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Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:06 pm
by 58chevy348
Hello all. I am not a major collector of BOKER knives (although I do have a few in my collection). I recently picked up this knife (along with several other BOKER knives). Does anyone know the approximate age of this knife? It measures just over 4 inches long closed. Is there any significance of the red shield? Thank you!
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Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:22 pm
by just bob
I would guess you have a modern commemorative of some type as it has multiple cities on the tang stamp. This might help?


http://iknifecollector.com/profiles/blo ... e=activity

Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:28 pm
by just bob
Also Boker is excellent about trying to help collectors. You might email them your pics and I'll bet they'll get right back with info on your knife.


Email: [email protected]

Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:46 pm
by 58chevy348
I did stumble upon this chart of stamps. Looks like stamp G14. So, would this knife date from 1932 to 1950?
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Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:14 am
by rangerbluedog
This knife looks like one from Boker's "low budget" series of knives that they started making around 2005.
These knives had nice jigged bone handles and carbon steel blades.
Their new state of the art facility in Solingen allowed them to actually lower their prices due to the use of automation - primarily in the bone jigging process.
See the attached scan of Boker's TREE TIMES magazine in 2005, describing the "red bone" series.
Red1.jpg
In the second scan, the black delrin knife showed up two years later in a 2007 sales flier.
Red2.jpg
In the final scan, I attempted to enlarge the tang stamp on the black knife. Note that it looks to be the same as yours.
Red3.jpg
This of course doesn't explain the TREE tang stamp on the secondary blades. Those look very similar to the "Double Tree" premium series that was made in 2006.
2006 Doubletree
2006 Doubletree
One possible explanation for that could be from what Boker called their "OFF THE WALL" knives from about the same time period.
The OFF THE WALL knives were basically one of a kind knives made using leftover materials from previous custom builds. Basically, "go find whatever you can from the dusty parts shelf and make some knives with it". There is factual evidence that Boker did this. They even labeled the boxes with either OFF THE WALL or "OTW".
See below for 2005 Boker description of the "Off the Wall" program.
OFFTHEWALL.jpg

Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:49 am
by rangerbluedog
Here are a couple of OFF THE WALL box labels.
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1490628370_146_12_3.jpg (5.62 KiB) Viewed 2107 times
962012500_tp.jpg
962012500_tp.jpg (9.64 KiB) Viewed 2107 times
Sorry for the long rambling post above.

The short answer to your question is:
You have an OFF THE WALL knife made sometime around 2006-2007.

:| Sometimes I get carried away, and write in stream of consciousness.

Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:15 am
by philco
Blue when you gonna write that book ?

Re: Help with age of BOKER red shield congress

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:31 am
by rangerbluedog
philco wrote:Blue when you gonna write that book ?
Haha Phil, didn't I just write one?!!?