Theater modifed bayonet

[David LaPell]

I picked this up yesterday, it is a theater modified bayonet. It was well done, and someone turned it into a fighting knife. It is very, very sharp. On the backside of the bayonet scabbard, which was cut down to match the blade, is the name of whomever modified it I would assume. While not an original piece, it is certainly interesting and makes you wonder where it saw use.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/bayonet.jpg
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/bayonet2.jpg
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/bayonet3.jpg

[SciFiJim]

The signature that was scribed into the scabbard is well done and indicative of a time when good penmanship was the norm.

[Artful]

That's a cool find.

[x101airborne]

I have heard quite a bit about theater modified bayonet knives coming out of WWI and WWII. I have heard that some were modified with a saw type tooth set across the top of the back of the blade. Believe it or not, depending on approximately where, when, and by whom the bayonets were modified, some can be worth money. Because I am a sentimental kind of guy, I would contact a military office and see if I could find the decendants of the man whose name is inscribed on that knife. If it were my Grandfathers, I would pay a mint to have it back. Or if you are so inclined, the joy of returning an heirloom to a family member would be all it would take to get it from me, as long as I didn't pay too much in the first place.