[CutlassCollector]

I agree with you Mark and you were right to stay away. I did see it come up for auction and concluded that it was best avoided.

A few years a go there was a spate of fakes complete with the VIM US markings but were easy to spot. This one is slightly different from those, so I did think twice that it may be period. I had some discussion with fellow naval collectors in the US and they concurred.

The Type I was only produced for a very limited number of years so there are very few survivors and all are marked to government ownership. So far there is no evidence that these axes were ever produced for private purchase. Why pay for complex work when a simple spike axe would do the job?

It is a passable shape for a Type 1 but with many differences as Jim points out and it is small across the head only 8 3/4 inches while the Type 1 is generally between 10" and 12". The spike looks as though it has been ground into a round shape.

I agree the pitting, especially on the rear of the eye, looks wrong and is not normal corrosion - perhaps those deep pits are more to do with acid than salt water
There is no top down view of the head which often gives a clue as to whether it was hand forged.

It is always hard to be absolutely sure from photographs alone, but I think you were absolutely right to avoid.

There are only around 10 extant examples of this axe and it is sought after. If it had been considered genuine and with the correct markings by collectors and the US museums I would have expected the price to be over ten thousand dollars!