✅ SOLVED Found a pocket knife- would this be civil war era? Thanks.

[rosespetal]

Near where an old fire pit was (tho the pit is 2' below the level of this find, this find was about 1" in the soil....
The 'rock' or idk possibly lead that made my detector go off is there too. Trying to see if they correlated but truly found nothing else in my 2hr hunt of curiosity
a few other signals, but, without a full shovel I quit once I was over about a foot deep in the ground.

 

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[rosespetal]

This is the closest I can find- says R. HUNTING & SON [SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND] UNION OFFICERS “SWITCHBLADE” KNIFE, C. 1863

 

[DownEast_Detecting]

i think its hard dating pocket knifes. Because their design and materials used to make them, didn't change much for 100-150 years. But that being said, take a look at this paper ad for valley forge pocket knifes from 1904. Of course that could of been a design knife makers were using before 1904, but looks like a match to me.

 

[rosespetal]

i think its hard dating pocket knifes. Because their design and materials used to make them, didn't change much for 100-150 years. But that being said, take a look at this paper ad for valley forge pocket knifes from 1904. Of course that could of been a design knife makers were using before 1904, but looks like a match to me.

View attachment 2095803​

WOW very cool thank you so much!! Its so rusted- I wonder if I WD 40 it if I can get to the blade to see if theres an engraving that would be so amazing- I will hunt more in that area and see what else I come across- I found a small 'rock' that set off my detector- could be a rock, or a small round shot that must've hit something to be not round I'm guessing. I ran out of energy and loads of sweat for today. Appreciate it!!

 

[rosespetal]

i think its hard dating pocket knifes. Because their design and materials used to make them, didn't change much for 100-150 years. But that being said, take a look at this paper ad for valley forge pocket knifes from 1904. Of course that could of been a design knife makers were using before 1904, but looks like a match to me.

View attachment 2095803​

With more digging I found:
Levine's Guide says Valley Forge Cutlery (with VF in circle) was owned by Boker USA 1899-1950. The original Valley Forge Cutlery was in business 1892-1899.

Now to see if THIS was made that far back or not- so I know to either hunt my heart out til I can find anything else- or, put my feet up and garden in the yard LOLOL

 

[rosespetal]

Near where an old fire pit was (tho the pit is 2' below the level of this find, this find was about 1" in the soil....
The 'rock' or idk possibly lead that made my detector go off is there too. Trying to see if they correlated but truly found nothing else in my 2hr hunt of curiosity
a few other signals, but, without a full shovel I quit once I was over about a foot deep in the ground.

View attachment 2095800

Putting this here for anyone looking up knives- Boker turned into Valley Forge, most but not all when it was Boker had a circle logo, and tree pattern.

The long history of Boker has been affected by eventful times:​

1829: H. R. BOKER Cutlery formed in Remscheid Germany
1837: Herman migrated to US New York
1861:1866- Boker Germany produced muskets and 18,000 sabers for Union Army
1869: Heinr. Boker formed, operations moved to Solingen
1870: "Tree" logo registered on November 10
1870's to 1891- Boker was one of the top knife sellers in the US
1891: Tariff Act passed
1892: Valley Forge Cutlery established in Newark NJ
1899: Boker US merged with Valley Forge to produce product in US
1913: “Tree Brand" and “Arbolito" registered
1914:1918- all German knives were produced for the war effort
1914: Hermann BOKER Co filed for bankruptcy
1916: H BOKER Co purchases Cyclops Steel in Pennsylvania
1921: Maplewood NJ facility opened
1921- Boker Cutlery and Hardware consolidated with H BOKER & Co
1925: trademark 100 yr old chestnut tree struck by lightning
1928: 16 different knife pattern stainless steel blades manufactured in US
1930: Neutrality Act in limited trade with Germany
1941: Boker USA etch replaces German markings
1944: On Nov 5 British bombers dropped 783 tons of explosives on Solingen destroying the German facility
1947: Major John BOKER (US Army Intelligence) purchased the rights back from the US Government and renamed it “BOKER USA"
1950: Boker USA begins importing from Solingen again
1956: Boker purchases Schrade Knife Company to produce switchblades
1958: Switchblade Act adopted causing the closure of the Schrade plant that made these types of knives
1960: BUSA ends using bar shields and reintroduces round shields
1965: New Britain Machine Co purchases Boker USA which also owned Husky and Blackhawk brands
1968: New Britain absorbed into Litton Industries
1970: Boker USA acquired by J Wiss & Sons
1971: campaign of limited edition and commemorative series begins
1973: double shield / red shield series
1974:1978- Great American Story series introduced
1976: J Wiss purchased by Cooper Tools Group of North Carolina
1978: Boker US production moved to Statesboro GA
1983: US knife production ended
1984: United BOKER formed with Smoky Mountain Knife and Blue Ridge Knife to create a financial sales partnership
1986: Boker USA reformed and established sales offices and warehousing in Colorado
1999: Construction begins on the current manufacturing operations and corporate offices on the existing Schützenstraße location in Solingen, Germany to create a more aesthetically modern and efficient dual purpose facility in the heart of the "City of Blades".
2006: Production of forged, high quality personal razors resumes in Solingen utilizing the expertise of Master Trades Craftsmen with the assistance of their young apprentices.
2019: Boker celebrates their 150th Anniversary with guests from all over the world and launches the large Anniversary Collection Series of Curly Birch Knives.
2021: With the company's dedication to world history, historical events and preservation of materials, Boker launches the "Historical Damascus Project Series" with the introduction of the WWII Tank Damascus Series. The introduction of these first series items required 3 years of planning, discovery, negotiating with collectors and museums and the amount design work to properly and appropriately repurpose recovered steel into cutlery pieces with an incredible story and journey through time.
2023: Boker USA, construction begins on a new, large, state-of-the-art facility which will serve as the U.S. headquarter corporate offices and warehouse operations to continue supplying the United States, Canadian and Mexican markets.

 

[DownEast_Detecting]

WOW very cool thank you so much!! Its so rusted- I wonder if I WD 40 it if I can get to the blade to see if theres an engraving that would be so amazing- I will hunt more in that area and see what else I come across- I found a small 'rock' that set off my detector- could be a rock, or a small round shot that must've hit something to be not round I'm guessing. I ran out of energy and loads of sweat for today. Appreciate it!!

no problem, if you really wanted to try and get a more definitive date, you should try to open it and see the shape of the blades. That would give you more info to go on. That being said it will probably be really hard to get it open without damaging or breaking it. WD-40 is s good idea. Maybe try PB blaster first, then WD. Maybe soak it in them overnight. lol... good luck

 

[rosespetal]

no problem, if you really wanted to try and get a more definitive date, you should try to open it and see the shape of the blades. That would give you more info to go on. That being said it will probably be really hard to get it open without damaging or breaking it. WD-40 is s good idea. Maybe try PB blaster first, then WD. Maybe soak it in them overnight. lol... good luck

Well according to the list- and what they said, the tree lightning logo is a round metal piece on it- prior to that it was Valley Forge for 2yrs, later it was Boker w the circle- so it may actually fit- unless because they had extras or similar, for it to still be avail in 1900s- that part makes no sense. I've got it soaking now we shall see surely. Ty again.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Soak it in lemon juice you can buy a bottle of it at the grocery store the acids will eat away at the rust. Then do the WD 40 or Pb blaster.