WWI Bayonet SA 1912 with a type 2 1906 Scabbard (hot mess) but rare

I spent some time trying to find this scabbard with this bayonet. The Bayonet is a Springfield Arsenal 1912 with the serial number US 518616. The scabbard is marked but difficult to read. because the leather is cracked. It looks like R A 1906 H K or HEK. The bayonet fits into the scabbard and the locking mechanism on the handle works. I have to push the button to get the bayonet out.

Everything that I found for the 1912 Bayonet stated it was a training fencing Bayonet and looked nothing like this. I finally found something similar but it was a 1911 with a 1905 type 2 scabbard. My scabbard looks like a type 2 1905 but marked 1906. Type 2 scabbards are considered rare and worth more than the bayonets. Bayonets without the type 2 scabbard were selling for $150 to $250. With the type 2 1905 scabbard they were selling from $695 to $795. Both my bayonet and scabbard are in terrible condition.

I really don't know anything about weapons and can only go by what I find through research. My questions: Why can't I find another 1912 Bayonet like this? Even though the bayonet fits and locks with the scabbard, could this be made by another company, another country and it's a marriage that coincidentally fit? If it is a rare scabbard, is it worth anything in this condition? Maybe it's just me and I shouldn't do this at 3:25 a.m. Here are a few photographs and a link to a slide show on photobucket with larger photographs and more views. Now, I think I will try and get some sleep. Thank you.

http://s173.photobucket.com/user/Millcovetreasures/slideshow/1912 Bayonet 1906 Scabbard

 

Davey, thank you for the link. That is exactly what I've run into. Same number but not quite the same.

I did find a discussion on a military collectors board. On the second page, a member posted some photographs of "real" markings on a Rock Island Armory 1906 scabbard and one of his photographs shows the exact markings that are on mine. The initials under the 1906 are HEK and that is the inspector's initials. All real scabbards have the inspector's initials under the number. They also show that the Bayonets are SA. So that answered one question. Yes, they were meant to be together. I have to check for a drain hole on the the bottom of mine. First I still have to try and get some sleep. Another long night of insomnia. Here is a link to that discussion.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/for...ayonet-with-matching-ria-1906-scabbard/page-2

 

Duh, that should have been Rock Island Arsenal.

No, I didn't see that. I will definitely check those out.

 

You may be able to ask this on Military.com and get help.

 

I'm no bayonet expert, but you may be having trouble differing between the "model year" and the year of manufacture. Yours appears to be model 1905 "Springfield" bayonet, manufactured in 1912, if that helps. The model 1905 was in production from about 1905 or 6 thru 1922, and the date marked on the blade is merely the year of manufacture, nothing to do with the Army's model nomenclature, which is sometimes marked on weapons and sometimes not, depending sometimes on the relative cost of the weapon and need to locate the correct technical manuals etc. In the case of a bayonet, the need for correct technical data is minimal. An "all original" like yours is scarce, most were given fiberglass scabbards and plastic handles in WWII. I'd leave as-is, many collectors love "attic-found" condition.

 

Thank you. That explains why I couldn't find it.

 

For anyone interested, I did receive help from a US Military Collectors Board.

The bayonet is a Model 1905 and designed for the Model 1903 Rifle and was manufactured in 1912. Springfield was right and that's why I had such a hard time finding it. I was using the date of manufacturing for the model number.

Someone confirmed that the scabbard was an early variant but that's all that I found out.

From everything I found on the internet, if the scabbard had been in good condition, it would have been worth several hundred on it's own.