Martini Metford Bayonet

infideleggwelder

infideleggwelder

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I know some of you guys who haunt the Milsurp forum have seen this, a recent find at a second hand/antique store. billed as a Martini Henry bayonet, i got it for what i figured was a sweet deal.

i have done a fair amount of internet research, and have discovered that it is one of 1000 made for Canada. this one is Ser#272 and was issued to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry(RCR)
the scabbard does not match, but not marked either. the button will move with the proper application of force, so i don`t move it. has never been sharpened, although is scratched from sliding in and out of the scabbard. has expected surface rust, and leather cover on scabbard is in good shape.
i think i should have brought it here first, rather than the milsurp forum, and am looking to determine the value.
 
^ My understanding is that they are fairly common. So many, that some of the Fairburn Sykes fighting knives were made from production cut downs of these bayonets. Very sturdy, good steel and scary as all he11! For terror appearance alone I say these bayo's trump the 1907 (my opinion), but they're not worth as much as the 1907 for some reason. (more Enfields than Metfords still in use? "Demand" being the dictator in supply and demand?)
 
The 1893 Canadian is very rare from my understanding and not to be confused with the more common 1888 used with the Lee-Metfords.

Price sampling (albeit quick and limited search) seems inconclusive.

Ebay had one with no scabbard (and no bid) started at $800USD.

Switzer Auctions had one. The auction house put a low estimate of 1200CAD and indicated it was an 8/10. It sold to the floor for $1000 + hammer fee etc. Not sure if it had a scabbard but likely it did. Unknown if scabbard was matched or just an 1888 one.

All said - if it was mine and I wanted to flip it -

based on apparent condition from photos, non-matched but present scabbard, and private sale (eg CGN , local gun shows etc) - $1000 ask

You may do better fishing on a bayonet specialty site, but I reckon that there are not tons of people looking for a specialty Canadian bayonet on CGN.

Phone John Denner and ask if they want to buy it.
 
^i just googled John Denner. I`ll be sending an email to them soon with some good pics. thanks for the tip. i too found internet pricing ambiguous and covered the whole spectrum from $300 to $3500. was offered $600 sight unseen, which tells me that there may be a touch more to these bayonets than i first thought .
i`m in no rush to sell it, i paid half of the asking dirt for it, and who knows, maybe the rifle it fits on will turn up in the same manner. hate to sell it then have a martini metford come my way. (i don`t really think that will happen).
 
I had No 300 for years, I finally sold it at the Truro gun show two or three years ago. It was in a lot better condition with a RRCI scabbard I think it was No 280.
Got a reasonable price for it, not anything like $5000 that's dreaming out loud or watching Pawn Stars.
 
When I bought my 1893 I thought it was a 1903 bayonet a conversion of an 1888 to fit on the SMLE.
I was surprised when I found out what it was.
Its unique and not all went to the RRCI, there is more to the story if you do more research.
It looks similar except the muzzle ring has a piece missing.
The grip is a little longer and RRCI stood out.
I think if you cleaned up the bayonet it will look better.
Don't sand it I just use 0000 steel wool and oil to clean the metal.
 
I`ve looked into these bayonets further, as you`ve said, and found that some were stamped M D (Militia & Defence) and some were never issued. I used a little 0000 steel wool and oil to clean it somewhat, but only lightly, just the crud.
don`t know what oil to put on the scabbard, so I`ve left it dry. The curator at the Fort Frederick Museum at RMC was very excited when he saw it, he knew exactly what it was just looking at a bad cellphone pic. they don`t have one, but as federally funded, they survive on donations.
 
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