Hey John & Dave,
This is something I noticed before but wasn't sure about until now. The back profile of your "special" early B handles are different. Daves handle is closer (perhaps not exact) to the profile of the production B handles, while Johns have a definite more pronounced round on the back in the grip area. Daves handle is a good example of the transition into production as the overall shape and styling is more reminiscent of the production handles besides two big differences (brass bears and flares!).
As always, thanks for sharing Guys!