Boker U.S.A. #102 Mystery

r8shell

r8shell

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
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I bid on this little (3 1/8") Boker USA Jack Knife because it looked kinda neat, I hadn't seen one just like it and it was very cheap. I looked in H herder 's wonderful Boker history book, but didn't see the model #102 in the listing of patterns in the back. I did an online search, and found a few examples of the #103 (clip blade, rather than spear) on the auction site for exorbitant sums. 🤔 One claimed the knife was 1917-1921, with real redbone, and then lots of hyperbole about C.W.Tillman leaving to work for Remington and taking his patented covered backsprings design with him...

Looking at the pictures of the 103, I see the same Boker U.S.A stamp as on my 102 (which came much later) Neither sport a top cover pin, which leads me to believe the covers are Delrin, rather than bone. In addition, the "bolsters" are not real bolsters, but nickel plates applied to a recessed area of the covers. An odd knife, all around, but pretty cool. I've never seen a Boker with hidden springs before.

I believe my knife (and possibly the ones being hawked on ebay) were actually made post 1960s, but my question is if they were patterned after an old model?

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I saw that knife, or one just like it, on the auction site.
It had me very interested, I bookmarked it, but forgot about it.
Seems like a really cool knife that you don't see very often... nice score.
 
JohnDF said:
I saw that knife, or one just like it, on the auction site.
It had me very interested, I bookmarked it, but forgot about it.
Seems like a really cool knife that you don't see very often... nice score.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'm glad I wasn't bidding against you. ;) Assuming this isn't really an example of...

"Vintage 1917-1921 Boker USA Model #103 Redbone Jack Knife from the Newark N.J. Valley Forge Cutlery shop obtained by Boker USA in 1916, this was one of the very first Patterns and Tang stamps of the newly formed Boker USA brand, I should add that very few were made between the time the new company was formed and took over the Valley Forge daily operations and the untimely departure of C.W. Tillmann's and crew.
The Early Redbone Jack Knife has the Very Rare C.W. Tillmann's Designed "Covered Back Springs"
Full length Deep Red Jigged Bone handles with the Rare Nickel Silver Bolster caps that sit atop the beautiful Redbone Handles, this is a very rare and super significant early piece of Boker USA History."
:rolleyes:

I'll go ahead and re-shape the broken tip and put it in my pocket.
 
I have a 70's BOKER USA pen with this cover material and I thought it was real bone.
I guess now I know I was wrong.

Very cool knife you have there, it's shame theres so little information out there.
 
dsutton24 said:
It's a Boker 102 Lightweight Jack with brown Delrin scales. I've never found much information on this knife. I think it's a relic of the mid to late 60s.
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Thanks, I suspect as much. I was just wondering if there might have been an older pattern it was based on. After looking at it some more, the fact that it doesn't have cover pins isn't significant, since the "bolster" rivets through the cover material as well as the liners and blade. A very interesting design, and well named; it's very lightweight.
Hickory n steel said:
I have a 70's BOKER USA pen with this cover material and I thought it was real bone.
I guess now I know I was wrong.

Very cool knife you have there, it's shame theres so little information out there.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Some of Boker's Delrin was a very good match for bone, and it's hard to tell sometimes.
I have a Handi-Razor Jack that I always thought was Delrin, but now I suspect it might actually be bone.
cC7I3Pz.jpg
 
r8shell said:
Thanks, I suspect as much. I was just wondering if there might have been an older pattern it was based on. After looking at it some more, the fact that it doesn't have cover pins isn't significant, since the "bolster" rivets through the cover material as well as the liners and blade. A very interesting design, and well named; it's very lightweight.

Not necessarily. Some of Boker's Delrin was a very good match for bone, and it's hard to tell sometimes.
I have a Handi-Razor Jack that I always thought was Delrin, but now I suspect it might actually be bone.
cC7I3Pz.jpg
Click to expand...
It looks about identical to the delrin on your model 102, but I'm mostly used to stuff that's very obviously delrin so I suppose I'm not a good judge.
 
This is so strange. I'd never seen one before last week, and now a third one just popped up on the auction site claiming it's a 1917-1921 historic collector knife. :confused: I'm guessing a chain reaction of one listing misrepresenting the knife, and others thinking "Hey, I've got one of those, I'll see what I can get for it"

Anyway, I'm deciding how to grind a tip back on the main spear blade. I could just drop the spine, but with the nail nick so far forward, it might look like a tanto.
 
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