This is a very distinctive variant of the the Brunswick bayonet with upturned quillons. The blade is double edged with a central fuller The blade narrows slightly as you move away from the ricasso and then continues at the same width until very close to the tip. The blade is longer and does not have the normal wasp-waisted shape of the standard model. The handle and cross guard are cast separately and a leather washer is included between the cross guard and the blade. Unlike the original model, the blade is very sharp from the ricasso to the tip. Under the spring, VII is stamped into the brass. Other examples of this bayonet have a series of 7 or 9 dots stamped in this same location. The upturned quillons make the handle difficult to grasp in the hand. Your hand does not fit all the way forward and your fingers are pinched by the quillons. Neat looking, but quite impractical.
This is one of a group of bayonets that was imported to Europe from Afghanistan. They apparently were period made copies of the Brunswick bayonet that fit on a copy of the Brunswick rifle. The dimensions of the blades vary among examples. The date of 1850 is a bit of a guess. However if the bayonet were made much after 1847, the newer style of latch would have been employed. B130 in Skennerton is a very similar bayonet, but with the newer style catch. He lists this bayonet as a volunteer model, but the blade and fuller shape are almost identical to the Afghanistan model. I bought this particular bayonet at an arms fair in Bonn, Germany.
The dimensions are as follows: Overall length 692 mm; Blade length 574.5; Blade width 35.5; Blade thickness 5; Handle length 117.5.
