Grip Scale questions

[John R.]

I was rooting through my boxes of miscellaneous bits and pieces and found some stuff that I had totally forgotten that I had stashed away for future reference.

My questions are WHO amongst the five WWII bayonet contractors who were NOT WT(i.e., AFH,UFH,OL,and PAL and lastly UC) used BROWN plastic grip scales absent the WT black rectangles ?Problem is that I have one mint/new bayonet(ALL M1 ten inchers) from EACH of the above makers ALL fitted with BROWN grip scales.Some have dated blades so I assume that they are early production.Scabbards are all new too.I vaguely remember having culled them from the crateloads I bought back in 1998 and sold here until I ran out around 2006 or so.

Next,what are a set of BOTH left and right WALNUT grip scales with escutcheons and the sort of tan coloured screw worth when they are ABSOLUTELY flat brand NEW and guaranteed original?

I am NOT looking to sell any of this stuff,just want to get a handle on current value(s).

Cheers,

John R.

[Bayonetman]

John, there are two versions of the brown grips. One was made by Columbus Plastic Products and is slightly redder than the others. To the best of my research, these were used by American Fork and Hoe exclusively (of course some small numbers could have gotten into the pipeline to the other makers). The second, somewhat more brown in color and sometimes with black flecks, were made by Auburn Button Works and were probably used to a limited extent by the other 4 makers. These did not last long, they went to the standard black version within a month or two. According to one of the old Auburn employees, the idea initially was to somewhat duplicate the color of the walnut grips.

I have photos of these at the bottom section of http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/bayo_points_23.htm

I also have a pair of the unused "mint" walnut grips, but have not seen any for sale to determine a price. Some years back I was offered $100 for mine by a collector who had a near mint Model 1905 bayonet with a damaged grip, but don't know that the price offered was realistic. But knowing the way the market is these days, it would not surprise me if that price was a little low if a bidding war happened on eBay.