Information about this scabbard

These large straight scabbards are all made with heavy black lacquered leather bodies and sheet brass mounts.  The round brass ball finial tip is unique to this type.  Although these scabbards are straight they are used with bayonets with curved blades.  

The throat is open to the edges of the mount and the leather body is exposed.  To strengthen the weaknesses of the previous variations, two modifications occurred.  First, the frog stud/loop was replaced with a 25 mm angular shaped piece of brass with a slot for the frog strap on one side and the other side was brazed to the throat mount.   Secondly, the copper rivets holding the mounts to the leather are much larger then the earlier variations.  There are still two rivets, front and back, on both throat and tip mounts.  

Currently three throat mount lengths have been recorded; 77, 82 and 87 millimeters.  The throat mount width has been recorded from 44 to 50 millimeters.  The tip mount dimensions vary a little but are basically 118 millimeters long by 38 millimeters wide.  The overall length of these scabbards have ranged from 575 to 632 millimeters.  590 millimeter scabbards appear to be the most common.  The reason for the length variations is unknown. 

The above image shows four known examples, from top to bottom, Examples A, B, C and D.  Example A is 575 millimeters long, Examples B and C are 590 millimeters long and Example D is 632 millimeters long. The different lengths in the throat mounts can also be easily seen.

Information from other sources

Albert N. Hardin, The American Bayonet 1776 – 1964, "There are two basic scabbards issued with these arms, differing only only in their frog retaining devices.  Due to the nature of the frog design, the scabbard with the flat rectangular attachment is considered the earliest scabbard, and those equipped with the more common, round button attachment are regarded as later models." 

Speculation and questions