Imperial tang stamp question

[beresman]

I've been sorting through a batch of knives, and never really looked at the tang stamps on the Imperials in the group. I have found this Kamp King (with a broken screwdriver blade) that has what might be a modified tang stamp. At least, I haven't found anything like it in the tang stamp charts Here on the forum (and it's possible I missed something, too!). You can see that there is the Imperial name, and USA underneath, but a line of X's in between. Almost looks like something was blocked out, but I can't imagine why. It's a shell-handled knife, so it's not really early. Ay ideas?

THere's a similar model in the group same construction, but it has the post-1956 tang stamp.

[cody6268]

I think the hint is in the carbon spotting. It is stamped "Stainless" but I think it's pretty clear that's a carbon steel blade. I guess they blanked out a bunch of blades, and then realized they had inadvertently used a stainless stamping die with a carbon steel sheet of steel, so they cold-stamped over the "STAINLESS".

[beresman]

Cody, that makes sense--and now that I look at it, it doesn't require a lot of imagination to see the "LESS" under the "X's".

Thanks!