Original English / French High End Plug Bayonet with Original Gilt Finish & Horn Grip in Arsenic-Dyed Sharkskin Scabbard - Circa 1680

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous piece of craftsmanship, one that would have required a great deal of capital to have manufactured during the period, a high-end plug bayonet of English or French manufacture. This example has a lovely gilt finish on the crossguard, pommel, and scabbard fittings which has been meticulously preserved over the past 340+ years. This is the highest quality plug bayonet we have ever offered. The 13⅛” blade retains its shape very well, with some evidence of past oxidation having been carefully cleaned away. The blade actually starts on one end 2” from the ricasso, with a false edge on the last 3¾”. The lovely gilt crossguard is well-retained with the majority of its gilt finish being retained, although it is a small bit loose. The horn grip has a few small spots of loss, with some discoloration and cracking near the top. The gilt pommel is retained just as well with its gilt retained besides a spot at the very tip, and it is very tight. The o