The answer is nobody knows. Bernie makes excellent points and I agree with him. If someone owns one or more M36's with unmarked guards, he can diminish the value of daggers with marked guards by claiming they are "parts" daggers. This makes his dagger(s) more valuable, in theory. His sell, the marked daggers do not. I would like to know how many dealers or collectors would pass on an M36 just because the guard is Gau-marked. I can just hear at a "motel buy" or show: "Sorry, sir, I'm not interested in your M36 SS dagger because the lower guard is Gau-marked." Yeah, right! It would likely go: "Gee, I'd like to buy your dagger, but the markings on the lower guard are incorrect. Sad to say, that devalues it quite a bit. I can give you $200 for it." Afterward, it really does become a parts dagger if the lower guard is changed to an unmarked one, or the Gau mark is removed. So, who's kidding whom?
