Hungarian commemorative bayonet

[BasvdBerg]

Hello collectors

My name is Bastiaan from the Netherlands and i am new to the forum.
Recently i came across a curiosity. It seems to be a commemorative bayonet for 30 years of military service.

We start with a close to mint condition Hungarian 6H3 first type second version.
Next, on the scabbard there is a brass plate with a inscription in Hungarian.
It spells out something like:

'In memory of 30 years of service of comrade Janurik Ral
from the commander of the people's army
januari 1987'

Finally, it is mounted to a beautiful leather display plaque with red felt on the back. It has a hanger so it can be hanged to a wall.

The bayonet in itself seems to be genuine compared to my other Hungarians. It seems to be a export model since the anvil and the crossguard have a serial number which unfortunately do not match.
Doing some quick research on google i have found two other specimens. One on worthpoint, but to small a picture for comparrisment and one on a Hungarian website without the leather plaque. The last one also has a serial number with the same text on the brass plate but with a different name and year.
This would indicate that these pieces were personal gifts to loyal serviceman.

Until recently i had never seen anything like it. Anyone else has?

I still don't know if these pieces are authentic or post communist era souvenirs.

I can post more pictures in post reply.

Best regards

[Mr. B.]

Hi Bastiaan, Welcome to our Forum. Yes, bayonets like this are a curiosity. There are some collectors that specialize in presentation and commemorative items. Others prefer just military issued examples. The Hungarian ones are a little more common than other types.
Your translation of the plaque was correct. These were given out for time on the job or or as an award. There seems to be different variations depending on level of employment. Floor sweeper or manager.
Some were cleaned up, dressed up bayonets and scabbards from the scrap bin. Out of tolerance or slight blemishes, basically quality control rejects. Some have chromed metal part, Some without sawteeth, irregular sawteeth, damaged blades, etc..
Since so many were given out they were not very valuable. Owners and families would rather have the money.
Difficult to collect as no two are the same. More of a novelty item for most.
Out of time today, more about your your particular one later.
Regards, Mike

[BasvdBerg]

Hello Mike

Thanks a lot for the information. So, they are more common en less valuable as i hoped for. It was a bargain for me to buy. Not much more than what you would pay for another nice Hungarian in this part of the world.
At least i am glad to hear that it is a authentic piece from the people's republic of Hungary. I'm still very happy with it and it sits as a nice display piece in my collection. I am very curious about your information source(s) for these type of bayonets.

Best regards

[Mr. B.]

Sorry for the delayed response. We had not discussed value. They are not “inexpensive”. Below is a current listing on eBay, (# 73951757642). Seller is Buldozjor in Latvia. Price is US $650.00. The item is very similar to yours. Your plaque is in better condition. His has the complete belt hanger. The problem is finding someone that collects them and wants another one and is welling to pay that much for minor differences. Notice even the leather plaques are the same .
Some things I noticed about your bayonet and scabbard. It is that they are both Type 1 early manufacture primarily for interior use. Higher quality than later Type 2 contract/export bayonets. The clue is the serial numbers which were originally matched with a rifle. The bayonet should be matched with the scabbard, Are you sure they are not? The ones on the scabbard anvil only use the last 3 of the bayonet and rifle.
Also the Type 1 have a different material marbled handle instead of the later brown plastic. The Type 1 scabbard has a cast/machined cutter plate. The Type 2 has a stamped cutter plate.
Your bayonet and scabbard are both Type 1. The one on eBay has a Type 1 bayonet in a Type 2 scabbard. Appears just random, nothing really special about the bayonet and scabbard. Why would they include a late style belt hanger with a wall decoration?
I hope this answers your questions and was not too confusing.
Cheers, Mike

[BasvdBerg]

Hello Mike

Thank you for your response. No delay for me as we have a time difference of 6 hours.
After closer inspection it seems you gave a very accurate description of the origins of these type of bayonets. The blade has irregular sawteeth. Hard to see but easy to feel. The blade is polished to a mirror like shine. It has a very tight fit in the scabbard. I came to the belief this is indeed a composition of rejected parts. A typical socialist solution to produce cheap items from whatever was lying around.

I have a type one with marble handle and matching serial numbers. I also have 2 later plastic handle ones without numbers. On my commemorative bayonet the anvil has number 780 and the crossguard no 3067.
The finish on this one seems to be much rougher/grainy than on my other pieces. Like it was refinished with another paint type. I find it hard to see the difference between a cast or a stamped cutter plate.
I can't find the add on ebay if i seek by item number.

Well, i have learned a lot and i still have a lot to learn. Thanks again.

Cheers

[Mr. B.]

The eBay number works for me. Maybe due to the location? Here are the pictures and info from the listing. Too much of a coincidence not to share!? Compare with yours. Unfortunately nothing special about the bayonets or scabbards. Each just picked from a pile of rework and put together randomly. Both of the pieces put together for the January awards. Mike

[Mr. B.]

The difference between the cast/machined and stamped scabbard cutter plates can be seen here:
http://akbayonets.info/viewtopic.php?t=156