Pretty sure bayonet blades are meant to be sharp. And I would rather use one of my grandfather's tools as he did, instead of putting it aside, and treating it as a museum piece.
Not everything is meant to sit around and look pretty. Why retire something before it has outlived its usefulness. Why not pass on a piece of living history, rather than one that has been preserved as a part of history that is dead and gone?
Which would you rather see? An old car or truck sitting in a museum, preserved for future generations, or one that is run and driven on a regular basis, and lovingly and painstakingly maintained for those same future generations.
Financial value means nothing when you never have any intention of selling or trading it in.
In the context of what was said before about no major cleaning, it will de value it, I was pointing out that sharpening it will de value it too.
And just because something will " never " be sold, doesnt mean you should take something worth a lot of money and turn it into junk
