I agree that my fruits have a different shape than the one Dax posted. His seems more oblong and smaller. Red Fern Farms describes Prok as the “largest of all American persimmons.” If that’s the metric, then mine is more likely to be authentic.
Dax’s photo is labeled “Prok'.” Is #39 another variety and, if so, could that be what is pictured?
Your fruit seems similar to mine. Some of mine are flattish on the bottom, some are roundish. I couldn’t tell the difference between your fruit and one of my roundish ones. Note that my fruits are all upside down in the container so what you are seeing is the bottoms.
No, I haven’t tasted anyone else’s Prok. Other growers, especially in cooler areas, have described Prok as sometimes bland. Mine is similar in that respect.
I’d consider the possibility that what I have growing is the seedling rootstock, except for 2 things. First, I remember seeing the graft and all growth is north of it. Second, I had seeds in some fruits this year – maybe a dozen seeds total in well >500 fruits. As far as I can see, there is only one possible source of pollen: I’ve let a few suckers grow so that I can use them as rootstock. The suckers may have produced male flowers. If that’s the case, then the rootstock is male – not Prok.
p.s. See the photos here. That’s exactly what I’m growing.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/diospyros-virginiana-prok/
Compare to these, which are right-side up. They were picked somewhat early in an experiment using alcohol to remove astringency. It failed.
