No, the tape is something they do at Knob Creek (and I would assume at Blade, but it was new to me at KC) so there isn't a table full of hair-popping sharp blades being bumped into by everyone. When I bought these, they had the tape on them, then they were packaged in the cardboard, wrapped in tissue paper and packing tape. Secure, tight little packaging. It's a little bit of a pain getting the tape and residue off the satin finish, but a very understandable thing to do at a show like KC.
The pork shank...I'm not sure if I'll keep it. I'm with you on it being very nicely done (as, I'm certain, anything from their Custom Shop is), but I kinda just grabbed it as an afterthought in the hopes I can find it a 'loving' home through a trade towards something higher on my want list. Now that I've had it for a bit (still unused), it's kinda grown on me...I'm still far from the point of having non-user Busse blades, and it'd seem such a shame to scratch it up.
did you buy that off the USN? I tried to buy it from him but got beat out.
It was in Otterbein.