Böhlmark & Co

It´s impossible to analyze the history of the Mora knife industry without mentioning the company Böhlmark & Co.

Böhlmark & Co was a wholesale company founded by Erik Böhlmark from Vika. The company was active in Mora from the early 1900s until the 1960s.

Erik Persson was born on 20/09/1868 in Vika, a little village just outside Mora. Since the family farm was named Böl, his family, parents, and siblings change the name to Böhlmark.

Erik Böhlmark and his wife moved to Mora in 1902

Around 1888/1889, when he was nineteen, got a job in Westerbergh's shop in Morastrand. He stayed there until the owner Herman Westerbergh's dye in 1909.

In 1908, Erik Böhlmark started the company Böhlmark & Co

In around 1913 Böhlmark & Co. made an exclusive distribution right contract with Frost branded knives. This enabled Erik Frost to fully concentrate all his efforts on the production side of the business and Böhlmark & Co would deal with the marketing and sales.

The great sales number and growth during the first half of the 20 century of Erik Frost, are attributed mainly to the Böhlmark & Co collaboration.

A short time later Böhlmark & Co tried to do the same type of contract with Eriksson & Matsson (KJ) but were initially unable to reach a distribution agreement with Böhlmark & Co, so they had to equip their own sales force with horse and sled to reach the market outside Mora. Sales were good, however, an agreement was eventually reached with Böhlmark & Co in 1914, for a 5 years contract.

The contract included the entire production of the knife without sheath ( Böhlmark & Co would probably buy the sheath directly from Ströms Knivslidsfabrik) for 5 years from 26 February 1914 to 26 February 1919. The price of a dozen would-be 3.25 SEK for the comparable model of the N.2 that E. Frost makes (it’s quite curious mentioning one of the competitors in the contract) although the price would be indexed to the price of the steel, that at the time of the signature of the contract was 0.75 SEK per Kg. The price would include the delivery

With the Böhlmark & Co contract ending, Lok-Anders wanted to renew it but KJ didn’t want to. This generated an argument between the partners and the end of Eriksson & Mattssons Knivfabrik. Both Böhlmark and Frost had some direct influence on Lok-Anders.

A legal dispute arose between KJE and Böhlmark & Co which forced KJE to find other sales channels for his knives.

Above: contact dated January 26, 1914

In the 1915 Frost catalog

"The manufacturer E. Frost in Mora has handed over to us the entire sale of its well-known manufacture of knives and sheaths.

As we hereby have the honor to submit a new illustrated complete price quotation for this manufacture, we ask that we are allowed to enclose it in prone memory in case of need.

We point out that the reason for the good judgment of Frost's make is to search the good condition of the eggs as well as the whole taste of the knife. The knives are forged with inlaid steel, which greatly increases their value as iron.

To be able to leave as faithful a picture of the knives as possible in the price newspaper, the illustrations have been done in natural size, except N: r 3, Hunting knife, and Tension knife.

As can be seen from the new catalog, we have had to make some price increases due to the huge increase in raw material costs.

Also in these price-quoted prices, which are net for retailers, a 10 0/0 discount is granted when purchasing at least 50 dozen at a time. For larger parties discount according to special agreement.

This price cut cancels the previous one.

Mora in Sept. In 1915."

Above: The two little yellow houses behind the Gustav Wasa statue, close to the finish of the Vasalopp, are from where the knives were packed and delivered by Böhlmark & Co. The office was on the second floor. These houses no longer exist.

Erik Böhlmark and Erik Frost were also responsible for convincing Anders Ström to make sheaths for Frost knives and later the UNICA sheath.

“On Sunday, the knife-fabricator Erik Frost and the wholesaler Erik Böhlmark came up and greeted. They wanted Anders to make sheaths for Frost's knives. But Anders said he was " wir era arbetär ", tired of that work. But the seed in the head of the technically gifted and handy shoemaker' which led to the development of the fiber sheath UNICA, as well as tools and working methods needed for profitable manufacturing on an industrial scale.”

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1672842052777391&id=228565797205031

Above: In 1927 at the Falun craft and industry exhibition, Böhlmark & Co receives the silver medal

When Erik Böhlmark steps down to enjoy his retirement, in final of the 1920s beginning of the 1930s, his son, Nils Böhlmark, took the lead in the business.

In 1932 (http://www.cultur.nu/knivar/mora/moramapp_2013/moramapp2013.htm), Böhlmark & Co registered the trademark “Mora Knivfabrik”. Most of the knives stamped with “Mora Knivfabrik” were made by Frost, although there is some information about KJEriksson made some knives with that stamp around 1920 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/Morakniv/permalink/497739030579631)

The stamp is fairly common on military-issued knives. http://thebladeblog-ulf.blogspot.com/2011/08/1920s-erik-frost-mora-knife-model-no24.html?m=1

There are also some knives with Böhlmark & Co stamp.

Above: N.3 stamped Böhlmark & Co with original leather sheath. My private collection

In 1935 Böhlmark & Co patented the SkidKnid that would become Frosts Nr 1102 (smaller) and N1114. Read more about this knife in this article https://oldmora.blogspot.com/2020/02/skidkniv-n-1102-and-n1114.html

Above: Original patent

Above, ads from 1935 of to the skidkniv

A silver plate, a gift from Erik Frost to Erik Böhlmark. “With gratitude for many years of reliable and dedicated cooperation” (Now held by Erik Böhlmark`s grandson Ola Böhlmark)

After a period of illness, Erik Böhlmark died on 20/6/1942 at 73 years old.

Above: a newspaper from 22/6 1942 with the news of the death of Erik Böhlmark

Advertisement from 1945 Böhlmark & Co

Above: SWEDEN RAILWAY TIMETABLE JUNE 1949 and 1954 with Frost advertisement

Above: Knife wall from about 1950-1960, owned by Ola Böhlmark

In practice, all the knives that we see that have both "E.Frost", "Erik Frost" and "Frost" logo until 1962 were sold by Böhlmark & Co and not Frost. Frost was only the manufacture.

During all the period of the relationship, Frost could not sell knives on his brand but sold some knives with different stamps "Mora" (for example commonly seen on the orange handle of Swedish civilian defense knives).

Böhlmark & Co had other business units besides the knives distribution, for example, they were the Texaco representatives, an American oil and fuel company.

Böhlmark & Co sold many other things, like razors, shampoo, hair water, perspiration agent, soap, shaving foam, make-up, baby ointments that were imported from the US and sold locally

Source: https://www.facebook.com/228565797205031/photos/a.600558193339121/988960944498842/

Nils Böhlmark participated in an exhibition for Böhlmark & Co where Frost's knives are exposed.

By the hand of Böhlmark & Co, Frost knives reached all the corners of the world and cemented the name of the Swedish red handle knives in the global market.

In 1953, during the visit of GUSTAV VI to Mora, Böhlmark & Co delivered a copy of the famous Zorn knife made by Frost company.

The knife was made in the Frosts Knife factory by Oskar Frost (1918-67 – not related to the owners) which was renowned for its technical talent. The knife tools 5 weeks to be made (most of the time was spent making the sheath) and was completely done by hand. the Zorn Museum landed one of the famous knives to be used as a model.

The upper part of the sheath bears the royal emblem in the place where the original had decoration, the fitting was made out of pure silver

The length of the knife is 235 mm and the length of the sheath is 180 mm. The blade is made of stainless steel as the factory's logo etched with an electric etching machine.

The knife was given to King Gustav during the royal dinner at Mora Hotel.

Source: Article in Dala-Demokraten on September 12, 1953

At the beginning of the 50:s, Nils and his wife Gun Böhlmark moved from Hemus to a house on Strandgatan 28 in Mora, The house where Mora Tidning(local newspaper) is located today. On the second floor Erik Böhlmarks widdow Kerstin lived.

Böhlmark & Co in Mora is also referenced as a goldsmith/silversmith that gave the possibility to make silverware and gold jewelry, with the stamp B&CO. It was registered in Mora between the years 1952 to 1962. https://search.swedac.se/sv/namnstamplar?r=1&page=52

Nils Böhlmark passed away 18 januari 1962.

The Frost contract also ended in 1962.

No one could or wanted, to take over the business in Böhlmark & Co, so the family shut down the company in 1962.

When the company ended, Frosts took over some of the personnel. Frost\ also took the right to use the “Mora Knivfabrik” brand.

In a company list from 1971, “Mora Knivfabrik” appears listed with the address of Frost.

The knife stock was bought by Erik Grudin who started an exclusive knife shop in central Mora,” Knivexpo “, to sell out knives in tourist season.

In 2017 there was an auction in Mora, of the collection from Eric Grundin. He had a shop in Mora where he sold knives, among other things. Eric also bought parts of Böhlmark & Co's stock when the company was wound up (1962). The more significant lots were bought by Morakniv.

Above, Böhlmark & Co seller case that allowed the seller to showcase the Frosts product line in a very elegant way. More pictures http://www.cultur.nu/knivar/mora/moramapp_2017/moramapp2017.htm

Other stock like razors, shampoo, hair water, perspiration agent, soap, shaving foam, was saved by Rull Lars Persson. https://www.dt.se/artikel/unika-varor-fran-40-talet-till-salu

Knives

BÖHLMARK & Co also sold knives with his stamp, “BÖHLMARK & Co”, produced by Frost.

There are also some knives from 1920 that were produced by KJ Eriksson. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Morakniv/permalink/497739030579631

Set of pictures of Knife from 1940 of old drawings/pictures used in the Swedish Digital Museum. A few more pics on the website

Bellow: Also in the museum, some curious pictures of a knife associated with Böhlmark. The knife appears to be a Frost N.602 or 603 but the sheath is different, without the usual decorations a https://digitaltmuseum.se/021016764579/bohlmark-knivar