December 24

Boker Knife Company History

Boker Knives’ Humble Beginnings in Germany

Sometime during the 1600s, Boker knives were first made in Remscheid, Germany. The original Boeker was just a small tool factory shaded by a giant chestnut tree. Their tools were still among the leading products available in Germany and the surrounding area 100 years later. Their successfulness was undoubtedly due to their strict dedication to excellence and fine workmanship.

Due to the political chaos in 1829, it seemed to brothers Hermann and Robert Boeker that the thing to do was make sabers. Accounting records show that by September 1830, 47 grinders, 64 smiths, and lots of unskilled labor were producing 2,000 articles every week. The Boeker family were aware of the growing need in the world for a selection of tools and cutting instruments. This generated a good opportunity for them to grow.

H. Boker & Co. in the U.S.

To expand their enterprise, they planned to spread out their manufacturing to other countries. After moving overseas to New York, Hermann set up H. Boker & Co. in the U.S.A. Hermann altered the company name a little to accommodate Americans who struggled to pronounce the family name. His younger brother Robert established his branch in Canada instead. Several years later in 1865, Robert set up a branch in Mexico which is still operating today as a prominent hardware store called Casa Boker.

Their cousin Heinrich Boeker who stayed in Germany, relocated to across the river to Solingen which was experiencing a major growth in the cutting tools industry. He established Heinr. Boeker & Co. in 1869 with a well-known cutting tools expert by the name of Hermann Heuser. The balance of the Boeker family including Remscheid, New York, Canada and Mexico were all extremely intrigued with Heinrich’s new venture. The reason was that the scissors, shaving blades, and pocket knives he was manufacturing were popular.

Tree Brand Symbol

Unfortunately, there was a recognition problem for Heinrich’s tools outside of Germany. The tree brand was a symbol of the chestnut tree near the original workshop and Heinrich felt it’s simple design would make it easy to recall. His relatives in Remscheid owned the symbol and they generously permitted him to use it for his own merchandise without charging him anything. Since then, not solitary Boeker product has left the Solingen plant without the mark of the tree symbol.

Articles manufactured by Boeker were primarily sold in the United States as early as 1900. In New York, H. Boker & Co. focused chiefly on distributing Solingen’s cutting tools. Shortly, pocket knives were in more demand than eating utensils, shaving blades, and scissors. When Solingen wasn’t able to keep up with the growing demand, the New York Boker company began to produce pliers and pocket knives themselves in the early 1900s.

The tree symbol had become well-known internationally by this time. The overseas Boekers had kept up their excellent relationship with their Remscheid relatives which was a good thing. Just like their cousin in Solingen, they were granted authorization to use the tree symbol on their American-made products. Then there were two separate lines of Boker knives on the American market with the same brand, occasionally even with the same article numbers, although one was made in the U.S. and one in Germany. Only the declaration of marketability stated the distinction as “H. Boker Improved Cutlery Solingen” or “Boker USA”.

Allied Bombs Destroy Boker Facility in Germany

WWII sharply cut off their close association. The Allies bombed Solingen for two days in the latter part of 1944 and the Boeker plant was demolished accordingly. Every single thing was ruined in the bombing and fire including catalogs, samples, tools, and equipment. Fortunately some original Boeker pieces survived the war in personal homes and were later made available to the company.

One of their most critical possessions was confiscated pursuant to American law after the war: The registration of the tree trademark for the American market was gone. In New York, John Boeker Jr. registered the tree symbol to to make certain it was secured for distributing American and German products.

The demolished plant in Solingen was reconstructed again soon after the war. A lot of the skilled workers who got through the war showed their loyalty by helping with the rebuilding of the factory. After manufacturing began again, it took awhile to reachieve their high standard of quality and even longer to step up production. Their cousins in America resumed their business association by placing orders as they did before the war. It only took a few years before Boker in New York became their principal customer again.

Cooper Industries Obtains Boker USA

Boker USA was sold in the early 1960s. Wiss & Sons, a well-known scissor manufacturer, acquired it sometime afterward. Wiss continued to manufacturer Boker knives and sold them along with the Solingen products. Needless to say, they successfully eliminated their major competition in the U.S. scissor market.

Wiss sold Boker USA to Cooper Industries, a multinational company and industrial giant, in the early 1970s. Working very closely with Boker USA, Cooper worked to reinstate the earlier high regard for the Boker name. The Solingen facility was able to make its production more efficient and build new, modern products after eight years. Boker now produces and distributes the largest variety of high-quality knives available for both collectors and sportsmen. Boker in Solingen has produced Cooper’s popular knives since 1983 when Cooper stopped manufacturing its own knives.

In 1986, by generously reinstituting the Boker trademark rights to the German Boker company, Cooper allowed them to become viable again again in the enormous American market. At the same time, they established Boker USA Inc. in Boulder, Colorado.

Boker in Solingen, Germany Celebrates 140th Anniversary

2009 is Boker’s 140th anniversary since Heinrich Boeker first started the factory in Solingen. To celebrate their extensive tradition of making knives, Boker has been releasing one special edition collector’s knife every month. Only 140 pieces of each anniversary knife have been made except for the Camp Knife which is 1,869 pieces. The variation of Boker’s models is obvious in these 12 models in both materials and styles. Each knife shows the 140th anniversary logo, is serialized, and comes with a certificate. These knives will no doubt be favorites of Boker collectors for years to come!

Boker companies that still exist presently are:

  • Heinr. Boker Baumwerk GmbH in Solingen, Germany
  • Boker USA, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, USA
  • Boker Arbolito, S.A. in Buenos Aires
  • Casa Boker S.A. de C.V. in Mexico

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Filed under Arts and Crafts by Michael Carpenter.

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