OK so looking at Fritz pictures #5 above shows a rocker rivet without a head I believe so the knife is earlier than an 8th. It has tiny inlay rivets so its not a 7th. Because it has inlay rivets so its not a 4th which does not have inlay rivets. Var #1 and Var #2 are one liners so it not those.
So Buckeroos the choice seems to be down to:
Variation 3 (1967)8
Stamp: BUCK, u.s.a., Inverted, Left hand, 440C steel.
Butt rivets: 2 visible on left side of rear bolsters only.
Blade rivet: Visible on both sides of front bolsters.
Inlay rivets: 2 (tiny)
Rocker rivet: Brass, no head.
Sheath: Leather, black. B or C.
Packaging: 2 piece yellow box about 2” high-(1), about 1 ½” high-(1), “Attention” leaflet orange-(1), knife sharpening card-(1), Guarantee Registration/Remember card with Federal Blvd. address-(1)(2 types seen), Use and Care leaflet with Federal Blvd. address-(1), Navy exchng sales slip date 12/1/67, Al Buck note-(1).
OR
Variation 5 (1968-1970)10
Stamp: BUCK, u.s.a., Inverted, Left hand, 440C steel.
Butt rivets: 3 visible on left side of rear bolster 1 visible on right side.
Blade rivet: Visible on both sides of front bolsters.
Inlay rivets: 2 (tiny)
Rocker rivet: Brass, no head.
Sheath: Leather, black. B or C.
Packaging: 2 piece yellow box about 2” high. **
OR
Variation 6 (1968-1970)11
Stamp: BUCK, u.s.a., Inverted, Left hand, 440C steel.
Butt rivets: 1 visible on left side of rear bolster, 1 on right side.
Blade rivet: Visible on both sides of front bolsters.
Inlay rivets: 2 (tiny)
Rocker rivet: Brass, no head.
Sheath: Leather, black. B or C.
Packaging: 2 piece yellow box about 2” high. **
Fritz's knife has had its bolsters worked on with somthing with some grit so they are not easy to look at and note blade and bolster rivets. All three options are same on the blade rivet. So our decision is going to be on what we think we can see regarding the butt rivet or other guesstimations like the early looking nail nick.
I don't understand why Buck would run two variations like Var #5 and Var #6 concurrently for three years with the only difference being 3 visiable rivets on the left side of #5 and only one visiable for #6.
Why would that happen???
I have decided there is nothing special to make of the small nail nick. Fritz's blade is larger than the more delicate shaped 1st and 2nd Version blades. It has the smaller ricasso of a third version blade (remember originally designed as a one liner) are even though it is a two line stamp. The fourth version's ricasso was enlarged to accomidate two line stamping I believe. It has the thirds thin nail nick. Fritz's blade plainly looks like a third version which we already knew.
So back to bolster rivets. Reading Blade's write up about the Third version, it said:
Knives can be found where the cap-bolster rivets are only visible on the left-hand side, on both sides, and some will even have just one large rivet visiable on both sides of the cap bolsters.
Remember, Fritz has shown us what is definetly one large rivet on the left side rear bolster in one photo. It does not seem to appear on the other side but this knife has been sanded and buffed. Fritz does not see any rivets on the right side.
However, the way Joe writes up the Variations noting 1 visiable rivet in the 6th Variation makes it the winner in my opinion. The third and 5ths rivets would have been smaller multiple rivets.
It is my opinion that Fritz is the proud owner of a 3rd Version, 6th Variation
