Description
SA M1909 Hospital Corps Bolo dated 1909, low serial; scarce original 1911 Rock Island Arsenal scabbard included. Rare type in great overall condition, considering the age; VERY rare this nice and complete.
Rare pre-World War I era Hospital Corps Model 1909 Bolo in great overall condition with original leather scabbard included. The M1909 Bolo was the purpose-designed jungle tool to aid US soldiers dealing with thick foliage that they had previously found themselves in during campaigns in Cuba and the Philippines. This specimen was manufactured by the famous Springfield Armory; first year manufacture with low serial number; SA made only 17,540 M1909s.
In spite of its enormous size and weight, the M1909 Bolo was designed to be carried as a belt knife and it was fitted with the large durable leather scabbard with brass fittings and a wide belt loop. Ergonomically curved handle wields a great control over the large up-swept blade with a sharp point. In my humble opinion, the M1909 was the most beautiful (and sexy) mass-produced edged weapon fielded by the US armed forces EVER. The M1909 Production started at the Springfield Armory in 1909 and continued until about 1915; during WW1 Plumb and Collins took over the M1909 production and assembly.
The original “SA” marked M1909s are scarce as Springfield Armory made only 17,540 Bolos; all were serial-numbered. With the majority of M1909s lost to heavy field use and combat during the two World Wars, all-original M1909 Bolo/scabbard sets became one of the most though-after Americana collectibles. This Bolo is 19-3/8” / 49.3 cm overall; the blade is about 13-3/4” / 35 cm long, about 2-1/4” / 5.7 cm at the widest point, and 6 mm thick near the widest point at the tip. Ricasso is sharply stamped SA / “flaming bomb”/ 1909 on one side, low serial number 3759 on the other. The blade appears to have original factory edge; it has not been re-sharpened. A few tiny edge bumps are noted for accuracy. Original American walnut handle scales, wide iron guard and the round bronze butt plate are intact; all parts are tight with no play; this type rare this nice.
Original leather scabbard was manufactured in 1911 by Island Arsenal (Rock Island Arsenal), this is a rare unit-marked type. It’s marked Rock Island Arsenal below the belt loop, with arsenal inspectors’ stamps H.E.K. and W.G. / M.P., M.C, above and below the belt loop. The front panel is stamped with unit’s markings 1/ OKMG / 51. Original WW1 era scabbards for M1909s are actually harder to find than these Bolos themselves; very few survived harsh conditions in the trenches and tropical jungles. This scabbard is in great overall condition, considering it is 115 years old. The belt loop is intact; the leather is still soft and supple; most of the original stitching and rivets are intact; minor tip damage from too many drops is noted for accuracy. Brass throat is near-perfect with the placement pin intact; all parts are tight with no play.
Most of these M1909 Bolos were used as intended during the War and are usually in pretty rough shape. This specimen is in better-than-average condition for the type; this SA M1909 Hospital Corps Bolo will make an excellent addition to any collection. This scarce SA M1909 Hospital Corps Bolo / original leather scabbard set has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way it’s in 100% original “as purchased” condition; these are the actual photos.
This original WW1 era SA M1909 Hospital Corps Bolo has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition; these are the actual photos. I have a few scarce WW1 and WW2 bayonets, fighting knives, daggers and trench knives available for sale – please take a look in my store’s Militaria section.
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Domestic shipping for this item within the US will be $34 via expedited USPS Priority Mail .
No International shipping for this item, sorry.
