 07:22 PM
My pics are not the best today,

Attached picture image.jpg
Attached picture image.jpg
Attached picture image.jpg
Posted By: Steven C Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/14/2015 07:26 PM
And last

Attached picture image.jpg
Attached picture image.jpg
Posted By: JohnZ Re: WKC Triple Etched Short Bayonet - 02/14/2015 09:34 PM
Steven:

The Munster ditributor makes your bayonet even more interesting.

Also note that the TM used by WKC, ovaer and above the addition of lettering for WKC and for Solingen, also has the two versions of the helmet/breastplate, a V-shaped one and a straight horizontal lined one.

John
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