xxSOLDxx SPONTOON AXE 18th Century **SOLD**

This is an early blacksmith forged French style spontoon axe in original condition.  The hand forged head is made from an early rasp and there are elements of rasp teeth still present on both sides of the blade's surface.  As is the case with 18th century spontoon axes, it is delicately made with a thin tapered blade. The blade has up-curled basal processes on either side of it and each process has three notches neatly filed at the base.  There are beauty lines filed at the base of the blade and on the median surface of the eye.  The blade itself has punched dots on either side of each edge of the blade up to the sharpened surface.  The eye is round with hand forged  evidence of being wrapped around a mandrel and lap-forged to form the eye and then the blade.  The blade itself measures  approximately 6 " and the head overall measures approx. 7 5/8" with the round eye being approx. 15/16 " inside diameter.  The width of the head measures 2 1/4" from tip to tip of each process and the widest surface of the blade is 1 3/16".  The rounded hickory haft measures 20" in overall length and is tear drop shaped in cross section and flares approximately 3/16" in diameter at the butt end which is ringed with 10 early brass tacks.  The head end is decorated with a ring of 8 brass tacks around the haft before the head and the head is held on with five early brass tacks driven into the forend.  The head is slightly loose but held on securely by the original tack configuration (as pictured and described above).  **SOLD**

Condition:  Excellent with old surface on the iron head, brass tacks, and hickory haft.