Revolutionary War era side knife/dagger

[M ELEY]

I know that many folks either question whether the tool handle grips seen on knives and some swords of this era were the originals or something placed there later. I personally believe many of these types were made this way, especially on the more primitive cutlass-types made by local blacksmiths for sea service weapons. Knives, likewise, could have had anything from plain blocks of wood to tool-type grips. Some might remember the cutlass I bought from CC a while back with a tool-type handle-