This is my most recent vintage 14 acquisition courtesy of Ronnie Darby the Jeepster. It is a great Vietnam Solingen tooth model 14 that I'm tickled to add...these are not so easy to find. This one has a SSN on the ricosso which I'm considering having removed if it will not weaken the knife. In any case this knife is perfect for my little Vietnam era collection, slightly used by excellent condition.
I regard Vietnam era having eight different basic types of model 14 blades in the field.
1. Solingen carbon-14,
2. Solingen carbon sawteeth-14,
3. Solingen stainless 14,
4. Solingen stainless teeth-14. And
5. Orlando carbon-14,
6. Orlando carbon teeth-14,
7. Orlando stainless-14, and
8. Orlando stainess teeth-14. I have one of most of these types now, still missing a couple of them though.
I think I like this Solingen teeth grind best. I have not, and will probably not, make much of an effort to accumulate the special and rarer types ... tenites, different age markers such as low S, brown micarta, etc. unless some knife just forces itself on me. I do have a large tack-rivet filled hole black Macarta Orlando 14, and I do like it.. so I will never say 'never" ...
Re: ID number on ricosso - For some reason a name wouldn't bother me at all but SSN
(which replaced military ID number official in 1969, though largely activated in 1968) seems somehow a little too personal...probably just modern sensitivity or something. Perhaps I'll leave it, advice welcome.