My M9 Phrobis III "Chevron" > or I didn't know I had a collectible!

[pwcosol]

CanDoEZ: Maybe this info will be of help with your "liberated" M9 bayonet. Marines by nature are great scavengers. When I was a boot @ MCRD San Diego back in early '71, I recall one Sargent Oropeza (E-5) once describe a Marine's mission. He stated "A Marine has two missions in combat. The first is to close with and destroy the enemy. The second is souvenirs."

In any event, what you have is a M9 bayonet from the beginning of the first contract run for the U.S. Army. The "three line" marking, as pictured on your bayonet, was the first style used. Buck, whom produced the bayonets, also added a date-code marking for the year 1987, which was ">". Buck utilized similar date code markings, which changed each year, to many of their edged weapons. However, the addition of this marking was in violation of their manufacturing contract with the Army, & were told to no longer apply it.

Approximately 250+ bayonets thus marked, which had been produced & were still at Buck were held back. All earlier bayonets (the exact number of which remains undetermined, but are said to be in the vicinity of 1,000+) had already been shipped to the Army, & were subsequently issued. Initial issue of the M9 by the Army was earmarked for Airborne & specialist units. The bayonets that were held back were divided up between Mr. Micky Finn (designer of the M9 MPBS) & Buck. The bayonets had an electro-etched serial number scribed on the obverse side of the ricasso. Odd numbered bayonets were retained by Buck & offered to members of Buck's Collector Club. Even number bayonets went to Mr. Finn, whom either sold or gave them away to interested parties.

As for desirability, the "Chevron" marked M9 was one of the most difficult marking variants to find until relatively recently. An individual in Texas purchased a lot of several hundred M9 bayonets at a Government surplus auction, & discovered a small quantity of "Chevron" marked examples among them. Most were subsequently sold on Ebay. As for value, at one time this variant might have easily commanded $1,000.00 in excellent condition. Today, a average condition example might bring $350.00 to $600.00. Either way, your M9 is an interesting bayonet from a production/collecting aspect, but also has a history to go with it, which few do.