Maker's Mark Question on Socket Bayonet

[BelligerentBlue]

Today I went to wander the antique store. Having just opened up a bicycle shop, I'm now a broke business owner till business picks up haha. While there I had the manager recognize me and quickly show me a socket bayonet with leather scabbard. I know NOTHING about bayonets really. I was trying to do some homework on it as he wanted $60 for it. The only marking I saw on it was at the base of the blade. It was a simple heart shape. No letters or numbers around it. I could have overlooked something as I only quickly looked at it. I know it's a long shot, but does anyone know of a maker's mark that is just a heart? Thank you in advance.

[Bob Hudson]

The heart mark was used on British East India Company socket bayonets, and it often has "EIC" written inside the heart, but not always, as in this example:

 

 

I saw one 1700's knife that had just a plain heart on the blade and the called that an "English" mark. It looked like this one on the blade of a socket bayonet:

 

 

Some sellers seem to hint their heart-marked bayonets were used in the American Revolution or the Civil War, but that is unlikely.

[Misfit 45]

I don't know much about the tradition of the heart mark, but I have one on an early US bayonet 1795-1808. The mark is among many during this era in US history. Robert Reilley calls them cyphers, but no real understanding is available.

Marv

[BelligerentBlue]

Bob, it looked like the heart in the bottom picture of your post. I had seen the EIC in trying to figure it out myself, but I only found information showing the heart off the blade and quartered. Misfit, it was a cleaner heart without the circle. Like I said, I'm really in the dark when it comes to weapons. Are these type bayonets worth the $60 with scabbard in relatively clean condition?

[Bob Hudson]

Are these type bayonets worth the $60 with scabbard in relatively clean condition?

 

If you want to buy it for resale, I think you'd have hard time selling it for more than you paid unless you could confirm its origin.

 

If you're buying for yourself, is it worth it to you to spend $60 to have an unknown bayonet in your collection? For under $100 on ebay you could get a socket bayonet that could have been used in the Civil War.