I smell a potential regrind project in the near future! Hmm...maybe remove the original blade finish somehow, regrind the tip and clean up the serrations? It's still got a long life ahead of it.
Sending it back to Spyderco with the fee to re-serrate would probably get it into nice shape. I would probably try to get some use out of it. Carry it on a holiday or your birthday or something. Thanks for the post and your work.
-Brian A distinguished lurker.
Waiting on a Squeak and Pingo with a Split Spring!