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During production, the serial stamping dies would occasionally suffer partial or total breakage. A common effect of a partial breakdown results in missing leading zeros. For example S/Ns 05266, 05352, 05396 and 05542 are missing a single leading zero. Serial Numbers 9613, 9681, 9705, 9777, 9917, 9934 and 9989 are missing two leading zeros. A single leading zero is again missing on many knives between S/N 10034 and 12107. I don't know if the leading zero problem is sporadic or continuous in the range of the above mentioned serial numbers.
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I have one of those with the deficient serial number. SN # 10779. Bought around late 1969 or early 1970. I can tell you L6 tool steel did not like humidity and rice paddies, nor did the leather scabbard. No matter how often I oiled the blade it still pitted badly. The scabbard has a hole where the point worked through and one of the upper metal dowhackeys pulled out. I always kept a lanyard on it and threaded the snap strap through the lanyard so the knife did not climb out and walk off.