Joe,

The lighting in that photo is very poor, casting reflections and shadows that obscure the grind lines. I see top bevels on some but not others. As well, John's knife is missing some metal and there are no distinct grind lines at all. I never said you could unequivocally say a knife is from a given year based on grind lines. It was you who said John's knife appeared to be a bit later than the knives in that photo. What about the top bevel on Brian's knife:

Does this align it with the 1940 knives?

Yes, I'm saying I think the sheath construction changed with the offering of a stone pocket. Again, have you ever seen a pancake sheath with a stone pocket? No? Neither has anyone else! What type of sheath construction did those sheaths with a stone pocket have that were made between May of 1940 and 6/15/42?

Bo was 84 when Bob's book was published. In the book's preface on page X, Bob states "As I uncovered more original records with each visit, it became apparent that some of the often told stories about Bo's knives didn't match with what he had recorded at the time. Bo and I discussed this discrepancy on two or three occasions and always came to the same conclusion: we would consider what he had recorded at the time that it happened to be factual, not what he remember 40 years later"! Bottom line is that Bo's memory at the time the book was written was suspect. An event that should have stuck in his mind was the re-handle of his first knife, and that went missing. It would have been just as easy to forget one customer's request for a knife with a special guard. In 1940 or 1941, Bo had no idea how the grind on a fighting knife should differ from a hunting knife. At the same time I wouldn't be surprised if Brian's knife had a sharpened clip. You state unequivocally that "Brian's knife was made during this period (Late '42 / early '43). This statement flies in the face of your earlier claim. You're contradicting yourself here, Joe.

In any event, I am entitled to my opinion just as you are to yours.