French Chassepot M1866 Yataghan Bayonet Scabbard Early Issue Inscribed 1867

This is an original French Sabre-Baïonnette Modèle 1866 (Model 1866 Sword Bayonet), the yataghan-form sword bayonet issued to French infantry armed with the Fusil Chassepot rifle. The date inscribed on the blade — February 1867 — places this example within the first year of pattern production, the Modèle 1866 having been officially adopted only in 1866. It is among the earliest documented service examples of the type that the collector market encounters, and the combination of its blade inscription, crossguard rack number, and scabbard unit markings makes it a more fully documented specimen than the vast majority of surviving M1866 bayonets.

The bayonet follows the standard Modèle 1866 configuration throughout. The grip is cast brass with a pronounced ribbed surface providing purchase, terminating in a rounded pommel at the base and secured by two dome-headed rivets through the grip body. The crossguard is forged steel with the characteristic single hooked quillon curving toward the blade and the muzzle ring on the opposite side for attachment to the Chassepot rifle muzzle. Stamped into the crossguard face in clear block numerals is the French military rack number R 38439, a unit inventory or armorers' assignment number applied to track the weapon within the service. The single-edged blade is in the yataghan form — slightly curved with a prominent central fuller running the length of the blade — and terminates in a clipped point. The blade length is consistent with the standard Modèle 1866 specification. The original steel scabbard is present, cylindrical in cross section with the integral belt frog stud near the throat.

The blade carries a multi-segment cursive inscription engraved across both faces near the forte, running from the crossguard outward in flowing period script. Reading the inscription across both blade faces, the text appears to record: Mre. Troupes dle de Gulle Fbre 1867 — with Mre. an abbreviation for Manufacture (arsenal or manufacturing establishment), Troupes de l' a standard French military formula for "Troops of the," de Gulle a location or formation designation not fully resolved from the photographs alone, and Fbre the standard period abbreviation for Février — February. The year 1867 is clearly legible. The inscription records the assignment or issue of this specific bayonet to a French military unit or arsenal establishment in February 1867, within months of the pattern's adoption. Some individual words in the inscription remain partially ambiguous due to the flowing cursive script and surface wear, and a full resolution may require examination in hand under raking light.

The scabbard throat carries additional stamped markings. The uppermost line reads 25.R.II or 25.E.II — consistent with a French infantry regimental designation indicating the 25th Regiment, second company or battalion. Further text below this line is present but partially obscured by the surface oxidation that affects the scabbard throughout.

The Fusil Chassepot and its bayonet represented a significant technological advance in French infantry armament at the time of adoption, and the M1866 saw extensive service during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 — the conflict that directly produced the German Empire. Although this bayonet predates that war by three years, it is precisely the pattern carried by French infantry at Sedan, at Metz, and during the siege of Paris, and it enters the collector market at the direct intersection of French military history and the founding conflict of the Kaiserreich. The documentary markings on this example — the blade inscription recording its February 1867 issue, the crossguard rack number R 38439, and the scabbard regimental designation — give it a traceable service identity that anonymous examples lack.

Condition is consistent with a field-service weapon of this age. The blade retains its full form with no bends or fractures, the fuller and clipped point intact. The surface shows even oxidation and dark spotting distributed across both blade faces, consistent with 150 years of age. The brass grip has mellowed to a dull gold tone with light surface wear but retains full structural integrity at both rivets. The crossguard is solid. The scabbard is complete and structurally sound but shows pronounced surface oxidation and pitting across most of its exterior, honest and expected for a steel scabbard of this period without active conservation. The belt frog stud is present and functional.