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Up for sale is a WW1-era British .303 Lee-Enfield Bayonet, 1907 Pattern
Based on markings on ricasso, this blade was issued in November of 1917 and repaired/reissued in 1923 (could be \'29, part of the digit is worn off), and was manufactured by Wilkinson Sword Company in the 1907 pattern. The Royal Reign Mark is G.R., indicating this bayonet was produced under the reign of British Monarch Georgius Rex, King George V, who reigned from 1911-1936.
It is also marked on the ricasso with several government inspection and acceptance marks which you can see in the photographs, including one marked with \"E\" which means this blade was inspected at the Enfield factory. There is a Bend Mark (the X mark) present, which was placed on the side of the blade which formed the convex side of the bend-test.
Based on these markings it is clear that this blade was actually issued into military service and even repaired and re-issued at one point in its service life.
The blade itself measures 17\" and is covered with some type of cosmoline rust prevention material--the \"brown stuff\" IS NOT rust, althought there does appear to be a small amount of rust oxidation on the crosspiece. Besides a couple blue oxidation spot which is pictures, it appears to be in immaculate condition, but we are not professional graders, so please see the pictures and judge for yourself.
The grip, pommel, and bolt are extremely sturdy and tight and appear to be in top notch condition.
The scabbard is marked with \"Mangrovite \'43\" and \"B^\" on the leather portion and \"OA\" on the metal portion.
To preserve authenticity and original condition we do not make ANY attempts to clean or restore the items we sell. We feel that decision is best left to the buyer and understand that the proper restoration of historical items is best done by experts. We go to great lengths to handle things carefully, including strict attention to detail during packaging and shipping.This historical piece of militaria comes from the personal collection of the Carrell family estate in Louisville, KY, owners of historical landmark business the Falls City Theater Equipment Co. The men of the Carrell family were all military members with the most recent two generations serving in World War II and Vietnam. Later in life they became avid collectors of fast cars, big guns, and World War memorabilia & militaria. We are not professional graders. Our quality descriptions are subjective and based on a critical look at overall condition including wear, age of item, coloration (faded or not), presence of rust, and \"eyefeel\". We try to include hi-res shots of details with a professional-grade DSLR camera and are happy to send additional photographs or field questions to serious buyers.Our statements of provenance come from a combination of oral history from the owners of the estates we buy from and thorough research by our team of professionals. We are not experts, but we fully guarantee all of our items so please offer or buy with confidence.
