Spike Tomahawk in Good Shape

[Tanselman]

I recently acquired a spike tomahawk for display purposes. Some may recall my posting last year on a Tansel horn from Indiana on Ebay that had its original bag, but the spike tomahawk that accompanied it had been lost or stolen. Surviving newspaper pictures of the old spike tomahawk gave a good indication of what it looked like, which is a lot like this one... so I got it to put with the old bag and Tansel horn. It's not the original one, but looks close to it. I was told by the prior owner that it was probably an English import item from early to mid-1800s. He didn't know if haft was original or not... but it has an old, damaged tack head on top. It may be an early cast head, since I don't see the tell-tale "seams" on either side of the haft on top of the head that usually indicates a forged head.

Perhaps most interesting is the traces of a large, oval cartouche stamped on the front side of the blade, almost unreadable but visible enough to know it's there. I have no clue what the cartouche is, or if the halt is original, or how old the head really it. Your comments would be appreciated.

Dimensions: 16" length, 7-3/4" blade, 1-1/4" eye, 1-15/16" blade.

Shelby Gallien

[Tim Crosby]

 Really a neat piece. I take it it is cast? The eye looks well shaped and the handle looks like it was made for use, "Wicked" comes to mind.

    Tim

[Tanselman]

Tim, 

I think you misread my posting. I asked YOU to tell me if you think it was cast, not for you to ask me if it was cast!!! But yeah, it probably is.

Shelby

[Pukka Bundook]

Pretty sure its cast Shelby.
I had a pipe tomahawk, gave it to my son. that one was Old, and had hammer marks in it. It fit exactly over a full size picture of the Tecumseh hawk.

[Tim Crosby]

Tim, 

I think you misread my posting. I asked YOU to tell me if you think it was cast, not for you to ask me if it was cast!!! But yeah, it probably is.

Shelby

 Somehow I missed this: "It may be an early cast head, since I don't see the tell-tale "seams" on either side of the haft on top of the head that usually indicates a forged head." The lack of seams in why I asked the question, to busy looking at the Pix I guess.

  Tim

 

[Bigmon]

Soooo.... the stolen original belonged to Crockett?  What's the story behind that?

[Tanselman]

The Crockett "history" is all wishful thinking by later family members... kind of like everyone with an ancestor in the Rev Way claiming their ancestor was a personal friend of George Washington. Other records give a more accurate history of the bag & horn, rifle, and tomahawk's history.

My intent with posting the spike tomahawk was/is to get better information on it. I have heard there were imported cast steel heads made in England sometime after 1800, and I would like to know if this is true, and if so when they become available, etc., and see if the stamped cartouche on the blade can be identified in any way.

Tim... I was pulling your chain a little on your first response. You responded quickly, right after I posted and while I was still re-reading it myself and doing some small editing... like the comment I added about no weld line in the top of the head that you "missed" when you first read it.... 'cause it wasn't there yet! 

Shelby Gallien

[Tim Crosby]

 "'cause it wasn't there yet!"  LOL!

      Tim

[Molly]

I got a similar item in an antique store.  They called it an "ice ax".  So what is an ice ax I ask?  Well it is what they used in the old days to cut/pick ice from lakes for commercial sale to the milk man so they said.   

[JSMOSBY]

See link "Fur Trade Axes & Tomahawk", <https://www.furtradetomahawks.com/>

[jdm]

Shelby,
I have seen this type of axe referred to with different names. Ice axe, pick axe, spike axe , Spike tomahawk . Of course everyone in our collecting field goes for the spike tomahawk. All were a tool and all could be used as a weapon. I would guess this one falls in the tool category . This is a  style that was used for a long time. Plus the fact it is cast.Few of the early ones were cast. From what I can see in the picture of the original one I believe it would be considered more of the weapon type or spike tomahawk.. Notice how the blade appears to flare out a little more and the spike is thinner. Not as beefy . The shape is just a little different. I personally feel the one you have would go great with your set. Just some thoughts of what little I remember or think I remember.  Jim

[Dutch Blacky]

I dont know if this might be helpful:

In the European Alps there is a woodworkung tool, called Sappie (pickaroon?). It is used for moving lumber by hand.  There are also versions of a Sappie combined with a hatchet. (pickaroon axe ??) which are very similar to a spike tomakawk.

This Sappie-Beil (Pickaroon Hatchet) seems to be a rather old typ of woodworking tool. Maybe european blacksmiths made them also for export to North America where they were used in the fur trade and then called Spike Tomakawk???

[Pukka Bundook]

Dutch,
Now that you mention it, it Does look like an ice axe to me.
Molly,
Amongst other uses, an Ice axe was/is used in mountain climbing.

[Dutch Blacky]

a modern Sappiebeil (pickaroon axe?)

[B.Barker]

Shelby it looks cast to me. If it was wrought iron with a steel bit welded in you can see a line where the iron stops and the steel starts. At least every axe I've made like that it will show. Steel and wrought rust at different rates is my guess why this line shows up.