OK, I do not know the person who handled the heads and have no connection with the owner or poster.
If one scrolls down this page to the section on "Polled Hatchets," one would see a blade shape very close to the top "axe" head shown earlier in this thread:
http://furtradetomahawks.tripod.com/id19.htmlHowever, the poll does not seem correct. The lower of the three hatchets in the photo is the one I'm referring to and is described above it as:
"The bottom one weighs 12 oz. total and measures 5.125" x 2.5" wide, circa mid to late 18th C. Charles Hanson in MFTQ, Vol 15, No. 1 identifies these an '18th C. iron hunter's tomahawk' which had better balance & workmanship than the 'squaw axe' [common round polled trade axe] which was better adapted for both chopping & throwing. Unfortunately Hanson never gave any sources or reasons as to why he identifies them as such. I've never heard of the term "hunters tomahawk" from any other source before or since. Hartzler and Knowles identify the same exact style as belt axes but mention no criteria for doing so either. The terminology is loose and fancy free in these categories and will change with each write that addresses them. Whether they were used as weapons or not is usually in the eyes of the beholder and no more so in this category does Confirmation Bias affect that decision. There is a tendency for some collectors to see only what they want to see--all the more reason to rely on verifiable physical evidence based on proven examples & physical features rather than indiscriminate feelings. To my knowledge none have ever been proven or even show evidence of having been used as weapons."
I am NOT even suggesting either of the two heads are correct, but the shape of the top one intrigued me, so I thought I might post this.
Gus
