Long as theories are abounding -they are neither; they are from Randall sheath maker Clayton Howard. The "story" is bullshit at best and confusion at least. They appear to have the hallmarks of Howard's sheaths.
Clayton Howard -Randall sheath maker, contemporary w/early M. Johnson.
R54.... I'd love to hear more about this line of thought. It's new to me.....
Joe, Ron and Tune: Very interesting thread. Started me thinking and looking at similar knives. On the attached photo I tried to pick several brown button model 1's from the same general era. I always thought it was a given that if the sheath was marked with Randall on the back it was a Johnson. Now, after looking at these I'm not so sure. See if you can guess what sheath is a Heiser, what is a Johnson and what is the bottom sheath?
Nice to see you posting, Gary. Tough one, even if you had posted a pic of the backsides! From the top: Four Heisers, a JRB and I'll go with Tunes guess of a Stockman for the last.
Ronnie,
Thanks, but I think I'll pass:
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Ron Mathews RKS No. 4223