Rare M9 on ebay

[porterkids]

There is a great M9 bayonet that just showed up on ebay. It's one of the 1993 Buck solid tang USMC test bayonets. These were used for factory testing prior to the bayonets being delivered to the USMC for evaluation. The test bayonets did not get the black oxide finish to the blades, they all have an unfinished heat-treated appearance. Buck only submitted 350 bayonets to the USMC for evaluation and there are probably only a handful of these test pieces around.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BUCK-M-9-BAYONET-USMC_W0QQitemZ6626941224QQcategoryZ43323QQssPageNa meZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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[ColinG]

The bayonet did not sell. It did not even get a single bid. I believe that the current M9 collectors market is not wide enough yet to get bid action on expensive one-of-a-kind items. I have about 10 M9s in my collection but any high dollar purchases generally go toward my WWII weapon and accessories collection. I think that most M9 collectors also are into other areas of militaria like myself where the other areas take precedence over M9s rather than the other way around. Anyway, this is my reason for believing why that particular M9 did not sell.

[porterkids]

Hi Colin,

Thank you for sharing your opinion with us. I think your point is valid; however, the M9 bayonet is rapidly becoming a popular item for collectors. I've seen 1987 commercial bayonets NIB with the correct paperwork exceed $500 on ebay. You're right that when you get into four figure prices many collectors have interests other than the M9. I think another big factor is that people just don't know enough about the subject matter. How many people who looked at that photo do you think actually knew what it was? I'd bet not many. How many people would be willing to put down $1000 based solely on what the seller was telling them? Probably about the same number as those who knew what it was.

I feel that the bayonet was absolutely worth what the seller was asking. If I didn't already have some of them in my collection I would have been going after it myself. This is one piece that many people will be kicking themselves about in the future. All it will take is a book on the M9 bayonet to come out showing all of these variations. Then everyone will know what it is and want one.

By the way, for anyone who's wondering, the bayonet is not mine and, other than a bit of email correspondence, I do not know the seller.
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