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WW1 French Mle.1874 Gras Sword Bayonet & Scabbard - Matching #\'s, minty + Rare For Sale


WW1 French Mle.1874 Gras Sword Bayonet & Scabbard - Matching #\'s, minty + Rare
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WW1 French Mle.1874 Gras Sword Bayonet & Scabbard - Matching #\'s, minty + Rare:
$83.00

Up for sale is a very niceFRENCH Mle. 1874 GRASBAYONET AND SCABBARD WITH MATCHINGNUMBERS MADE BY MRE D’ ARMES DE ST. ETIENNE IN April 1876. This FrenchMle. 1874 Gras bayonet produced for the FrenchArmy by the renowned armoury at St. Etienne was used between the middle of the1870’s untilthe end of WW1. Thisparticular bayonet is notable because it is a matching pair with French Armyserial numbers to both bayonet and Scabbard. These numbers areidentifiable as French Army marks because of the prefix letter L (seepictures).

The Grass bayonet was introduced with the Grassrifle in 1874. The rifle was a conversion of the Chassepot rifle that hadbeen re-designed to take a metallic cartridge. Both rifle and bayonetremained in use until the end of the First World War and a substantial numberwere captured and converted by the Germans. There are numerous picturesof these bayonets being carried by the most famous of French Regimentsincluding the Foreign Legion, Zouaves, Sphais, Tiralleurs Algerienne andGoums. During the Great War the Grass rifle equipped the \"TroupesColoniale\"such as the Tirailleurs Senegalais, Tirailleurs Malagacheand Tirailleurs Indochinois.

The ‘Gras’ was the first French ‘issue’ bayonetto have wooden grips, lighter than the preceding Mle. 1866 Chassepot yataghanbayonet it was nevertheless extremely strong courtesy of the T shapedblade. It was designed for thrusting inline with the common wisdom of the time which stated that ‘the point willalways beat the edge’. It was the last French bayonet to be routinely engravedon the blade spine as this example is and is perhaps most famous as the bladewith which Beau Geste and his French Foreign Legion comrades were equipped.

Themarkings areclearly visible, withtheFrench Army serial number26265and numerousproofmarks on the crossguard and the obverse ricasso (shield O andⓂ). The blade spine is engraved ‘Mred’ Armes de St. Etienne Avril 1876’ which indicates that this bayonet wasproduced at the St Etienne Armoury inApril 1876. On the scabbard,on the opposite sideto the bridge is the same number as that stamped onthe crossguard of the bayonet26265, and with a L or 7 on the scabbard, which shows that bayonet and scabbard are a matchingpair I think. On the crossguard the L prefix has been overstamped it seems.This number will be the same as that of the rifle with which it was issued. The20.5inchT section blade and crossguard with its hooked quillon is invery good condition. The hilt is insimilar condition, the brass pommel and the leaf spring and press button arevery nice as well...The wooden grips do show evidence of use butare near mint. The blued steel scabbardis in superb original condition. The finial ball is proof marked and thescabbard retains much of its original blued finish...Alot of different proof marks all over on this, more then I have ever seen on a edged weapon...Please see pics...I tried to get some of the markings...There is some swirling and rubbing marks around the base of the blade too..

A Mle. 1874 Gras from a highly regardedmanufacturer in ‘museum quality’ condition:Brasshilt with leafspring press button, secured by a single steel studded rivet pin with muzzlering andfull quillon. Un-cut, full length T section steel bladewith blued steel scabbard, matching numbers.

Interestingly, Australian ‘Diggers’ and otherallied soldiers returning from France often brought these attractive bayonetsback to home as souvenirs after WW1.Most of those that survive today were originally obtained as mementos ofservice on the Western Front.

Type: Mle. 1874 manufactured by St Etienne dated Avril 1879

Overall Length: 645.0 mm

Blade Length: 520.0 mm, stamped stamped 8194

Blade Width (at guard): 20.0 mm

Scabbard: Blued steel with a strap fixing.

Overall length of scabbard: 540.0 mm, stamped 8194

I had to cut and paste some of this info...So any questions please ask...Thanks for looking...5 day sale only...


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