how do you know if you have a real boker or a reproduction one? is the reproduction ones coming from germany or china?
sorry for such dumb questions. just learning things
boker question?
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rangerbluedog
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Re: boker question?
Welcome Bronco!
Boker has a long - and somewhat confusing - history. What I consider "real" Bokers were made in the USA, Germany, and Argentina.
Boker has made knives for other companies along the way; including John Primble, United Boker, and recently even Hen and Rooster, among others.
Boker has a couple of additional brands: Boker Plus, which is their "tactical" brand; and MAGNUM, which is their low cost option. They also sell OPINELS, which are made in France, and CINCH brand, which I believe is made in Germany.
To tell the difference, first look at the tang stamp. The knives made in the U.S. (generally speaking) will be stamped "BOKER" before WW2, and BOKER / USA after 1945. Boker stopped making knives in the U.S. after 1983.
There are a lot of different tang stamps from Germany, and for those, a good resource for you is this web site:
http://thehawkeco.com/knifesite/BokerNo ... notes.html
I believe that all Boker knives of recent manufacture will have the country of origin stamped somewhere on the blade.
Generally speaking, most Boker "tree Brand" knives currently produced are made in Germany and Argentina
BOKER PLUS are made in Tiawan and China
MAGNUM is made mostly in China, but some in Tiawan.
Here is a brief history of the company from their website.
http://www.boker.de/us/history.html
I hope this is helpful for you. If you have any other questions feel free to post here of send me a PM. Boker knives are of great interest to me.
Boker has a long - and somewhat confusing - history. What I consider "real" Bokers were made in the USA, Germany, and Argentina.
Boker has made knives for other companies along the way; including John Primble, United Boker, and recently even Hen and Rooster, among others.
Boker has a couple of additional brands: Boker Plus, which is their "tactical" brand; and MAGNUM, which is their low cost option. They also sell OPINELS, which are made in France, and CINCH brand, which I believe is made in Germany.
To tell the difference, first look at the tang stamp. The knives made in the U.S. (generally speaking) will be stamped "BOKER" before WW2, and BOKER / USA after 1945. Boker stopped making knives in the U.S. after 1983.
There are a lot of different tang stamps from Germany, and for those, a good resource for you is this web site:
http://thehawkeco.com/knifesite/BokerNo ... notes.html
I believe that all Boker knives of recent manufacture will have the country of origin stamped somewhere on the blade.
Generally speaking, most Boker "tree Brand" knives currently produced are made in Germany and Argentina
BOKER PLUS are made in Tiawan and China
MAGNUM is made mostly in China, but some in Tiawan.
Here is a brief history of the company from their website.
http://www.boker.de/us/history.html
I hope this is helpful for you. If you have any other questions feel free to post here of send me a PM. Boker knives are of great interest to me.
Re: boker question?
Thanks for the welcome. so, if i get a boker knife and it says made in germany. so it should be. or how do you know if you have a remake knife from a old stock one. like i have some boker made in germany. but they have no pattern number on them. some dont have the shield also. like these in picture.. are these reprodution ? just learning sorry. thanks for the help
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rangerbluedog
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Re: boker question?
Boker sometimes will go back and reuse old tang stamps. So sometimes it is difficult to tell. With a careful study of the tang stamps, handle materials, and shields, it is sometimes possible to put a date on them.
I'll see if I can help with these:
Knife #1: Appears to be a canoe (pattern #200). That tang stamp is used frequently on commemoratives and LTD edition knives, but I'm not sure about this one. Is there any blade etching or additional markings on it?
It appears to have the "Tree Brand" shield, which I think was used in the mid 1960s, but the jigging pattern looks modern ....
<edit> Actually, the more I look at it: That looks like a 135 year anniversary knife. They used that tang stamp in 2004. Does the shield say "1869-2004" under the tree? The blade etch, if it still exists, should read "Boker 135th Anniversary", or something like that. <end of edit>
Knife #2: A really nice stag handled congress. Pattern is probably a 5464. Measure the closed length, if it is 3 3/4", you have a 5464 pattern. Boker made these for a long time. From the early 1990s thru 2007 I think. Worth about $70.
Knife #3: Appaloossa bone handled Copperhead pattern. (pattern #2626) I think they just introduced this color handle in 2008-2009.
Knife #4: Olde Stag shield was first introduced in 1976. But Boker continued to make this knife well into the 1990s. If the tang stamp on this one reads BOKER / USA, it was made between 1976-1983. If it has a German tang stamp it was made probably in the early 1990s. I think yours probably is a German model even though I can't quite make out the tang stamp. The delrin handles on the German models look a little different.
If the length on that knife is 3 1/2" closed, the pattern number is either 6113 or 70113. There was recently a stash of those from the 1990s "discovered" in the Boker factory. They're being sold for about $40.
That's a nice selection of Bokers you have there!
I'll see if I can help with these:
Knife #1: Appears to be a canoe (pattern #200). That tang stamp is used frequently on commemoratives and LTD edition knives, but I'm not sure about this one. Is there any blade etching or additional markings on it?
It appears to have the "Tree Brand" shield, which I think was used in the mid 1960s, but the jigging pattern looks modern ....
<edit> Actually, the more I look at it: That looks like a 135 year anniversary knife. They used that tang stamp in 2004. Does the shield say "1869-2004" under the tree? The blade etch, if it still exists, should read "Boker 135th Anniversary", or something like that. <end of edit>
Knife #2: A really nice stag handled congress. Pattern is probably a 5464. Measure the closed length, if it is 3 3/4", you have a 5464 pattern. Boker made these for a long time. From the early 1990s thru 2007 I think. Worth about $70.
Knife #3: Appaloossa bone handled Copperhead pattern. (pattern #2626) I think they just introduced this color handle in 2008-2009.
Knife #4: Olde Stag shield was first introduced in 1976. But Boker continued to make this knife well into the 1990s. If the tang stamp on this one reads BOKER / USA, it was made between 1976-1983. If it has a German tang stamp it was made probably in the early 1990s. I think yours probably is a German model even though I can't quite make out the tang stamp. The delrin handles on the German models look a little different.
If the length on that knife is 3 1/2" closed, the pattern number is either 6113 or 70113. There was recently a stash of those from the 1990s "discovered" in the Boker factory. They're being sold for about $40.
That's a nice selection of Bokers you have there!
Re: boker question?
Blue that's a very informative post you made there. I enjoyed it!
Re: boker question?
blue. the canoe is a 135 year anniversary knife and under the tree shield it says 1869-1900 on my knife. yes knife 2 is 3 3/4 closed . yes, the old stag is model 70113. i found the number on it and it is a german stamp. and thanks for your help and wisdom.
what about this old boker usa. i think it is pattern 8588 as far as i can make out on it. thanks again
what about this old boker usa. i think it is pattern 8588 as far as i can make out on it. thanks again
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Re: boker question?
Look at this Primble and compare it to the Boker Congress pictured above. The resemblance is striking.
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rangerbluedog
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Re: boker question?
Hey Bronco,
That's a nice old 8588. I have one, but the main blade is boken off about 1/4 short and reworked. If you see that combination of Federal Shield, Boker USA tang stamp, and real bone handles, it was most likely made between 1945-1965. I like it! Boker went to delrin handles almost exclusively from the late 1960s to early 1980s, except for special editions.
Trail, I've heard it said that Boker made knives for John Primble, but I'm never sure which ones. That one looks a lot like the 6113 or 70113 pattern with those stepped bolsters. Some has speculated that the John Primble with the star on the tang stamp were the Boker made knives, but I must confess ignorance on the matter. Good looking congress!
That's a nice old 8588. I have one, but the main blade is boken off about 1/4 short and reworked. If you see that combination of Federal Shield, Boker USA tang stamp, and real bone handles, it was most likely made between 1945-1965. I like it!
Boker went to delrin handles almost exclusively from the late 1960s to early 1980s, except for special editions.
Re: boker question?
hey blue, that is a nice one also. thanks for your help. i have one that i cant make out what it is. i can see little of the broker usa name.. and thats all. it has 2 blades broke.but, i think it is the 6113 pattern. thanks for the help. denny
Re: boker question?
Hey Blue,
Knowing you is definitely an asset for a Boker man.
Knowing you is definitely an asset for a Boker man.
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rangerbluedog
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Re: boker question?
aw shucks dale 
Re: boker question?
I have a Boker that looks exactly like the picture of the Primble knife. On one side of the tang it says "BOKER" over "USA". On the opposite side is 6113 with a tree between the ones. I have two knives this Boker and a (Belkin?). They look exactly alike. One belonged to my Dad and the other belonged to my Grandpa but I don't remember which. Dad passed in 1969 and Grandpa in 1984.