First of all, let me start by saying this is a work in progress. We know how difficult it is to determine the age of a Boker knife. Tang stamps, steel, bolster and liner materials, blade etches, and scale materials all tell a part of the story. Another method is by looking at the shields. It is tricky, because one needs to be certain that the shield is original to the knife. For the sake of argument, let's say that you can be sure ...

Here is a collection of shields, and my attempt to…

I feel your pain.

Part of the excitement - and misery - of collecting Boker knives is the research.

Why is it so easy to find information on knives made by W.R. Case, but not H. Boker?

Well, back in 1970, Case started using tang stamps, dots, and now stars to help the collector. You can look at a Case knife from post 1970 and find out the exact year in which it was manufactured. You just have to know the code.

No such luck with Boker. There were a few years in the…