Offered is a WW1 era Turkish Army Model 1890 Mauser bayonet & scabbard.
Bayonet features steel fittings overall (with crescent moon & star issue stamps to underside of metal quillon & blade spine grip spine) with working external release button to pommel, being stamped AS.FA, screw in worn wooden grips and metal guard & muzzle ring, being issued numbered 26690 to guard. The 'cut down' 24.5cm long blade exhibits some field sharpening to blade edge/spear point and some minor dents to spine, with blade being in generally good/used condition overall. Ricasso stamped with Ottoman Sultans Seal "Tughra". Standard 'brown' finished metal scabbard with crescent moon & star issue stamp to throat. Scabbard frog stud is present with some minor service denting overall. Measures 40cm overall.
This is a classic wartime cut down version of the original long blade version (view inset photo showing Turkish soldiers with these cut down bayonets in the trenches at Gallipoli).
The bayonet was designed for use with the Model 1890 rifle was one of a series of rifles purchased by the Turkish government from Mauser of Germany. The terms of the contract with Mauser enabled the Turks to change the specifications of the rifles supplied, so as to keep pace with any new design developments which Mauser introduced into its products. The M1890 rifle was based on the Belgian Model 1889 rifle and represented a major advance on the M1887 design which preceded it, as it was chambered for a small calibre (7.65mm) smokeless cartridge.
