I just love Craigslist sometimes. (Pics added)

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Cb750k

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I've been looking for a bayonet for my dads lithgow enfield I de sporterized, eBay prices for Aussie 1907's are almost double the British or canadian examples. I'm always searching Craigslist and up popped a 1907 today, looked to be Aussie marked. Went to look at it after work, Aussie it was. Great condition, nice ground edge with no chips, 95%+ bluing, proof marks all nice. Close enough as I'll randomly come in serial number, 5,41 manufacture. Nice condition 1915 Lithgow stamped leather scabbard, 3md + serial number, star with A inside. Snapped it up and it sure looks nice on the old smle!

Quick question, would the scabbard normally match the year of manufacture of the bayonet? Do I have an early scabbard with a later blade or would they have paired what ever they had lying around and? The blade is marked MA 1907 with 5'41 underneath on one side, ^ & X with MA And the inspectors mark looks like a crown over 3 over L. The grips also marked MA'41 on both sides, grips are in good shape with some dents and dings but nice dark color. Hilt it stamped B56030, which by my searching puts it late 1920-1941.

I'll try and load pics later this week, so happy to find the final piece to my Lithgow.
 
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MA is Mangrovite, an Aussie manufacturer, and 5'41 would be the date of manufacture. The X was stamped when the blade passed the bend test. 3MD is 3rd Military District and the A in star is a common Aussie proof. The district mark would date to the inter-war period. Would have originally had a matched scabbard but the replacement was just part of the service life. Papua New Guinea is a tough climate for a leather coveted scabbard! It's more common to see bayonets with later dated scabbards but I wouldn't worry about it. I have an Aussie marked 1918 Sanderson P07 in a 1943 Orange replacement scabbard.
 
Nyles said:
MA is Mangrovite, an Aussie manufacturer, and 5'41 would be the date of manufacture. The X was stamped when the blade passed the bend test. 3MD is 3rd Military District and the A in star is a common Aussie proof. The district mark would date to the inter-war period. Would have originally had a matched scabbard but the replacement was just part of the service life. Papua New Guinea is a tough climate for a leather coveted scabbard! It's more common to see bayonets with later dated scabbards but I wouldn't worry about it. I have an Aussie marked 1918 Sanderson P07 in a 1943 Orange replacement scabbard.
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Mangrovite Belting Ltd was the contract manufacturer of just the scabbard and are usually marked with the full word "Mangrovite", they did not make the bayonets themselves. The MA stamped on the bayonnet blade is to denote Made in Australia and were manufactured at the Australian Small Arms Factory in Lithgow, NSW and their smaller feeder factory at Orange, NSW.
 
Cb750k said:
I've been looking for a bayonet for my dads lithgow enfield I de sporterized, eBay prices for Aussie 1907's are almost double the British or canadian examples. I'm always searching Craigslist and up popped a 1907 today, looked to be Aussie marked. Went to look at it after work, Aussie it was. Great condition, nice ground edge with no chips, 95%+ bluing, proof marks all nice. Close enough as I'll randomly come in serial number, 5,41 manufacture. Nice condition 1915 Lithgow stamped leather scabbard, 3md + serial number, star with A inside. Snapped it up and it sure looks nice on the old smle!

Quick question, would the scabbard normally match the year of manufacture of the bayonet? Do I have an early scabbard with a later blade or would they have paired what ever they had lying around and? The blade is marked MA 1907 with 5'41 underneath on one side, ^ & X with MA And the inspectors mark looks like a crown over 3 over L. The grips also marked MA'41 on both sides, grips are in good shape with some dents and dings but nice dark color. Hilt it stamped B56030, which by my searching puts it late 1920-1941.

I'll try and load pics later this week, so happy to find the final piece to my Lithgow.
Click to expand...

You have a very nice early Lithgow manufacture bayonet and scabbard, pity that they don't match. Lithgow could not keep up with demand for replacement scabbards as they became lost or destroyed so the Australian Government let out a contract to a leather goods supplier for them (Mangrovite Belting Ltd.). Mangrovite used a tanning process using the bark from Mangrove trees which were in abundance around the rivers feeding off Sydney harbor. The bayonet was rebuilt in May 1941 and it was very common in Australian military use to sharpen up the blades on a grinder, they trained in the cut and trust use of the fixed bayonet up till at least WW2.
 
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