Incredibly Lucky Ebay Find?
 

So, this auction ended a few days ago:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Stunning-Eastern...QQcmdZViewItem

And I just won this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=011

As far as I can tell the only difference is mine is missing the end cap... So needless to say I'm pretty excited. :D

I assume Ashoka Arts' listing is an accurate description? Any other info about it would be welcome, as always!

--Radleigh

I think we have discussed those before, and the general consensus was that they were made in Central Asia in the 2nd half of the 20th century and intended as souvenirs. But I cannot find the topic now and my memory may be misleading me.
Regards,
Teodor

The Carpathian axe, Valashka, is a totally different animal. The two e-bay ones are Afghani and likely, as Theodor says, pretty fresh. Yours has a more realistic price, to put it mildly :rolleyes: :D :rolleyes: :D

Damn, well, at least it was cheap! Did anyone ever notice that you can't look up the word "axe" in the forum search, because it is too small? Does anyone know a way around that?

I'll post a picture as a public service of the offending axe.

Thanks for the info!

--Radleigh

the two copper inlays are indicative of afghani origins i understand.

words of three letters and under are not normally allowed in vbulletin fora searches unless the admins fiddle a bit - there is a setting for min. word length. maybe? would also help for those looking for mfg. stamps and initials on weapons if at least three letters were allowed. as this would tend to use more cpu time, the min. interval between searches could be increased a bit to make up for it.

Those are BRAND NEW tourist pieces from any-stan, produced with chromed blades and then aged... :o)) I've also burnt myself, not too long ago. As sensei uses to say: Caveat Emptor

If there is a setting that can be changed, its an admin control. As a moderator I have not that power (mighty though I am :D).

*axe*
It's a real shotgun approach but it does pull up anything with 'axe' in it; lots to sift through but it is there . :shrug: :)

yes, it requires one of the admin gods.

on the forum where i am also a mere lesser moderator, we are attempting to set up a sub forum for 64bit Vista users, we have prayed and chanted the liturgy and are assembling the offerings. we have two of the required 3 virgins but are having trouble finding the 3rd.

*axe* will bring up any post with a word containing 'axe' in it. like 'taxes', there are 181 in english apparently

addaxes anaphylaxes anticlimaxes axe axed axel axels
axeman axemen axenic axenically axes banjaxed banjaxes
beeswaxes betaxed boraxes broadaxe broadaxes carapaxes
cephalothoraxes chemoprophylaxes chemotaxes climaxed
climaxes coaxed coaxer coaxers coaxes curtalaxes dewaxed
dewaxes disclimaxes earwaxes epistaxes faxed faxes flaxen
flaxes galaxes geotaxes hapaxes hoaxed hoaxer hoaxers
hoaxes hydrothoraxes hypotaxes hyraxes laxer laxest maxes
mesothoraxes metathoraxes minimaxes morphallaxes nontaxes
overtaxed overtaxes packwaxes paclitaxel paclitaxels panchaxes
parallaxes parataxes paxes paxwaxes phototaxes phyllotaxes
pickaxe pickaxed pickaxes pneumothoraxes poleaxe poleaxed poleaxes
praxeological praxeologies praxeology praxes prophylaxes prothoraxes
raxed raxes relaxed relaxedly relaxedness relaxednesses relaxer
relaxers relaxes retaxed retaxes rewaxed rewaxes saxes
smilaxes storaxes styraxes subclimaxes supertaxes surtaxed
surtaxes syntaxes taxed taxeme taxemes taxemic taxer
taxers taxes telotaxes thermotaxes thigmotaxes thoraxes
toadflaxes trophallaxes tropotaxes undertaxed undertaxes
unrelaxed untaxed unwaxed waxed waxen waxer waxers
waxes woadwaxes woodwaxes zaxes


luckily most are unlikely to be used here.

Thanks Rick! Using that method I was able to find the relavant past threads:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghan+%2Aaxe%2A

http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000406.html

Like I said Wayne, shotgun . ;) :D :D



Can't help you with the third virgin part . LOL

This also looks like a central European shepherds walking cane. Of course they were used as a weapon or tool as needed.

bbjw

hi bbjw,

they're called ciupaga (poland/chekoslovakia) or fokos (hungary), used in the carpathian mountains regions by poles.checks, hungarians, etc.

the stick is normally shaped like that on an ice axe, with a short alpine spike on the base (weapon in itself) and the head is smaller than a tomahawk, forming the handgrip of the stick. originally they would be made of steel and sharpened, but that was outlawed in the 19c. and they thne made them of brass up till the early 20c., wwii & after sees them being converted to a symbolic axe shaped wooden head with carved or painted decorations. they normally have a chain attached to the head and shaft and possibly a metal langet and numerous rings as well.

these are my two:

1. chrome plated brass head, floral carved shaft, this one is relatively new. head about 5in. from edge to poll., shaft 35"
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...nckew/axe2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...nckew/axe1.jpg

2. brass head with decorated sheet brass edge guard, edge is sort of sharpened if you removed the guard which is screwed partway into the brass head on the left side, 5 in. as above, tiger striped shaft 34 in. prass langet with numerous rings. this one is a bit older.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...kos001_DCE.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...kos003_DCE.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...kos002_DCE.jpg

i've seen these with steel heads, usually look similar but older, haven't managed to buy one yet, but there is a blacksmith in hungary that makes them new with steel heads again...

a wooden one i found with google a min. ago for comparison:
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7...9072058sf8.jpg

spike closeup

http://www.polandbymail.net/onlinepics/250100__b.jpg

there are similarities with the afghani ones, an axe head, shaft and butt spike, but there are major design & stylistic differences.