AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Contemporary Accoutrements => Topic started by: Shreckmeister on September 13, 2017, 03:01:52 PM
-
This Spontoon was gifted to a local club around 1900 and has been in their collection since. They've asked me to help them to find out what time period it likely came from. Can anyone help me with this? Overall length 7 1/2 inches. Sadly someone decided to clean it up.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpreview.ibb.co%2FhmsZjF%2Fimage.jpg&hash=48a399c1000421147671370a66104a627c086538) (http://ibb.co/huaWWv)
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpreview.ibb.co%2FeX5Frv%2Fimage.jpg&hash=2289481f294b9bfa08102e1481a386659d88e150) (http://ibb.co/hiGc4F)
host image (http://imgbb.com/)
-
Rob, This may be of some help. Do a search on Spontoon.
Tim
http://www.furtradetomahawks.com/
-
Shreckmeister; sir good morning. Reference used, "Swords Blades of the American Revolution by George C. Neumann. The spontoon "espontoon", "Half-Pike". The "spontoon (English version of its French name. "espontoon ") was the officers, pole arm during the Revolution. It was essentially a 6 to 8-foot spear used both as a symbol of rank and and a fighting weapon.The form apparently developed from the 17th century partisan and was initially referred to as the half pike. Search on the Tomahawk-Belt Axe may produce the correct information you seek. Have a great hump day. AJ.
-
I'm sorry guys but I 'm not seeing a spontoon. I believe this to be a spontoon bladed trade ax, or tomahawk.
Hungry Horse
-
This is a spontoon tomahawk not the longer European polearm.
My direct knowledge of these is somewhat limited, and my source materials are not at hand unfortunately. These were almost exclusively trade items meant for Native Americans during the fur trade years, but they were styled after the pole arms used by European armies in the 18th century. Unlike other axes, these were pretty much purely for killing other human beings or ceremonies. This style of head obviously does not lend itself to working wood or other tasks, but it could easily tear through flesh.
The tear drop eye and relatively simple design I believe suggests it is one of the earlier 18th or early 19th century axes traded in the eastern half of the U.S. I've handled a few later pieces made for the western trade, and they generally had round eyes and more ornamental designs.
Again, just what I can recall.
Fixed typos*
-
Hay "guys". Read the last line of my reply. ?? AJ.
-
Schreckmeister,
Peterson's American Indian Tomahawks would be a good place to start looking, and is available online: https://archive.org/details/americanindiant00pete
-
I want to say thanks for the direction on this. The consensus seems to be sometime in the last third of the 1700s and likely French.