French1st pattern Lebel M1886 Bayonet and Scabbard BAYO 2622 Bayonet

This is a nice pattern Lebel bayonet with a white metal hilt, downswept quillon with ‘98635’ stamped to it, and a round button catch. This is an early model with the hilt fixed permanently to the tang, whereas later models had removable hilts with a screw nut fixing to the end of the hilt. The blade is the usual Lebel cruciform shape and the scabbard is black tubular steel witch is slightly misshapen, but does not retract from its operation. This is a lovely complete example of a 1st pattern iconic Lebel bayonet. See White and Watts item no. 205 on pages 85 and 96 and Martin Brayley, An Illustrated History of Bayonets, pages 71 – 73. The price includes U.K. delivery. BAYO 2622.