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Bayonet Terms:

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Reading a German State and Date:

The bayonet was marked on the spine of the blade just before the handle with a crown over the State's Monarch, over the two digit date for the year produced, over an inspection stamp (small crown over gothic letter).  

For example, this quillback bayonet  has a larger crown over a 'W' (for King Wilhelm of Prussia), over a '07' for 1907, over a smaller crown over a gothic letter 'D' (this is a typical imperial german inspector's proof mark showing the blade (in this case) meet all specifications).  The Kings for each State were as follows during the war.  Since Prussia and Wurttemberg both had King Wilhelm, the only way to tell you have a Wurttemberg used bayonet is by the regimental markings.

German State:	Marking on Spine of Blade:
Prussia (P)	Crown over "W" for King Wilhelm I, 1861-1888 Crown over "W" for King Wilhelm II, 1888-1918
Bavaria (B)	Crown over "L" for King Ludwig II, 1864-1886 Crown over "O" for King Otto, 1886-1913 Crown over "L" for King Ludwig, 1913-1918
Saxony (S)	Crown over "JR" for King Johann, 1854-1873 Crown over "AR" for King Albert, 1873-1902 Crown over "GR" for King Georg, 1902-1904 Crown over "FA" for King Friedrich August III, 1904-1918
Wurttemberg	Crown over "K" for King Karl, 1864-1891 Crown over "W" for King Wilhelm II, 1891-1918