Private-Purchase Etched Stag Horn Dress Bayonet by Eickhorn

German WWII-era private-purchase dress bayonet with etched blade and stag horn grips, manufactured by Eickhorn, Solingen. This is the short model, measuring 34.5 cm in total. The hilt is nickel-plated zinc with attractive stag horn grip plates secured by two steel rivets.
The nickel-plated steel blade features a custom private-purchase Eickhorn etch panel on the obverse, reading:
“Zur Erinnerung an die ‘13’ – Münster 3.1.–4.5.1937”
(“In remembrance of the ‘13’ – Münster, 3 January to 4 May 1937.”)
This type of inscription is typical of personalized bayonets purchased by soldiers to commemorate a specific service or training period with their unit—here, most likely the 13th Company or a similarly numbered formation stationed at the Münster garrison during the early rearmament period.
The frontside of the ricasso bears the distributor’s stamp “Fahnen-Reuter / Münster.” Fahnen-Reuter was a well-documented outfitter and military goods retailer in Münster that sold private-purchase dress daggers and bayonets, adding their shop mark to blades sourced from Solingen makers. The reverse ricasso carries the Eickhorn maker’s mark.
The original black-painted steel scabbard remains in good condition with only light wear, retaining most of its factory finish.
Overall, a very fine example of an early private-purchase Eickhorn dress bayonet with a desirable personalized etch and Münster retailer stamp.