Also, this photo collage should put to rest Fred Prinz's belief that the handle was somehow "cracked" when mismatched parts were installed on the hilt for some reason. The photos clearly show that the "mysterious" rip in the leather is just that - a rip. The wood under the leather is neither damaged nor crushed, as Fred Prinz would have had us believe. Oops! That was one last comment, but I couldn't resist. So, anybody who has damaged leather on a 70 year old dagger should immediately be suspect that the dagger is a parts dagger . . . NOT!
