CMP bayonet: New or Used?

[Mike Haas]

It may well be that it's againist the CMP Charter to "Pay".."Volunteers" (Oxysmoran). regardless of expertise. I truely don't know how they can get around that issue except the info is free via the internet. Just takes a little research.

I'm not gonna 2nd guess 'Orest' but as I've said, I ain't buying the current M5-A1 Bayonets eiither.

[Kirk]

What about this twofer. http://cgi.ebay.com/SALE-1-SPRINGFIE...f#ht_500wt_928

Here's one you can bid on. New in wrap and has the DAS on it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/US-Korean-War-Era-M-5-A1-Imperial-Bayonet-/260628194770?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caea6a5d2

And yet another:

http://cgi.ebay.com/USM5M1-Garand-Bayonet-Korean-Era-/300443360481?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f3d1dce1

Or there's this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bayonet-M1-Garand-M5A1-Imperial-Korea-Vietnam-unused-/200493106900?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eae5206d4

One last one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Bayonet-M1-Garand-M5A1-MILPAR-COL-Korea-Vietnam-unused-/200493106975?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eae52071f

As you can see CMP ain't the only game in town!

[Bayonetman]

I certainly do not want to cause any problems for the CMP as it is a great program which I fully support. As I said, Orest freely offered to allow me to come to Anniston and sort the bayonets as well as continue my own research. I did not in any way expect payment, and my inability to take him up on this was a combination of health issues, getting time off work, and financial issues. Orest correctly stated where these bayonets came from, and was good enough to post the information from the packing cases, so there is certainly no attempt to cover up any information. He cannot be expected to know all of the little ins and outs that make a bayonet collector interested, and even after 50 years of dealing with these, I still do not have all of the answers.

I am dismayed to read the long thread on the CMP forum about these bayonets, and see the comments of so many people who seem to feel they have been lied to or otherwise defrauded. I guess I should join that forum and comment there also, but I don't want to add fuel to the fire.

From the box markings, the bayonets in question were supplied to Greece under one of the War Aid programs, and were ordered for that purpose in 1976 apparently from MilPar Col. Yes, this was well past the time that the US needed them for issue to US troops. The same thing happened with the M4 bayonets ordered from Connetta/BrenDan in the late 1960s. When a requirement for items was sent, if stock was not available contracts were issued to fill the order, and that is what apparently happened here. So these M5A1 bayonets were purchased on contract from the US military, but not for US military use.

As there are many thousands of bayonets, there may well be other contracts or regular US issue items yet to be placed on sale. I will look forward to seeing what else may turn up down the road.

As a note, the scabbards apparently were taken from US stock and appear to be standard M8A1 as manufactured on contract in 1969 by Philadelphia Working Home for the Blind.

[roadawg]

Bayonetman,
Thanks for this great infomation! My guess is if it had been included with the CMP sales info there wouldn't have been such an uproar. I think if an item is described as "USGI" everyone expects it to have the USGI markings all over it and when these showed up without the DoD stampings that lit the fuse for all the comments on the internet about these bayonets! I suppose IF they DID have the DoD stamps on them the prices would be higher? I appreciate the clarification that you have provided, it's unfortunate the CMP didn't include it with their sales descriptions it would have saved a lot of grief, me thinks. Thanks, Bob B.

[173rd]

Anyone familiar with the M5A1 and M4 bayonets and M8 bayonet scabbards being sold by CDNNinvestments? A friend of mine bought one M5A1 and one M4 along with two M8 scabbards. The M5A1 arrived in a long plastice ziplock bag with a slip of paper enclosed stating "repacked 7/86. The maker was marked AKI I believe. The M4 bayonet was similarly packaged but with no "repack date". Both M8 scabbards came packaged similarly with a slip of paper enclosed stating the manufacturer to be Atlantic Textile Company with a date of 6/77. Are these USGI in origin or are they "genuine" reproductions? I don't know squat about bayonets - I also need a copy of Bayonetman's book. Opinions? Thanks.

[Bayonetman]

AKI and Atlantic Textiles

Anyone familiar with the M5A1 and M4 bayonets and M8 bayonet scabbards being sold by CDNNinvestments? A friend of mine bought one M5A1 and one M4 along with two M8 scabbards. The M5A1 arrived in a long plastice ziplock bag with a slip of paper enclosed stating "repacked 7/86. The maker was marked AKI I believe. The M4 bayonet was similarly packaged but with no "repack date". Both M8 scabbards came packaged similarly with a slip of paper enclosed stating the manufacturer to be Atlantic Textile Company with a date of 6/77. Are these USGI in origin or are they "genuine" reproductions? I don't know squat about bayonets - I also need a copy of Bayonetman's book. Opinions? Thanks.

AKI has not been identified to my satisfaction, but is not a US military manufacturer. It may be that the maker was trying to play on the KI (Kinfolks Incorporated) name, but the maker is almost certain to be in SE Asia, quite possibly in Korea. One of the importers told me that he understood that it stood for American Korean Industries, but I have no firm proof of that. There is a AKI (Alliance Knife Inc) that makes commercial blades but they assured me that they had never made any sort of bayonet. But whoever AKI may be, the bayonets are apparently made outside of the US for commercial sale. I have seen the M4 and M5A1 bayonets so marked, and had a collector tell me that he had an M6 marked that way.

Atlantic Textiles is a name used by a commercial maker, also unidentified so far. These were common a few years ago and probably still are. Others were Western Plastics and Keller Manufacturing. I combined photos of the slips found in the packages of these three, note that all show the same information, contract number, etc. Just another way to make someone think they are getting real US military items.

[173rd]

Bayonetman, thank you for the most informative reply on the bayonets and scabbards. Don