Little help guys

[Gargamel]

So we're digging through my girlfirend's attic, looking at her sword collection (After estimating her Star Wars collection at about $2k, and she likes Stargate and Firefly, this ones a keeper!), when I came upon this:






It's a bayonet, with a spring loaded attachment point. The blade is marked with a circle 8 and a diamond N. It's about 14-16" long, and has a scabbard.

She wondered what war it was from, as it appears to be authentic, and I'm guessing WWII, but I told her I knew just the guys to ask.

[GoldenRivet]

The circle 8 represents the Japanese Imperial Army - Nagoya arsenal

Looks like a type 30 manufactured mid world war two... what is the length from end to end in inches or mm?

Edit: are you certain it is an "N" within the diamond symbol? Definitely Japanese Arisaka bayonet with straight guard, they made the type 30 with a curved guard as well?

also, any markings on the end of the handle? pictures of that?

[GoldenRivet]

Here:

My stepson collects knives, bayonets swords etc

this has been a great tool in IDing some of them

http://worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Ide...ion_guide.html

[August]

Figure-eight inside a circle (Nagoya Arsenal mark) and diamond with a rectangle inside (Toyoda Automatic Loom Works mark)

http://worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Ide...n/japan_2.html

[Gargamel]

So I'm trying to get her to join as either smurfette or Asrael or Azriel (Azrael was taken), cause she's really digging the research she's doing and the help you guys are providing.

She found some serial numbers (in the pic), but she says the markings aren't really lining up with the pages you guys have linked, and are difficult to read. She would like some help deciphering the first few markings of the serial number. I also have been corrected, the length is actually 20" (not sure if that's overall or blade, it has to be overall, I'm not always 6" off in my estimates ). (EDIT: I see the yard stick now, but it's kinda far away)

She thanks you guys by the way, and is a little awed by the collective knowledge here. (And she was wondering why the military parts of Furious 7 was pissing me off LOL) I'm really digging the fact it's an IJN blade. I was 90% expecting US issue, or perhaps German.

I'm curious as to the notion that it's history could be traced using the serial number, would that be possible?

So, if any of these show some clues, she would really like the help:








She said there's a very faint Japanese pictogram just below the serial numbers that she never noticed before, but it doesn't quite show in the photo. (Side note, I'll look into doing some infra-red photo's to see if anything else shows up).

EDIT: Could we please leave this in GT for a bit, then move it over to the appropriate forum when we finish the research? I'd like to get a bit of extra traffic to the thread. Thanks!

[Rockstar]

Hard to tell in the photo but the pictogram could be a Chrysanthemum flower which is the seal of the Japanese imperial family. Technicallly I think it means the bayonet still belongs to them and you are in the possession of stolen property. <j/k>

[les green01]

does look like a Japanese Arisaka bayonet to me had a friend who fought in the philipeans came home with the rifle and bayonet