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How to Identify a Bayonette

A bayonet or "bayonette," according to the archaic spelling, is a blade attached to the muzzle of a gun, allowing the soldier to use it as a spear. Armies the world over have used bayonets for centuries. Bayonets, ranging from blades with a triangular cross-section to those with a swordlike appearance, sometimes fit into a gun barrel by means of a plug or fit over the barrel by means of a socket.

If you've come into possession of an antique bayonet, it can be difficult to identify it yourself---but online resources can make the job easier for you.

Instructions

- 1
  Use the free database of bayonet images located at WorldBayonets.com. This site categorizes bayonets by country of origin, so knowing where your bayonet came from will aid you quite a bit in your quest. Compare your bayonet to the images and measurements on the site to identify its make and model.
- 2
  Purchase a subscription to BayonetsOnline.com's database, if you can't find what you're looking for at the previous site. This database contains much of the same information as does World Bayonets, but with the addition of price and rarity estimates. A subscription costs $6 for 6 months or $10 for a year, as of August 2010. The site also offers identification of individual bayonets for $5--a good deal if you only have a single bayonet to identify.
- 3
  Hire bayonet expert Shawn Gibson at Bayonets.com to identify your bayonet if searching through image databases isn't your thing. In exchange for $20 and a high-quality photograph of your bayonet, you'll get identification information and a price estimate. And if you decide to sell your bayonet to Gibson, or if you belong to either the Society of American Bayonet Collectors or the Bayonet Collectors Network, he'll identify your bayonet for free.

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