Ciupaga (Shepherd's axe)

kronckew · 15th February 2015, 12:29 PM

ciupaga arrived, semi-sharp brass head, haft well carved, 'ZAKOPANE' carved on one side, no date. brass but spike inset in butt, sheet brass bolster. languet and rings are brass, some tarnish between the rings & along the middle. brass head appears shiny new, but is covered in a clear varnish as is the wood.

appears to be a traditionally made ciupage for those who visit zakopane in their travels. latter half of the 20th c. or so...ie. fairly new. will make a nice hiking stick. i imagine it will scare the bears, panthers and wolves as i hike the wilds of the cotswold mountains here. i probably won't see a one, they'll be too scared.

broadaxe · 16th February 2015, 09:54 AM

Aaaahhh, I collect them too. They may be found even with a legit aluminum head, that can be tell by the white tarnish and crude finish.
As a rule of thumb, only the Polish cuipagga is fitted with rings along its top spine; post WWII have fewer small diameter rings (usually of brass) while older ones have more rings of larger diameter, made of steel and overlapping each other.
My oldest one is dated 1888 and I have another one (finely made a looks like a custom presentation piece, not a touristic item)dated 1976 which I bought in Bratislava.
The photo is from 1910 hungary.

Enmetena · 18th February 2015, 12:19 PM

This is rather made for tourists. But I have some depictions from 17th cent:

First picture is probably late 16th cent woodcut depicting some party scene. Except not using sharp weapons so often, nothing really changed in mountains in this matter

Next two are from late 17th early 18th cent.
Drawings of axes are from Berestechko battle site (1651). You can see similar axes but I think slightly bigger.

kronckew · 2nd March 2015, 06:05 PM

'won' another ebay orphan. no other bidders, cost less than postage.

brass head with edelweiss flower motif, plain haft, alpine spike.
no details yet. looks unfinished in photo. head looks loose. haft may have shrunk & need resetting. from estate sale. will try better photos on arrival.

broadaxe · 2nd March 2015, 07:05 PM

scroll down here, you will find some interesting things:
http://tatcalite.tripod.com/id68.htm

kronckew · 6th March 2015, 10:35 AM

arrived. head is loose as suspected but won't come all the way off. maybe a good soak in BLO will swell it.

33 in. long, more slender undecorated but old-looking haft than my others, substantial steel alpine spike of square x-section is set in a separate steel bolster, both with a dark patina. head has a nice 'used' patina, isn't the matt it appears to be in the above photo, more brassy look...

i think this one is more vintage than the earlier fancy one, if not antique.

16th February 2015, 09:54 AM	#2
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	Aaaahhh, I collect them too. They may be found even with a legit aluminum head, that can be tell by the white tarnish and crude finish. As a rule of thumb, only the Polish cuipagga is fitted with rings along its top spine; post WWII have fewer small diameter rings (usually of brass) while older ones have more rings of larger diameter, made of steel and overlapping each other. My oldest one is dated 1888 and I have another one (finely made a looks like a custom presentation piece, not a touristic item)dated 1976 which I bought in Bratislava. The photo is from 1910 hungary. Attached Images

18th February 2015, 12:19 PM	#3
Enmetena Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 7	This is rather made for tourists. But I have some depictions from 17th cent: First picture is probably late 16th cent woodcut depicting some party scene. Except not using sharp weapons so often, nothing really changed in mountains in this matter Next two are from late 17th early 18th cent. Drawings of axes are from Berestechko battle site (1651). You can see similar axes but I think slightly bigger. Attached Images

2nd March 2015, 06:05 PM	#4
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	'won' another ebay orphan. no other bidders, cost less than postage. brass head with edelweiss flower motif, plain haft, alpine spike. no details yet. looks unfinished in photo. head looks loose. haft may have shrunk & need resetting. from estate sale. will try better photos on arrival. Attached Images

15th February 2015, 12:29 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	ciupaga arrived, semi-sharp brass head, haft well carved, 'ZAKOPANE' carved on one side, no date. brass but spike inset in butt, sheet brass bolster. languet and rings are brass, some tarnish between the rings & along the middle. brass head appears shiny new, but is covered in a clear varnish as is the wood. appears to be a traditionally made ciupage for those who visit zakopane in their travels. latter half of the 20th c. or so...ie. fairly new. will make a nice hiking stick. i imagine it will scare the bears, panthers and wolves as i hike the wilds of the cotswold mountains here. i probably won't see a one, they'll be too scared.

2nd March 2015, 07:05 PM	#5
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	scroll down here, you will find some interesting things: http://tatcalite.tripod.com/id68.htm

6th March 2015, 10:35 AM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	arrived. head is loose as suspected but won't come all the way off. maybe a good soak in BLO will swell it. 33 in. long, more slender undecorated but old-looking haft than my others, substantial steel alpine spike of square x-section is set in a separate steel bolster, both with a dark patina. head has a nice 'used' patina, isn't the matt it appears to be in the above photo, more brassy look... i think this one is more vintage than the earlier fancy one, if not antique.