Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

M ELEY · 20th July 2023, 09:41 PM

I just wrote a long and convoluted response to this and it vanished before my eyes, so here's the short of it...

Despite the bondo, it doesn't mean this is a fake. The axe appears hand-forged, perhaps early 19th. Seems too early for mining or trench axe, not practical as a tool axe. The 'eye' is of the early pattern oval and slightly thinner on one side, indicating hand-wrought. The spike like this one found on some known native specimens (Iroquois for one). The hafts on both these axes replaced, but this is common and expected. The head pattern is post 1800 and does fall into the shape of later tool axes, but very few of those were blacksmith made. The squared slot on yours very possibly a beaver trap chain pull to prevent having to plunge one's arm into icy rivers again and again (and possibly getting bit by a muskrat or beaver).

Check out the following-
Hartzler's 'Trade Axes and Tomawks'
Neumann's 'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution'
the Tatca website- https://tatcalite.tripod.com/index.htm

As I stated earlier, there are a lot of fakes, so an expert would need to actually handle your 'hawks' to be sure. Check out the trade tomahawl site's list of mimics and fakes. It's enough to scare you away from collecting these!

20th July 2023, 09:41 PM	#12
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,077	I just wrote a long and convoluted response to this and it vanished before my eyes, so here's the short of it... Despite the bondo, it doesn't mean this is a fake. The axe appears hand-forged, perhaps early 19th. Seems too early for mining or trench axe, not practical as a tool axe. The 'eye' is of the early pattern oval and slightly thinner on one side, indicating hand-wrought. The spike like this one found on some known native specimens (Iroquois for one). The hafts on both these axes replaced, but this is common and expected. The head pattern is post 1800 and does fall into the shape of later tool axes, but very few of those were blacksmith made. The squared slot on yours very possibly a beaver trap chain pull to prevent having to plunge one's arm into icy rivers again and again (and possibly getting bit by a muskrat or beaver). Check out the following- Hartzler's 'Trade Axes and Tomawks' Neumann's 'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution' the Tatca website- https://tatcalite.tripod.com/index.htm As I stated earlier, there are a lot of fakes, so an expert would need to actually handle your 'hawks' to be sure. Check out the trade tomahawl site's list of mimics and fakes. It's enough to scare you away from collecting these! Last edited by M ELEY; 20th July 2023 at 10:40 PM.