Boarding Axe?

mgolab · 22nd January 2025, 07:31 PM

Just picked this one up and waiting for it to come in. Seems hand forged. I wonder if it is a boarding axe.

weight is 2 pounds

It is 10 inches by 4.5 inches

M ELEY · 25th January 2025, 10:05 AM

Wow, Mark! You might just have something there. The early-type boarding axes did look just like yours. You will note similar examples in Neumann and in Gilkerson (the axe drawn from an artwork dating to the mid-18th. The problem, as always, with boarding axes is with the provenance. If unmarked (which most if not all of the early types were), it becomes a guessing game of whether it is a boarding ax, trade ax, tomahawk, etc. What we can say for certain is that it is early, 1700's, appears hand-forged and of the type used for early boarding types. It has been surmised that the early trade axes coming to the Americas from Europe were all trade axes, but sailors found them an excellent shipboard tool, leading to the boarding ax pattern. Please post more pics when it arrives!

mgolab · Yesterday, 12:23 AM

hand forged for sure. a few markings as circled. Not sure is the "x" is an out of service mark? Perhaps also a number on the collar.

too large for a spike tomahawk. I am curious whether this is an early boarding axe.

CutlassCollector · Yesterday, 03:16 PM

Nice old axe.
There is not much to add to Mark's comments. It is very hard to tell if it is not a known government issue.
The size and weight fit well to a boarding axe.

Boarding axes and fire axes are closely related. Both the British and French fire hatchets - when firefighters all had their personal small axes - are direct descendants of their naval counterparts, but are generally smaller and machine made. They are sometimes mistakenly sold as boarding axes.

Unfortunately the markings are not clear enough to give us a better hint.

mgolab · Yesterday, 04:39 PM

Thank you for the feedback, CC

Yes, the axe is hand forged and not machine made.

I am curious about the marking by the eye, "I H" or "H"?

22nd January 2025, 07:31 PM	#1
mgolab Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Posts: 47	Boarding Axe? Just picked this one up and waiting for it to come in. Seems hand forged. I wonder if it is a boarding axe. weight is 2 pounds It is 10 inches by 4.5 inches Attached Images

Yesterday, 12:23 AM	#3
mgolab Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Posts: 47	hand forged for sure. a few markings as circled. Not sure is the "x" is an out of service mark? Perhaps also a number on the collar. too large for a spike tomahawk. I am curious whether this is an early boarding axe. Attached Images

25th January 2025, 10:05 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,118	Wow, Mark! You might just have something there. The early-type boarding axes did look just like yours. You will note similar examples in Neumann and in Gilkerson (the axe drawn from an artwork dating to the mid-18th. The problem, as always, with boarding axes is with the provenance. If unmarked (which most if not all of the early types were), it becomes a guessing game of whether it is a boarding ax, trade ax, tomahawk, etc. What we can say for certain is that it is early, 1700's, appears hand-forged and of the type used for early boarding types. It has been surmised that the early trade axes coming to the Americas from Europe were all trade axes, but sailors found them an excellent shipboard tool, leading to the boarding ax pattern. Please post more pics when it arrives!

Yesterday, 03:16 PM	#4
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 336	Nice old axe. There is not much to add to Mark's comments. It is very hard to tell if it is not a known government issue. The size and weight fit well to a boarding axe. Boarding axes and fire axes are closely related. Both the British and French fire hatchets - when firefighters all had their personal small axes - are direct descendants of their naval counterparts, but are generally smaller and machine made. They are sometimes mistakenly sold as boarding axes. Unfortunately the markings are not clear enough to give us a better hint.

Yesterday, 04:39 PM	#5
mgolab Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Posts: 47	Thank you for the feedback, CC Yes, the axe is hand forged and not machine made. I am curious about the marking by the eye, "I H" or "H"?