Bayone-d belief

If only this pun were as sharp as some of these miniature bayonets…

Carefully fashioned and often with wooden or mother of pearl grips, these fascinating collectables range in size from the more popular 4cm right up to what we’d more readily see as a letter opener at 18cm. They frequently feature a town or (sometimes) a battle site in Northern France or Belgium. Ypres, Brugges, Picardy, Ostende and Calais rub shoulders with Waterloo in the examples seen here. The vast majority feature a pin so you could fasten it to your lapel.