Spoke at length today with Gary about this topic and this is the skinny as the saying goes.
Gary started to take over operating the shop some time in the 60s. He assumed total control in 1970 when he actually purchased the business. From that time on Gary was in charge, but his father remained at the shop to help out with the day to day dealings with customers. Bo also was involved in the production and design part of the business by advising his son through their many daily discussions of what was going on in the shop. Gary told me that he never stopped learning from his Father up until the day he passed away and that those daily discussions are something that he sadly misses even today. In addition to Bo being his father, he was also his best friend. Even when they were out hunting in the field after a covey of quail the conversation was often about making and design of RMKs.
So in my humble opinion the 1989 date would have no bearing on the value of a knife. Also IMO the overall quality of RMKs has gone up- as the knives have evolved into the modern day RMK. The subtle changes over the last 20 yrs or so have greatly improved the strength and the overall looks of the knives. I know that this may not set well with those of you who are really into the "older" knives and they have their place as collectors items, however the newer ones are better, stronger more user friendly knives. If you doubt just look at what the waiting time is for a new RMK is right now. I don't think there has ever been a waiting time of over 3 years for one of these knives as there is right now. Also look at what the after market price is for even a knife that is only a month old or so.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bo on many occasions when we visited the shop to deliver knife sheaths. He always treated every one that he came into contact with as his best friend. He always enjoyed the personal touch he gave to the business [as does Gary] by answering as many of the phone calls that came into the shop himself.
To sum it up, I don't think the 1989 date would have any bearing on the price of a RMK unless you had the actual documentation to prove that you had a knife tha Bo actually made with his oun hands.
Just my humble opinion for what it's worth. Greg.
