Old hatchet

[Clark Badgett]

Can anyone that knows a thing or two about axes and hatchets give a general idea about the age of this hatchet head. I found this in a junk store in Kentucky back in the early 90s and at some point added the newish handle. There is a P that is approximately 3/16” stamped into one side and is the only marking. I can find no evidence of any kind of steel bit being hammer welded in place.

[rich pierce]

I’m an enthusiast, not an expert but I’ll open with calling it an 1840-70 shingling hatchet. This one has more of a broad hatchet shape than most later ones I’ve seen.

[Clark Badgett]

Thanks for your help Rich. Appreciate it.

[OLUT]

Rich has "nailed it". My tattered copy of the 1964 "A Museum of Early American Tools" booklet shows a virtually identical image with the following description, "the shingling hatchet had a long nail-hammering poll and flared bit ... original handle often had a hole or eye for a string" and also "This had a flared shape with slightly rounded nail-hammering head and a nail pulling notch in the bit"