No Tree Bokers

[Hawke]

Lets see your "No Tree Bokers gang.

I misunderstood something I read. from My Boker Notes page which came from Bokers history page

1869: Heinrich stayed in Germany, but moved across the river to Solingen and founded Heinr. Boeker & Co. The Boeker family of Remscheid needed to identify their products for the overseas markets in a simple way. Heinrich felt the chestnut tree near the Remscheid facility represented an ideal, easy-to-remember symbol. Heinrich and and their overseas relatives was allowed to take the tree symbol without any big fight or cost. Since then, not a single Boeker article has left the "Solingen factory" without being identified by the tree symbol.

Apparently Bokers made in USA sometimes did not have the tree on them. I found one on ebay and figured it had been at the very least been re-handled. I posted this in the Counterfeit discussion forum HERE. However Luis has one he posted there that also has no Tree.

I was thinking that "ALL" Bokers had the tree, but it appears some knives stamped "BOKER USA" will not have a tree. Anyone have other info in this regard?
PS: I thought I was wrong one time, but I was mistaken...

[rangerbluedog]

I have two Boker USA knives with no tree shield. They both have plastic grips. I also have a Boker USA model 84 that "had" a tree shield until it fell out...

[Hawke]

Hope you dont mind Ranger, I used one of the pics on Hawke's Boker Notes in the Gallery. Put your name on the image.

[Another Knife Collector]

Here's an old Boker of mine marked H Boker's Improved Cutlery on all blades with no sign of a tree. (Sadly it has a broken file blade). It has ivory handles with inlaid tortoise shield and silver. Interestingly MILLER BRO'S posted a knife no doubt made in the same factrory marked Friedmann & Lauterjung. http://allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_f ... se#p112024 A bit to think about here.

[rangerbluedog]

Hope you dont mind Ranger, I used one of the pics on Hawke's Boker Notes in the Gallery. Put your name on the image.

I'm proud to see it there
I may have something for the history section in a few days. I just bought a letter written in 1910 with the Boker letterhead. It is a sales letter, talking about Boker's line of tool steel they were trying to sell. They called it their "Novo Superior Steel". It was signed Hermann Boker Co. - probably actually signed by a secretary or salesman since Hermann was long gone by that time - I think...

Wow, Another Knife Collector, you've really got something there. Wasn't that tang stamp only used from 1860-1880 time frame?

[Hawke]

Kewl Ranger!

Another Knife Collector, Ive used your image on my site too. Let me know if you dont want me to.

Ive started doing the Knife World image on the "Tang Stamps" link where you can click on the stamp and see an actual knife tang stamp. I used Another Knife Collector's image there as well as the No Tree knife images. Have a look-see. Thats gonna be helpful for us.

[rangerbluedog]

Tell me if I'm obsessing:
I've noticed quite a few of these old Bokers on feebay recently with the black plastic handles and no shield.
Take a look at the two in the second post in this thread. here's another one:

plastichandle.jpg (13.4 KiB) Viewed 4859 times

They sell pretty cheap. They appear to be an attempt at a "low cost" option. I had always assumed these were from the WISS or COOPER years. But I've been looking at WISS' 72/73 and '75 catalogs and all the knives shown have shields.
Does anyone have a Boker catalog from say '78 - '83?
Or am I way off base and these could be from a much earlier time?

[268bull]

Hawke, I have a "No Tree Boker". There is no shield on the handle and has no tree or series # on the tang.Just, "Boker over USA. Rangerbluedog correctly ID'd the knife as a series 8573. When layed side by side they match up exactly. Dale H.

[Hawke]

Kewl lookn Boker too!

Your on the Gallery at HBN now!

[dalea]

Here is one of those like Blue was referring to

[Toejammer]

My no - tree..... I'm guessing sometime pre 1983, thats all I know.

[thegreedygulo]

Here's a few. A tree stamp anywhere on a Boker makes it 1867 or later.

[thegreedygulo]

R & H Boker Caststeel. Circa. 1837 - 1860.

[tjmurphy]

Here's a no tree, no shield Boker USA that I just got in. Knife is new, never carried, used or sharpened. Had some type of coating on the bolsters.

[rangerbluedog]

Nice TJ!
You usually don't see those in condition that good.
Usually rusted blades and handles shrunk about 1/4 inch!

[tjmurphy]

No rust but a little peppering on main blade on one side and a line of darkened area on the pile side. I tried to get a pic but the blade is just too shiney. The darkened area on the pile side is what you might expect from celluloid handles out-gassing. The handles have a musty smell like mildew to them rather than a celluloid smell. The handles show no shrinkage and are very crisp and non-porus.

What I think is interesting is that if you compare the mark side handle of dalea's knife and mine, the handles are identical, out of the same mold. Just an observation.