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Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 7:39 am
by Ittsukan
While cleaning up an older Böker trapper I noticed the tang stamp read BOKER
SOLINGEN
GERMANY-ALEMANIA
With the tree to the left.
What does ALEMANIA mean and does it give a clue to the date?
TIA
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 10:59 am
by herbva
Germany (officially the "Federal Republic of Germany"). No clue as to the date. That one should clean up nicely.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 12:37 pm
by deo-pa
Alemania is the Spanish word for Germany. Variations on that word mean "Germany" in some other European languages. French = Alemagne. Portuguese = Alemanha. The origin is "Alemanni" - a very old name given to one of the Germanic tribes. Having Alemania on the tang may very well provide a date clue, but I don't know how to decipher that.
Dennis
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 1:30 pm
by treefarmer
Ittsukan wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 7:39 am
While cleaning up an older Böker trapper I noticed the tang stamp read BOKER
SOLINGEN
GERMANY-ALEMANIA
With the tree to the left.
What does ALEMANIA mean and does it give a clue to the date?
TIA
That one ought to be "humdinger" when you get it cleaned up! What is the closed length of that HOK?
Treefarmer
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 2:23 pm
by RevolverGuy
Alemania has been stamped on a lot of Boker's. It's Spanish for Germany. The company branched out of Solingen and started exporting, and then manufacturing knives, in Argentina and Mexico back around the same time Boker USA was started. The Argentina Boker is still active today in Buenos Aires. They're branded Boker Arbolito, which is Spanish for Boker Tree Brand. It's really hard to date some of these knives, as Boker has such a long history and a lot of their shields and tang stamps overlap.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 2:25 pm
by tongueriver
That is a nice knife!
Like some other cutleries, BOKER (Germany) occasionally resurrected old tang stamps, this being one of those. I have Grandad's Boker (German) stockman with a similar tang stamp which after some research, I a am fairly sure that it dates to the 1950s. I think yours is at least that old or older.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 3:59 pm
by ea42
I believe that stamp was used in the 1960's, maybe 50's but for sure 60's.
Eric
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 5:53 pm
by tongueriver
I have my Grandfather's knife. He died in 1970 and probably had not used this knife for several years, as he was spending time in a rest home and otherwise not active. That is why I think the tang stamp on THIS knife dates to the 1950s rather than the 1960s. Observe the wear. That takes time.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2024 8:24 pm
by Ittsukan
treefarmer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 1:30 pm
Ittsukan wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 7:39 am
While cleaning up an older Böker trapper I noticed the tang stamp read BOKER
SOLINGEN
GERMANY-ALEMANIA
With the tree to the left.
What does ALEMANIA mean and does it give a clue to the date?
TIA
That one ought to be "humdinger" when you get it cleaned up! What is the closed length of that HOK?
Treefarmer
It's 5½ inches closed.
It would have been a great knife but I think this one may be beyond my skill level to save.
The second blade is missing. It looks like someone cut the pin inside the bolster and bent it to get the missing blade out. Not even sure if I can get a replacement blade without a year or model number.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:09 am
by thegreedygulo
Hey Cal,
Your Grandfather's knife was made sometime between 1932 - 1950. This is based on Goin's book of tang stamps and Mark Zalesky's Boker article. Boker did use that tang stamp later on in reproduction knives, but yours is an original. The Heinr. Boker & Co. Baumwerk - Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped on the front of each tang with a tree on the reverse of each tang dates it. The reproductions are easy to spot because they are not near the same quality as the originals and the stamps look a little different. The Boker Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped knives were made from 1950 - 1960 range. Hope this helps.
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:18 am
by tongueriver
thegreedygulo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:09 am
Hey Cal,
Your Grandfather's knife was made sometime between 1932 - 1950. This is based on Goin's book of tang stamps and Mark Zalesky's Boker article. Boker did use that tang stamp later on in reproduction knives, but yours is an original. The Heinr. Boker & Co. Baumwerk - Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped on the front of each tang with a tree on the reverse of each tang dates it. The reproductions are easy to spot because they are not near the same quality as the originals and the stamps look a little different. The Boker Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped knives were made from 1950 - 1960 range. Hope this helps.
I am grateful for that information. Grand Dad was born a week before Custer got acquainted with karma and was in his '30s before he saw indoor plumbing, a car or an airplane. Now I am an old man as well. Meanwhile, I know from years back and sneaking in on your collection that you have the most beautiful Boker collection ever. I am in awe.
Edit: There must have been a gap in the war years?
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2024 10:16 pm
by Ittsukan
thegreedygulo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:09 am
Hey Cal,
Your Grandfather's knife was made sometime between 1932 - 1950. This is based on Goin's book of tang stamps and Mark Zalesky's Boker article. Boker did use that tang stamp later on in reproduction knives, but yours is an original. The Heinr. Boker & Co. Baumwerk - Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped on the front of each tang with a tree on the reverse of each tang dates it. The reproductions are easy to spot because they are not near the same quality as the originals and the stamps look a little different. The Boker Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped knives were made from 1950 - 1960 range. Hope this helps.
Would you say the one I posted is one of those reproductions or still in that 1950/60 range?
Re: Boker-Alemania
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 2:06 am
by thegreedygulo
Ittsukan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 10:16 pm
thegreedygulo wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 1:09 am
Hey Cal,
Your Grandfather's knife was made sometime between 1932 - 1950. This is based on Goin's book of tang stamps and Mark Zalesky's Boker article. Boker did use that tang stamp later on in reproduction knives, but yours is an original. The Heinr. Boker & Co. Baumwerk - Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped on the front of each tang with a tree on the reverse of each tang dates it. The reproductions are easy to spot because they are not near the same quality as the originals and the stamps look a little different. The Boker Solingen Germany - Alemania stamped knives were made from 1950 - 1960 range. Hope this helps.
Would you say the one I posted is one of those reproductions or still in that 1950/60 range?
Yours is an original. 1950 - 1960 range.