Pesho, thank you for the information. For clarification, are you stating that an �NCO dirk� can not have a silver propeller and that this feature was only used on the officers model? The reason that I ask is: if someone was reproducing NCO dirks, why would they go through and add a detail (silver propeller) that would be incorrect for that model. It would seem to me that they could leave this detail off and make a more realistic (and cheaper) reproduction if that was their intent.
Persho, regarding ebay item # 280211421801. I have looked at that piece on several occasions and I don�t know what to make of it. The fact that it does not have glass eyes is of great concern to me. I�ve seen them with the eyes missing but never like as shown on this piece. Also the plain blade on this piece is substantially different than other plain blades found on Air Force dirks. This blade has sharply ground ridge lines as compared to the more rounded ones that I seen. However, I can see grind lines on that blade so who knows what has happened to it. Also, as you stated, I would think that it would have an etched blade unless that was an option. Please take a look at ebay auction # 220218214025 as a comparison and give us your opinion on that one.
There seems to be many differences in details with these dirks and it is very difficult to determine what might be an acceptable variation. As an example, lets look at scabbard details. One version, which I suspect was an early model, has a leather covered scabbard. What I believe is a later version, has a type of material covering that is unknown to me. However, you can clearly see the weave in the material so it�s not leather. The 3rd version is the shiny black painted scabbard found ( to the best of my knowledge) only on the officer�s dirk but maybe not. Another point worth mentioning are the differences in the end of the scabbard fitting. Some examples show a ball (sometimes silver) that is a separate piece being held by the eagle�s claw. Others examples appear as though this detail is a fixed part of the casting. Maybe it was an option or a particular manufactures trait. Who can say for sure? Your thought please.
Gary
