09/15/2026
more k***s! As noted in the nitty gritty book, 1950 k***s were fairly consistent, but from 1951 onwards they had noticeable variations from batch to batch. Most commonly in regards to the knurling and top profile.
Specific details can identify certain years, for example these are all the same approx height, all have the same conical underside, all have the same flat crown ontop of the dome, but the dome profile and knurling varies on each.
Personally I prefer the sharp shallow dome & knurling style of the first k**b (far left). It separates itself from the more rounded dome k***s of 1952-1953
Also notice 2 and 3 both have somewhat crooked knurling, probably from a misaligned tool during that batch. They’re very similar but their top shapes still vary a bit in terms of how round the edge of the dome is.
