Very Rare – British Revolutionary War Bayonet, made by “Woolley”, as in the Smithsonian Museum

This is another early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a very rare Revolutionary War bayonet. This is a massive bayonet measuring 20 ½” overall, the widest part of the blade 1 1/4”, the socket 1” and weighing almost one-pound.

The bayonet is marked with a small crown and the maker “WOOLLEY” (later Wooley Deakin & Co.).  Etched into the socket is the number “174”; the one in the Smithsonian is number “22”. James Woolley was a noted supplier of bayonets for the British Ordnance Department in 1793,  known to have worked at Edmund Street, Birmingham, England.

There is an exact example of this bayonet in the “Smithsonian Museum of History” (see pictures). Overall, the bayonet offered is in beautiful condition, with no rust or pitting. This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, diggers, and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with any known provenance.

This is really a rare and historic piece being offered, so surviving examples are difficult to come across, and this is the first time this one is on the open market. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum.  As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included. With all the items on the website, a very friendly layaway is also available.