A proto-American boarding axe?

M ELEY · 9th January 2025, 02:35 PM

Hello CC! Great to hear from you!

Thanks for your information! For once, I am glad for the disappointing news that it is probably not a boarding piece! As you pointed out, it would have been great to have the dimensions and weight on this item, but the auction house never replied with that information! From the pics, it does look a little 'thick'. I've learned the hard way that size with trade/frontier/tool axes mean everything! A hammer pole ax in a picture can appear as big as a sledgehammer and vice versa. I appreciate you taking the time to look through your thorough resources as well. It seems there are a lot of strange tool-axes out there!

Hello Interested Party,

This odd 'rake axe' also caught my eye when this auction started (they had a big 'lot' of some great original spike tomahawk axes and pole axes. This one is just so weird, I don't even know about the design and I can't even venture a guess. As far as the original one I posted, if it is a heavy axe with thick proportions (which we don't know the specs!), I guess it could be an ice axe for splitting and dragging ice blocks. However, for such laborous work, I'd expect a thicker, heavier haft. This one has a smaller handle. Maybe it was for separating flax!

Yep, I'm kidding!

Interested Party · 13th January 2025, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M ELEY

This odd 'rake axe' also caught my eye when this auction started (they had a big 'lot' of some great original spike tomahawk axes and pole axes. This one is just so weird, I don't even know about the design and I can't even venture a guess. As far as the original one I posted, if it is a heavy axe with thick proportions (which we don't know the specs!), I guess it could be an ice axe for splitting and dragging ice blocks. However, for such laborous work, I'd expect a thicker, heavier haft. This one has a smaller handle. Maybe it was for separating flax!

Yep, I'm kidding!

Haha the flax thing crossed my mind for a second as well. My only guess is chipping ice. It would not drag well. Sorry I thought that this was the one you were writing about originally as it came up in the link.

Once I saw the one you were speaking of I could see the similarities to a boarding ax.

M ELEY · 15th January 2025, 03:14 AM

Yeah, they are both very odd axes and being that they are in the same auction, perhaps they were collected from the same place? Although the flax was a semi-joke, I see the 'rake-type' as maybe something for lashing through grain or some such. Ice axe is still in the running, I guess...

Richard G · 21st January 2025, 03:08 PM

This is current auction, so if the moderators wish to take it down I fully understand. I put it up, with no comment, other than it's resemblance to Mr Eley's example.
Best wishes
Richard

M ELEY · 25th January 2025, 09:10 AM

Thanks for that, Richard. This definitely seems to match the profile of the weird 'rake ax'. Of course, this one is ancient with verdigris bronze head! Still, the question remains what this old one was used for!! The auction says Asian, but looks more Luristan to me? Oh, I know! The spikes were used to comb your hair and the blade was made to part it!

9th January 2025, 02:35 PM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Hello CC! Great to hear from you! Thanks for your information! For once, I am glad for the disappointing news that it is probably not a boarding piece! As you pointed out, it would have been great to have the dimensions and weight on this item, but the auction house never replied with that information! From the pics, it does look a little 'thick'. I've learned the hard way that size with trade/frontier/tool axes mean everything! A hammer pole ax in a picture can appear as big as a sledgehammer and vice versa. I appreciate you taking the time to look through your thorough resources as well. It seems there are a lot of strange tool-axes out there! Hello Interested Party, This odd 'rake axe' also caught my eye when this auction started (they had a big 'lot' of some great original spike tomahawk axes and pole axes. This one is just so weird, I don't even know about the design and I can't even venture a guess. As far as the original one I posted, if it is a heavy axe with thick proportions (which we don't know the specs!), I guess it could be an ice axe for splitting and dragging ice blocks. However, for such laborous work, I'd expect a thicker, heavier haft. This one has a smaller handle. Maybe it was for separating flax! Yep, I'm kidding! Last edited by M ELEY; 9th January 2025 at 09:16 PM.

21st January 2025, 03:08 PM	#4
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 409	This is current auction, so if the moderators wish to take it down I fully understand. I put it up, with no comment, other than it's resemblance to Mr Eley's example. Best wishes Richard Attached Images

15th January 2025, 03:14 AM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Yeah, they are both very odd axes and being that they are in the same auction, perhaps they were collected from the same place? Although the flax was a semi-joke, I see the 'rake-type' as maybe something for lashing through grain or some such. Ice axe is still in the running, I guess...

25th January 2025, 09:10 AM	#5
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Thanks for that, Richard. This definitely seems to match the profile of the weird 'rake ax'. Of course, this one is ancient with verdigris bronze head! Still, the question remains what this old one was used for!! The auction says Asian, but looks more Luristan to me? Oh, I know! The spikes were used to comb your hair and the blade was made to part it!