UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons The BCN Bayonet Forum Bayo help please:

Hello all,
I bought this at the last MAX for $100. Is that a fair price???
My other questions are:
1) What do all of the stamps on the pommel mean?
2) This is a K98.... Right???
3) The "coppel" makers mark, is that the same company as Alcoso???
I REALLY love this bayo. The weight, construction and look of it are just COOL!!!
Especially when you consider the price of "dress daggers" these days...
Anyway, here it is:

PS- The numbers ARE matching:

What is this number and the letter "F"????
The nuymber matches the scabbard, is it a production number???
What does "F" stand for???

"coppel" as in "Alexander Coppel Solingen" AKA: Alcoso????

Stamps???

Another stamp: sorry, out of focus:

Blade:

Frog markings?????????????????????????????????

A hundred dollars is a fair price to pay for a matching bayonet. The Waffenampts on your pommel signify where the bayonet was made, although I don't know where WaA253 is. The letter underneath the serial number is to more or less tell you what stage of production your bayonet was made during that year which should be stamped on the spine of your bayonet. They would usually start each series with the letter a and for every thousand after that they move through the alphabet, sometimes using two of the same letters together.

Also this pattern bayonet would be called a model 84/98. Which would go on the k98 rifle. Hope this helps.

Hi another amature, but the letter blocks are in ten thousand. D 5596= 55,596 of that year and that maker. I am not sure coppel for alcosa.

Hello , nice bayonet, blade is slightly sharpened, what is the date on spine of blade? 39 or 40? WaA253 is correct proof. Alcoso and Coppel GmbH is same firm. best regards,Andy

i would say that 100$ is very fair for a matching sharpened k98 bajo, in my country (denmark) it is actually cheap, at least the sharpening is done correctly so it maintain its value all in all a fine piece, congrats. regards
wiking

In my country a sharpened common maker/date like Coppel even with frog, @ $100 is steep...

Imo you didn't get ripped off but you will play hell getting the $100 back out of it (imo of course)

In my previous post my intention was to state that I am a amature not to critize the person before and to share some of the little information that I have. Sorry to offend, Ian.

Johnny, Yes it is a bayonet for the K98k rifle known by the "Hardcore" as an S84/98 III. The markings on the pommel are proof marks applied by a weapons office (Waffen Ampt) inspector. The proof marks indicate 2 different levels of quality acceptance achieved by this bayonet before leaving the factory. These numbers tended to move and change so they don't necessarily indicate a certain locality in all circumstances. Coppel was in Solingen so this is really a mute point. ALCOSO is a trade name of ALexander COppel & SOhn (Son). This is the same as GMC for General Motor Corp's Trucks in the U.S. The serial numbers on most of these bayonets (Ferlach of Austria had it's own number system) are in blocks of 9999 each being differentiated by by a letter suffix.
As for the bayonet price, you did OK as it looks as you also got a good early frog. But remember that sharpening drags the price down by as much as 50% or more. Also remember (kidding here) that the time to ask if it "is a fair price" is BEFORE you buy! . Hope this helps! Jeff Bernish Owner: Tenmile Creek Antiques

Hey guys!
Thanks EVERYONE for the input!

Andy B.- The spine is marked "39"

Ian- I took NO offense, I try not to take myself that seriously!

Thanks for details, nice bayo. best regards,Andy

A couple of clarifications on my last post. 1.)The serial blocks of 9999 ARE differentiated by letter suffixes, but as most of us know the first 9999 have no suffix.
2.)Also, there have been reports of 5 digit i.e. 10,000 marked bayonets. I believe, however that these are either anomolies or outright fakes. Why would a manufacturer add another digit 10,000 and stop there? Why not go to 10,001 (and so on) and eliminate the necessity for many letter suffixes. It just doesn't make sense. I have heard MANY compelling arguments for the 10,000 myth but like a 24 carat gold colander, they are very impressive but they still don't hold water!
3.)Finally, when I said that ...."is a mute point" it should have read "moot point". Vickie was in the other room tempting me with a glass of fine Bordeaux and I was hurrying to get the Post done! Oh yes, it should have read "General Motors" also. Really! I am semi-literate! My best to all!---Jeff Bernish

�98K� has always worked for me unless you�re getting into other variants. And the Coppel, while it has been worked on, I think is a decent enough bayonet. And (IMO) is a much better acquisition than some of these postwar reworks and others that are currently in circulation.

The �Waffenamts�, which were called something else by the Germans, can be seen to change from time to time. But from my perspective they did have something to do with specific localities, and in some cases specific large scale factories. That�s because the commission numbers which were granted by the Heereswaffenamt were given to the individuals who were in charge of the various inspection teams. And WaA 63 was assigned to Mauser-Werke. And then he left to go Brno, Czechoslovakia which is why we see it on the bayonets and rifles from there. And his replacement took over at Mauser Werke using commission number (WaA) 655. Who was in turn replaced by WaA 135. Conversely, for Solingen bayonet makers one team covered the whole area.

Also as I seem to recall, the second pommel Waffenamt was believed to have been from the final inspection (and acceptance) of the bayonet. With the point being well taken that for Solingen based makers Waffenamts didn�t really have much of a special significance. And after some early markings they went to WaA 253. Then WaA 883, and lastly WaA 519. Each representing different inspection teams - although no doubt some personnel could have remained behind to work under the new inspection team head. FP

Thanks Ian for the input on the numbering, as well as all the info on WaA and their meanings.