My Frist Boker's

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WelderBob
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My Frist Boker's

Post by WelderBob »

Well it looks like I need to start looking at older Boker's, these are well made knives. The Jack is a USA knife but the fishtail I'm not sure of. I must admit that I didn't look to close at Boker's for a long time....now I see that was a mistake. I guess I'll just have to try to make up for that now ! Maybe you guys can help me with the time frame when they were made.


Bob
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Boker 013.JPG
Boker 019.JPG
Boker 016.JPG
Boker 017.JPG
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by rangerbluedog »

If I remember correctly, the block Boker stamp on the fish tail was from the 1930s. The other one is probably late 1940s - 1950s.
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by tallguy606 »

Boker's made in Germany are excellent knives. But so are the Boker USA knives. The latter can be found cheaper than the Germans, but in my experience, are very well made. Carbon steel blades get scary sharp.
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by jerryd6818 »

Bob, what's the closed length on your Jack?
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WelderBob
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by WelderBob »

Blue, Thank's for info, I didn't think the fishtail was that early, but that's nice.
I'm a little wary on the handles...they may be a celluloid.

Jerry, The jack is 4 3/8"...a good size knife. It has a pattern #9815.
I find it odd it doesn't have a shield.


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jerryd6818
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by jerryd6818 »

I wondered. It's an 1/8" shorter than my Boker USA English Jack. Sort of similar knives. Top bolsters are different. In fact, for that small of a difference, I'd just go ahead and call yours an English Jack.

Edit: Actually, I just noticed mine is a #9815 so they are both English Jacks.
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Boker English Jack.jpg
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
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This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by WelderBob »

I found this picture in Bruce Voyles book Antique Knives and the bolsters match your knife, the ones on mine are a bit different. Now at 4 1/8" he calls it a slim jack but these aren't slim! Maybe they re-tooled and beefed it up.
I noticed the pins in our knives are not the same, mine are brass in the scales and nickel on the frame.

I like your knife Jerry.... ::tu::


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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by wlf »

Here's a couple slim jacks Bob.I like yours and Jerry's a lot. I like this pattern a lot,especially the so-called slim jacks.

These are H Bokers, 4 1/8", have flat beveled large bolsters and roped(?)and pinched pivot end bolsters.If you look real close that first one has a very faint Tree Brand etch. Can't see it in the pictures.

I need a secondary blade for the one.

Boker seems to have made their English jacks a little fancier than some others.
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knives and house reconstruction ,Loretta 738.JPG
knives and house reconstruction ,Loretta 739.JPG
H Boker English jack 2914 (2).jpg
H Boker English jack 2919 (2).jpg
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by jerryd6818 »

Lyle, that's not what I call a "Slim Jack". At 4-3/8" closed it's only an eighth of an inch shorter than the rest of my English Jacks while maintaining the frame robustness of the English Jack. Here it is mixed in with the others.
English Jacks^ (3-4-16).JPG

As to the issue of a "Slim English Jack", I'm in agreement with S&M when they named this little (?) 3-5/8" beauty Slim English Jack. It could be a Doctor's Knife if it had a flat end.
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S&M English Jack 2005 Premier Series #7 - Mark Open.JPG
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by royal0014 »

wlf , you should post that one in the bolster thread.
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by WelderBob »

Lyle, Those are nice one's and the fancy bolsters give it some class. Wonder if these were more expensive than other patterns ?

Jerry, That's a impressive set you have... ::tu::

For a long time I considered English jacks to be single blade, 4 to 4 1/2" slip joint or lock back.

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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by Captain O »

That old Boker Fishtail looks neat. If I'm not mistaken, it's a good "user". Am I right?
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by Redlegger »

jerryd6818 wrote:I wondered. It's an 1/8" shorter than my Boker USA English Jack. Sort of similar knives. Top bolsters are different. In fact, for that small of a difference, I'd just go ahead and call yours an English Jack.

Edit: Actually, I just noticed mine is a #9815 so they are both English Jacks.

What is the age of this knife ? I have exact knife with same shield but blades are John Primble with a star and 4942. Almost looks like a mistake. The Primble blades place it in 1940-1968 period.
Primble 4942.jpg
Primble 4942b.jpg
Primble 4942a.jpg
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by rangerbluedog »

This pattern is commonly known and called by the name "English Jack", but Boker just called them "swell-end jack" knives in their catalogs.
The star on the back of the tang stamp indicates that the knife in the most recent post was made by Boker USA for BELKNAP with the Primble trademark.
They usually used a Primble or Federal shield on the handle as well. The tree shield was most likely a factory mistake.
I'd say that one is very late fifties or very early sixties manufacture.

Here's a pic of a Primble 4942 pattern made by Boker from a 1961 Belknap catalog.
1961 Primble.jpg
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Re: My Frist Boker's

Post by Redlegger »

Thanks Sir. I wondered if it was a factory screw-up. Nice knife anyway.
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