Not sure how the pommel was attached, but on every 601 bayo I've seen, the base was much more "finished" than on later M7s. The tang was ground flush with the pommel and it was then painted with some sort of black finish that tended to flake off over the decades.
On later M7s, the tang extended a bit past the pommel and were more obviously hammer-peened to secure it.
Don't know if that helps at all here, but if the pommel simply worked loose and fell off, I'd still expect the end of the tang to be pretty flat--not all banged out of shape.