Buck USMC on e-bay

[nolesfan1]

can someone tell me about the buck usmc on e-bay with the 1993 date stamp? The scabbard is very different than any i have seen from Buck. Was this another trial knife or a commercial one? Also i have never seen a USMC with a black blade. Thanks for your info! Bill

[Quarterbore]

That looks like a correct 1993 USMC M9 Bayonet to me!

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I have one identical to it, mine is in better shpe for the most part but these are interesting as there are a couple varieties. Mine has the full length tang and when the bolt was threaded into the tang it split the tang (hence the reason I think mine was unused). That was certainly not a great idea and the reason there were not many made that way I would guess.

Bill will have more info on these but they are a knife you do not see very often.

[nolesfan1]

By the looks of the final price " not seen very often" would be an understatement!!!!

[porterkids]

So now Mr. Moon maybe you believe me? I told you this was a $2000 bayonet. "Very used" is what makes it valuable. This is a genuine USMC Trials bayonet, actually used by the Marines in their 1993 trials. This particular model, as QB pointed out, has the drilled and tapped tang. These did not hold up well and most were destroyed, making this an even more desireable piece. This will hold or appreciate in value far better than the shiny new M9 bayonets that we buy.

[Carlo]

Hello to everyone and sorry for being away from the forum.
I was actually the second higher bidder in the auction :eek: and I'm responsible for the 1000+ dollars bid increment.
I just would like to see how was the winning bidder face expression, when he saw the final price, once my bid was placed :grin::grin::grin:
Everybody can be sure that, with me around, you will NOT see high valuable M9s going for "bargain" prices (like the XM9 this last August)!!!!
Just two footnotes:
1) This is the first time I have been outbidded with such a serious offer:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:;
2) To all the ebay US sellers: did you ever realize that by removing the illogical ban-of-international-shipments your income from auctions could increase up to 100%?

[Mister Moon]

incredible !

[porterkids]

With an auction ending at $2000+ you can bet that anyone else who has one of these and was thinking about selling it might now have a little more incentive to do so.

I was at a big show last year and missed one of these by about an hour. It was sitting on a table with a $750 price tag. A friend of mine saw it and thought that was a high price for an M9 and passed by it.

[Chris Johnson]

A positive note for the U.S. economy, and for good martial collectibles, they certainly hold their value.
Carlos… try asking U.S. eBay sellers if you may bid, I always allow foreign country bidders permission after verifying decent feedback.

[Carlo]

A positive note for the U.S. economy, and for good martial collectibles, they certainly hold their value.
Carlos… try asking U.S. eBay sellers if you may bid, I always allow foreign country bidders permission after verifying decent feedback.
Hi Chirs!
that is exactly what I did, and the seller kindly allowed me to bid.
Unfortunately, despite my good feedback, sometimes sellers will not allow me to bid, period.
I have lost many, many auctions because of this.......:o

... my maximum " BID " was 800 $ for this model .... not more.
Fabrizio,
prices are subiective, but I still believe 1800-2000 USD (which is a very high price) was not completely outrageous.
We are not talking about a USMC 1991 M9 (remember the one that sold for $ 2000?), but a version much more desiderable.

[porterkids]

I agree with Carlo. There were only 175 of these made and due to their fragile composition not too many survived. It is a scarce bayonet and of interest to M9 bayonet collectors, Buck collectors and USMC collectors.

[pwcosol]

Mr Moon said he was surprised at the price of the bayonet, which he considers "Incredible for this " very used " M9". From similar examples I have seen, like the example Bill P. mentioned, the one pictured in Homer Brett's "Military Knives & Bayonets", and a couple of others, this bayonet is in very nice condition overall! I currently have two; one with a riveted tang & another with the hex locking nut on the pommel. The latter also has the plastic grip transfer on the scabbard. The first one is close to new condition & the second shows moderate usage. I paid between between $1,700.00 & $1,500.00 for each. I bet the seller, whom really had no idea what he actually had, was dumbfounded @ the final bid price! He probably thought the story about the M9 coming from a U.S. Navy Seal (factual or not) really paid off big. It is rumored the majority of the 1993 Buck USMC trials bayonets were destroyed during or after testing. Yet, it is good to see perhaps more escaped this fate than once thought...

[rexmeyer]

Nice to see you back Carlo, I was wondering who started driving the price of this really high and it was you... I wish I could have had enough money to buy it , but it just didn't happen.. My wife still thinks I am crazy for buying these because she says that they all look alike, and is under the impression that I shouldn't need anymore....I was lucky enough to pick up a rivet pommel one of these for 200.00 a couple of years ago..The only thing it didn't have was the correct scabbard. It had a new one that was the same scabbard as the 1991 usmc, so I am just happy to have one...Rex

[Carlo]

My wife still thinks I am crazy for buying these because she says that they all look alike, and is under the impression that I shouldn't need anymore....
At least your wife knows how many of them you have....my wife has been told that "I have only a couple of bayonets in my collection that I bought for almost nothing...." :grin::grin::grin:
Needless to say, I'm not in the position to actually be able to display my M9s in the house...they are all closed in a locker!!!
Edit: while writing this, I remembered a good suggestion that I read in the Jim Maddox book Collecting bayonets.
If you were going to keep a list of all the bayonets where you wanted to record the price you paid for them, you can just use a code instead of the real price...this way your wife will never know how much you spend for your "hobby"!

[porterkids]

Hiding the value of your better bayonets can be dangerous. What happens if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? Your wife will get rid of all that worthless junk you used to collect. Wouldn't you rather that she benefit from the sale of some valuable bayonets than pay someone to haul away the "junk"? Everyone should make sure that someone close to them has some kind of an idea what things are worth so if something happens the collection will be liquidated to the benefit of the surviving family members.

[rexmeyer]

Bill, you are absolutely correct on what you say about the worth of the bayonets...My wife keeping telling me I should write what I paid for them down so she will know what they are worth and which ones are worth the most, otherwise she probably would practically give them away for almost nothing.....Rex

[porterkids]

My wife always jokes that if she out lives me she'll have a tag sale and it will be $5 for the short ones and $10 for the long ones.

[Carlo]

You are both very correct!
But what I suggested to do was not to write down a fictional price (i.e. $ 50 instead of $ 1500) but just a code (i.e. A1).
You will then have a separate list, out of wife attention untill you-will-get-hit-by-a-bus-tomorrow :grin:, where is clearly written that, for example, code A1 = price between $ 1200 and $ 1500. :wink::wink::wink::wink:

[M9A1]

Ask that what steel products M9 BUCK-USMC 1993 bayonets are make with? Thanks

[Carlo]

One more for sale on ebay, full tang/riveted pommell
http://cgi.ebay.com/SCARCE-1993-USMC-BUCK-M9-PROTOTYPE-FULL-TANG-BAYONET_W0QQitemZ190305696413QQihZ009QQcategoryZ73 523QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem.
It will be interesting to see if the new M9 book will influence the ending price.

[porterkids]

I don't think the new book will have much of an impact on the auction price. Last one on ebay sold for $2150. Then we had the gentleman who posted one here on the forum. That one sold for $2000. I think those are fair indications of the "real" value. I think what will have a bigger impact is the state of the global economy. A lot of collectors simply cannot spend the money because of their current condition and others who may have the money are more careful because they don't know how things are going to go with their own situation. I'm sure many people will be watching this auction. Counter reading as of this post is 65.

[Carlo]

Well, I don't know if the new book will impact on this auction, but I have never seen the price rising from 24 dollars to more than 1600 in just one day.
I cannot comment on the book, as I didn' receive it yet, but I trust the negative impressions I read here.
Despite this, I think that more collectors will approach the M9 bayonets because of the new book, and that we could see the prices rising in the near future.

[porterkids]

$1725 with 175 hits on the counter and 5-1/2 days to go. It will be interesting to see where it ends.

[Mister Moon]

........................... :smile:

[Mister Moon]

.......... And the Winner is ............not me !

:grin::grin::grin:


2 8 5 1 $


:rolleyes:

[Carlo]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Did I miss something "special" about this bayonet?
Between the two full tang variations, I would say that the threaded tang should be valued a little bit more than the riveted pommell.
As stated before by Bill, there are probably less examples of the former, due to the fragile system of the tang.
Also (but this is my very personal opinion) when you buy a full tang M9, the first thing you want to do is actually .... to take a look at the tang and show it to your friends/collectors, something that can't be done with the riveted pommell version.
You know that there is a full tang under the pommell, but you will never see it.
Of course, the example shown by Chris on this forum, with the tang not riveted, is a real prize!

[pwcosol]

I think there is more going on here regarding the BUCK 1993 USMC trials bayonets. I suspect the desirability of these bayonets reaches beyond them being M9s. USMC-related militaria has always been a very active area of collecting, and weapons in particular. There never seem to be a lack of buyers of the 1991 BUCK trials contract of 5,000 bayonets, even though more have begun to surface in recent years.
It may be the many variants of the Marine M9 trials bayonets have remained relatively unknown to dedicated collectors whom do not necessarily collect the M9 bayonet in general. As news of these variations and their relative scarcity has spread, more intense interest is being shown. In addition, every succeeding example (1991 trials excluded) to appear on auction sites like Ebay has not only generated more bidding, but closed higher than the previous example listed. I believe the Marine M9s are a classic example of a "cross-over" collectable, that has appeal to several related, but different groups of collectors, and hence the strong demand. I wonder how much interest one of the LanCay USMC solid-tang M9 trials bayonets might generate, if listed on a auction site like Ebay...

[ColinG]

Does any one know if this is the highest paid for any M9 to date? I thought that because the riveted form was slightly more numerous than the threaded kind that it might go for less than $2K. My plan was to bid $1850 within the last few seconds of the auction and obtain it; however, after it reached $1725 after the 3rd day or so I began to feel that my plan wasn't very realistic. Oh well, maybe one of these days.

[porterkids]

Hard to say if this is the highest paid as there are many transactions that take place privately and the details are never made public. I will say that I was surprised at the ending price. I thought it would top out around $2000. I guess it's time to make some adjustments to the values in my files.

[pwcosol]

Does anyone know if the bidder whom got this most recent 1993 USMC trials piece was the same guy who got the previous one on Ebay? I recall someone posted he was one of the initial bidders. If so, maybe the guy needed this particular variation. I begin to wonder if BUCK collectors are the ones primarily responsible for the increased demand/higher prices reflected for these M9s.
As for M9 prices, I think they peak @ about 3K for the scarcest variants. Some of these were of very limited production or survivability, and may rarely come on the market. They are also likely sitting in private collections, and only become available when a long-time collector decides to sell off. This was the case with several M9s I got over the past two years, when two such individuals opted to sell out.

[Carlo]

Does anyone know if the bidder whom got this most recent 1993 USMC trials piece was the same guy who got the previous one on Ebay? I recall someone posted he was one of the initial bidders. If so, maybe the guy needed this particular variation.
I first wrote about it, but then I edited my message as with the new ebay system that conceals the bidder usernames, it is more difficult to tell.
I still believe the bidder who won the other ebay auction is the one who placed a 1.700 bid on this one (take a look at the bids history), but not the higher bidder.
Not 100% sure, though.

[Mister Moon]

... The year of the USMC / ...... :rolleyes:

The last year was for the " CHEVRON " ..... 1200 $ i beleive ..

[porterkids]

Don't forget there was a Buck USMC+ that sold for $2000.

[Chris Johnson]

Some of already know that I was the high on the latest full tang bayonet.
Two of my favorite expressions are “too much is never enough” and “less is more”, the former applies in this case. Did I pay too Much ?, Possibly. Bill made a point earlier in this thread, “very used” is what makes valuable”, I know that was in reference to a threaded tang, nonetheless, that was a BIG reason for my bid, condition, completeness and character were also other incentives.
Besides how many of these bayonets do you see come up for sale…
All of your comments have me feeling pretty good about my purchase… Thanks
I will post some Photos.
cj

[pwcosol]

One thing is for certain. There are only a finite number of these bayonets available. The belief is of those made, the majority were destroyed either during extensive testing or upon termination of the trials, but nobody knows for sure. I also wonder if the bayonets remained in the hands of the USMC or were returned to BUCK after the trials took place. From those that have surfaced, many seem to have some sort of provenance coming from the military, and escaped the fate of the majority.
I cannot see the USMC actually destroying the bayonets after trials completion. This does not seem to have happened with the 1991 contract thus far. They may have, just like surplussed US M7s, ended up going to a regional DRMO for disposition. There the M9s might be destroyed, provided as aid to a foreign or other entity friendly with the United States, or sold as surplus. Who knows? If the USMC retained these bayonets the remainder might well still be sitting in a crate someplace (like Yermo) in the Mojave desert, awaiting final disposition...

[rexmeyer]

I was lucky enough to get one of the rivet pommel USMC 1993 M-9 knivIes' It is close to being mint, but the only thing I lack is the correct scabbard. It came with a mint 1991 style scabbard. This was 2 years ago.. I haven't been lucky enough to find an original scabbard yet.. But I am still looking.....It goes along with the incomplete prototype Phrobis m-9 I was lucky enough to get on ebay..

[M9A1]

:smile:good

[Carlo]

I just noted that Joe H. is selling one full tang USMC 1993 with the riveted pommell
http://cgi.ebay.com/Buck-knife-188-USMC-bayonet-PROTO-long-tang-riveted_W0QQitemZ280372432958QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item41477fd03e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A2124%7C 293%3A2%7C294%3A50
This bayonet has, in my opinion, a lot of "character", as Chris said few posts above in regard to a different piece.
What is your opinion about having a broken M9 in your collection?

[Mister Moon]

I just noted that Joe H. is selling one full tang USMC 1993 with the riveted pommell
http://cgi.ebay.com/Buck-knife-188-USMC-bayonet-PROTO-long-tang-riveted_W0QQitemZ280372432958QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item41477fd03e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A2124%7C 293%3A2%7C294%3A50
This bayonet has, in my opinion, a lot of "character", as Chris said few posts above in regard to a different piece.
What is your opinion about having a broken M9 in your collection?

:cool: ... not for me.

[Carlo]

Hello to everyone!
Didn't have much time to post on the forum, lately, and .... sadly I already spent all my available "M9 budget" for 2009, so no more M9s untill next year! :frown:
Anyway,
I just saw few nice pieces for sale: a clear LanCay, a black blade australian contract and a Buck USMC 1993 riveted pommell
http://cgi.ebay.com/USMC-BUCK-M9-Bayonet-Knife-Scabbard-Rare_W0QQitemZ170389860697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item27ac06f159&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
What do you think about the modified cutter plate?
There was no screwdriver on the USMC 1993 model cutter plate.
More chances, in my opinion, that the cutter plate got broken and was then rasped (hope this is the correct english word).

[pwcosol]

Carlo, I noticed the cutter-plate as well. It looks almost like the metal was removed by machining rather than by grinding, as the angles are crisp & sharp. I suspect what happened is end of the cutter plate was broken off (and in doing so eliminated the button blade stop). The damaged cutterplate was machined off around the breakage to eliminate the sharp metal. One would have thought a new cutterplate would have been substituted, but this might have been against rules for the testing & evaluation process of the bayonet trials. It is also possible the cutterplate was modified after "liberation" from the testing, but it seems to show some wear around the modified area indicating usage afterwards.

[Carlo]

Hello!
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks that the cutter plate got probably broken.
The idea of a modification made intentionally to prevent the screwdriver (which one?) "snags cloth" seems difficult to believe, as for sure now the cutter plate is useless without the lower part.

[Carlo]

I completely forgot about a recent auction I saw on ebay for a threaded tang Buck USMC 1993.
I just came across that auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/USMC-BUCK-M9-Bayonet-Knife-Scabbard-RARE-1-of-175_W0QQitemZ270474432944QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item3ef98851b0
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Gentlemen we have a new record for this bayonet, over $ 3000.

[Broad_Arrow]

I was also surprised by the final price for the recent 1993 Buck USMC on ebay.

I am relatively new to the M9 world, but my paltry bid didn't even make a dent in the bidding for that particular bayonet. :o

For some of the ol' timers here: what is the average price you have seen for the 1993 USMC Buck bayonets (any of the thread types)? Just curious how other prices compare to the $3000+ from the recent auction.

[Carlo]

For some of the ol' timers here: what is the average price you have seen for the 1993 USMC Buck bayonets (any of the thread types)? Just curious how other prices compare to the $3000+ from the recent auction.

I believe the average price for this bayonet is (was) around $ 2000

[porterkids]

I agree with Carlo, these bayonets usually sold in the $2000 range. I have noticed an increased interest in the M9 bayonet and some of the recent auction results have shocked me. For instance, the DS commemorative that sold for $456 last week. A few years ago I picked one up at a show for $125. I also think the weak US dollar has something to do with it as we have seen some substantial bids coming from the collectors in Europe.

[rexmeyer]

Well I for one am not going to consider selling the one I have since, there would be no chance of ever acquiring one again... Maybe sometime later if I ever get to retire...

[pwcosol]

What I would like to know is, was the final bid price of 3K based on condition or having the threaded tang bolt (as opposed to rivet)? From what I have observed over the past five years, the majority of BUCK 1993 USMC trials M9s have been the riveted-pommel variant.

[sj198]

New to the forum and I had a couple questions.

Can anyone give me a guesstimation what a 1991 model usmc m9 with correct scabbard, mint sharpening stone etc, would be worth? If it also had the little plastic handle green buck folder attached to the side of the scabbard, would it be worth more?

Also, Though they supposedly made 5k of these, since they were ordered destroyed, and some obviously escaped capture, wouldn't there be even much fewer than 5000?

Thanks!

[porterkids]

Many of the USMC M9s were auctioned off as surplus. Some might have ended up destroyed, but for a while the market was flooded with them. They still show up regularly on ebay. Search completed auctions to get an idea of current value.

[sj198]

Internet research will often reveal lots of interesting facts and information about a number of different subjects. However, never underestimate an eye witness.

[porterkids]

Does anyone have first hand knowledge related to this subject who would care to share it with the forum? Were the bayonets ordered destroyed and if so, by whom? Any documentation to share with the forum? We're all here to learn and would appreciate any information that might be available.