You mentioned that your grandfather gave you the knife in the late 70s. Was it new or did he carry it previously? Do you still have the original sheath?
He had carried it previously. I never had a sheath for it, always carried it in my back pocket. The straight-line dent in the wood near the rear is because of such (sat down on something, most likely).
I'd like to pick up a sheath for it, but it's a low priority.
I had it rebuilt so that I could eventually hand it down to one of my step-children or my granddaughter (child of oldest stepson).
My childhood knife was a Buck 112 given to me in 1973 - age 12. Like you, I spent many hours sharpening it. Today, it is still my barn and trail knife.
Very nice.
Thanks for the information on the knife.