Soldiers often returned from wars with “trophies,” or souvenirs, such as this German-manufactured bayonet. We can often read the history of a military item by examining its many marks, each one stamped upon the metal at the beginning of a new war. Though this bayonet was originally made in the 19th century, it traveled to Argentina (perhaps for use in the Spanish American War) before crossing the Atlantic Ocean at least two more times. The blade is treated with a carbolic wax, which has an odor similar to a box of crayons. This bayonet was taken from a German soldier during World War II (1939-1945) and brought back to Ashfield, Massachusetts, by a member of the Pichette family, who own the bayonet.