Would this be a trade axe?

[Joe Yanta]

Not being an expert on these things I just had to pick this up when I had the chance.

The haft appears to be original, I would guess either birch or oak and about 22 inches in length to the bottom of the axe head.

The axe head is 7 inches long and 4 1/4 inches wide.

Any information either positive or negative you can give to the origin and age would be appreciated.

Thanks

Joe

 

[Birdman]

Joe I don't know if its a trade ax or not but it sure looks like an oldie. I'd clean it up with a wire brush, sharpen it up n oil down the handle n use that bugger for sure. I own several old pieces but when I bought them it was to use them, just a quirk of mine, if I buy its to be used.It looks like it would work well around camp, with the extra length n weight ya ought to be able to chop n split most anything ya need. Real nice piece YMHS Birdman

 

[Okwaho]

That's a nice looking probably old axe.I doubt the haft is original with that strange offset. This axe is probably 19th century based on the overall configuration and lack of ears.it could very well be a camp axe and if it had a longer haft it could be a felling axe, although one can't rule out altogether the possibility of it being a trade axe. Do you have any idea of the provenance of this piece? One thing,however, I wouldn't clean it up other than perhaps a little warm water and mild detergent.If you do as birdman has suggested it would be an excellent way to drastically reduce the value of the axe to serious collectors.I just acquired two complete mid 18th century belt axe heads and the blade from a third one dug in the Braddock campaign area.I could clean them up with a wheel and wire brush and use them but if so I would be guilty of destroying a lot of history and character.It's your axe so have at it,those are my two cents.
Tom Patton

 

[ameling]

These are just some of my humble thoughts or observations on this axe.

The handle on any old axe is the hardest part to view as original - too easily broken and replaced. Plus, most axes were sold/traded as just the axe head. It was easier to transport just the head, than with a handle in it. The customer usually made their own handle. That little dip or hump on the back just has a pretty late "feeling" to it.

The axe head itself has a 19th century "feel" to it - in the shape of the blade, lack of a step or notch between the eye and the bottom of the blade, and the inside shape of the axe eye. But it has little or no poll - almost round-backed and the same thickness as the sides. The lack of a poll usually indicates 18th century or earlier in this country - but not in the Old Country. The heavy/thick poll was an American innovation - it helped balance out the weight of the blade making the axe easier to use. So I would view this axe as a 19th century axe from Europe - probably British.

Of course, these are just my humble opinions, and best used in conjunction with your own research.

yhs
Mike Ameling

 

[Okwaho]

Mike,I was hoping you would jump in here.As always I defer to your expertise in this field. I really hadn't thought in terms of European or British for that matter.The axe just seems too utilitarian to be an import unless of course some one brought it over with him.I agree on the "feel" as far as the axe being 19th century but I really don't think 18th century.Still regardless of it's origin,it's a nice old piece.
Tom Patton

 

[ameling]

It is a nice looking axe, and should work well. Altho, with the majority of the weight on the blade side, it does take some time to get used to working with it. It's a whole lot easier for the blade to twist a little to one side as you are swinging it. The axe will want to flop over just after you hit the wood - popping back out of the wood instead of digging in. You really have to hit with the blade directly in line with the handle. That thick square poll developed with the American axes balanced out the weight to both sides of the handle, and made them easier to control as you were chopping.

One possible option for this axe getting to this country would have been a personal tool being brought over. A lot of immigrants brought their own tools with them - that trade-off between the cost of shipping known tools versus availability and cost of buying new ones over here. Of course, it could also have been a special order made by a local blacksmith to the specifications of himself or the customer. We can speculate, but never really know without that paper trail. So it goes.


yhs
Mike Ameling

 

[SilverBear]

Something you have to watch for these days is that there is a lot of axes and hand forged items in general being brought over from places like Romania, Bulgaria, etc. The stuff looks like 18th Century, but it could just as well be early 20th Century as well. I see a a lot of it at the Brimfield Antiques shows. Also there is at least one guy bringing in stuff from Sweden which also has that early look. The big dough bowls from China are another problem. I wouldn't pay any kind of money for one without being right sure of it's origin as I can buy those for $50 or less in quantity.

Tony

 

[crockett]

I agree with everyone else, maybe foreign. Could be valuable- I would contact some tool collecting clubs, etc. As far as a woodsman's hatch- seems a little large.

 

[Joe Yanta]

Thanks for all of your comments. After researching my own limited library and searching the web, I feel now that this axe is not a fur trade axe as we have come to accept. The axe is deffinately old, I would place it in the first 1/2 of the 19th century. I also beleive that it is foreign, possibly Russian.

It's a cool old axe, and I dont have much more than the cost of a hamburger invested in it, a nice wall hanger.

Your help is very appreciate.

Joe