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1894 Krag bayonet and very first version hook scabbard


Misfit 45
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Hi Folks,

After years of waiting for one of these scabbards to come along, it finally came.  Up til now, I had not seen one for sale and had never handled one.  I have had the 1894 Krag bayonet for several years, but the earliest scabbard was real hard to find.  The most unusual feature is the trapezoidal throat which allows the bayonet to be inserted only one way.  

The first 1894 bayonets were "niter blued", as well as the scabbard. I really cannot tell if this scabbard has the original finish or not. There are so few photos for comparison out there, that it's difficult to know for sure.  The blueing that is on there now, if not original, may have been "arsenal re-blued".  There is some deep pitting on the hook, but the rust freckles that are on the body seem to be coming from under the blueing, and have not been blued over.  Expert opinions are welcome.  I'm just happy I finally found the earliest incarnation of an original Krag scabbard.

Thanks for looking.

Marv

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Tough scabbard to find; however, most people don’t realize the throat cut and that’s how experienced collectors like you find them by chance.  Good find. 

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I have seen a few 1894 Krag bayonets in the past.  Most were really trashed or they were way more than I wanted to pay.  The earliest scabbards, on the other hand, never show up. It's possible that the early scabbards may have shown up on ebay a time or two, but if they did, it was without photos of the "important" areas...the throat and the square cut at the bend of the hook. I watched the Hartman youtube video several times...recently and in the past as well.  It's great.

 

When this one showed up on ebay, the seller knew what he had, but so did 22 other bidders.  I had to pay up.  Like they say on American Pickers, "The time to buy it, is when you see it." it may never show up again.

Marv

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