Help and comments on an Axe head

M ELEY · 16th March 2021, 11:08 PM

Hello David and good to see you on this side of the Forum! I'm no expert, but I think these are Spanish 'Biscayne'-type trade ax heads. I know they look like early Viking pieces, but I've seen the early Spanish types with this pattern. See 'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution', Neumann, pg 262, example 16A. They have what I call a 'droopy' blade. There are Iroquois axes with similar blades, but I think this is a trade blade. There was a wide time period for this, from the 1600's literally up to about 1850. Where did you find it?

David R · 17th March 2021, 12:06 AM

It being a trade axe makes a lot of sense, and explains the simple fabrication and old style shape. Thank you!.

I bought it off a stall at a reenactment fair. The vendor known as "Bodger" dealt in all sorts of stuff, broken sword blades,axes, daggers and whatever. His stock was a mix of random antiques, remounted blades and bespoke reproductions. It was always worth a trawl over his table.
This one had a literal branch stuffed in it as a handle..... and I do mean a branch, not a decent piece of branch wood as you see on ethnic items.

M ELEY · 17th March 2021, 12:23 AM

Ha! It's always incredible where some of this stuff turns up! As it is a Spanish trade item, I'm guessing it to be around 1800 or so, assuming it was over here and not in one of the numerous other Spanish colonial trade spots. Before the Mexican Revolution, such items were still being brought over. I usually don't like seeing rough items with maker's marks, but for trade items, it's a whole different story for collectors. One can possibly research and find where the item was made, when it was smithed, etc. My Native American knife I posted recently has an illegible trade maker mark. You will note yours has a steel bit, so it was better quality. The eye being triangle-shaped and blunt on one side puts this one in the 'pole ax' category, even though it doesn't have the classic hammer-style extension. Nice find for a Renaissance Fair!!

David R · 17th March 2021, 10:52 AM

"Ha! It's always incredible where some of this stuff turns up! As it is a Spanish trade item, I'm guessing it to be around 1800 or so, assuming it was over here and not in one of the numerous other Spanish colonial trade spots. Before the Mexican Revolution, such items were still being brought over"

Well,in my case "over here" is the United Kingdom" so goodness knows how it got here, knowing Bodger he could have bought it in Spain. More likely though from a dealer or fair in one of our port cities like Bristol or Colchester......
That said he regularly went on fishing holidays in West Africa!

fernando · 17th March 2021, 01:00 PM

David, can't you work out what those letters on the blade are ?

David R · 17th March 2021, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernando

David, can't you work out what those letters on the blade are ?

Some but not all... it looks like, < ?ARENC> (or ?ARENG) and underneath DARIED or perhaps OARIEO.

They are somewhat obscured by oxidation, and my eyes are not what they were, even using a lense.

It is, as an aside a very sharp axe. I used it as my camp axe on a few occasions.

fernando · 17th March 2021, 06:46 PM

I (sort of) discern the same. It's just that it doesn't look like Basque (Euskera) lettering to me; more French ?
But don't pay much notice to what i say

.

CutlassCollector · 17th March 2021, 10:57 PM

I have picked up a number of axe books along the way and I have had a browse looking for a makers name to match - no luck I'm afraid.

I also think the words look French so switching google search to France gives Arenc as a district in Marseille. But nothing for the other word. I was guessing that the digit in front of both words may be part of the decoration or an elongated '&'. It seems a wider space.

The books show many different sizes and shapes of axe heads - by trade, by country, by state and it appears that half the counties in England have their own derivative. Mark has found the closest match in Neumann but the only exact match I could find is in Kauffman's American axes. It is the same shape but no mark. It states unknown origin and function but is iron with a steel bit and they place it as 18th Century.

With the makers name I would agree with the already suggested c. 1800 but it may be later as it appears well forged - no signs of the join along the seams - which probably means water or steam driven hammers which would tie in with a manufacturer rather than a single smith.
Iron with a steel bit was the only option for a 'good' axe until the last half of the 19th century when steel started to become cheaper and more plentiful.

16th March 2021, 11:08 PM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,163	Hello David and good to see you on this side of the Forum! I'm no expert, but I think these are Spanish 'Biscayne'-type trade ax heads. I know they look like early Viking pieces, but I've seen the early Spanish types with this pattern. See 'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution', Neumann, pg 262, example 16A. They have what I call a 'droopy' blade. There are Iroquois axes with similar blades, but I think this is a trade blade. There was a wide time period for this, from the 1600's literally up to about 1850. Where did you find it?

17th March 2021, 12:06 AM	#2
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,120	It being a trade axe makes a lot of sense, and explains the simple fabrication and old style shape. Thank you!. I bought it off a stall at a reenactment fair. The vendor known as "Bodger" dealt in all sorts of stuff, broken sword blades,axes, daggers and whatever. His stock was a mix of random antiques, remounted blades and bespoke reproductions. It was always worth a trawl over his table. This one had a literal branch stuffed in it as a handle..... and I do mean a branch, not a decent piece of branch wood as you see on ethnic items.

17th March 2021, 12:23 AM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,163	Ha! It's always incredible where some of this stuff turns up! As it is a Spanish trade item, I'm guessing it to be around 1800 or so, assuming it was over here and not in one of the numerous other Spanish colonial trade spots. Before the Mexican Revolution, such items were still being brought over. I usually don't like seeing rough items with maker's marks, but for trade items, it's a whole different story for collectors. One can possibly research and find where the item was made, when it was smithed, etc. My Native American knife I posted recently has an illegible trade maker mark. You will note yours has a steel bit, so it was better quality. The eye being triangle-shaped and blunt on one side puts this one in the 'pole ax' category, even though it doesn't have the classic hammer-style extension. Nice find for a Renaissance Fair!!

17th March 2021, 10:52 AM	#4
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,120	"Ha! It's always incredible where some of this stuff turns up! As it is a Spanish trade item, I'm guessing it to be around 1800 or so, assuming it was over here and not in one of the numerous other Spanish colonial trade spots. Before the Mexican Revolution, such items were still being brought over" Well,in my case "over here" is the United Kingdom" so goodness knows how it got here, knowing Bodger he could have bought it in Spain. More likely though from a dealer or fair in one of our port cities like Bristol or Colchester...... That said he regularly went on fishing holidays in West Africa!

17th March 2021, 01:00 PM	#5
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	David, can't you work out what those letters on the blade are ?

17th March 2021, 06:46 PM	#7
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	I (sort of) discern the same. It's just that it doesn't look like Basque (Euskera) lettering to me; more French ? But don't pay much notice to what i say .

17th March 2021, 10:57 PM	#8
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 357	I have picked up a number of axe books along the way and I have had a browse looking for a makers name to match - no luck I'm afraid. I also think the words look French so switching google search to France gives Arenc as a district in Marseille. But nothing for the other word. I was guessing that the digit in front of both words may be part of the decoration or an elongated '&'. It seems a wider space. The books show many different sizes and shapes of axe heads - by trade, by country, by state and it appears that half the counties in England have their own derivative. Mark has found the closest match in Neumann but the only exact match I could find is in Kauffman's American axes. It is the same shape but no mark. It states unknown origin and function but is iron with a steel bit and they place it as 18th Century. With the makers name I would agree with the already suggested c. 1800 but it may be later as it appears well forged - no signs of the join along the seams - which probably means water or steam driven hammers which would tie in with a manufacturer rather than a single smith. Iron with a steel bit was the only option for a 'good' axe until the last half of the 19th century when steel started to become cheaper and more plentiful.