Axe head identification resource?

P

Pydpiper

Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
72
I spent the past week at a very large swap meet, in the period of 4 days I spotted no less than 500 axe heads in every shape in every price range.
I do this swap meet every year, if I had a bit of knowledge of what I was looking at I may have bought several more than the two I brought home.
Is there a website or book that will help me separate the good from the bad?
Thanks!
David
 
500 axe heads . Man I would have loved to go to that swap . Were they all sold by the same guy ?

You could have set up beside him with 500 handles and made a killing . L:O:L

Are you a piper as your name suggests ? Or do you just lead young ladies astray . L:O:L

Reason I am asking is cause I am a wannabe Irish flute player .
 
There were a few vendors who had large quantities of heads as well as complete axes, all old. Some vendors has tons of stuff and the odd axe head, I think the gems were the ones that were solo.
There is a vendor there who deals exclusively in handles, for every shape and size too. I have bought many handles off him in the past, for shovels and pitch forks, all hand picked by him..
The place is Burls creek, http://www.burlscreek.com/
240 acres of swap meet, they call it automotive but I assure you, everything is there, and I mean everything. I camp it for 4 days and walk for 8 hours a day, still don't see it all.
My screen name reflects my occupation, I do wildlife control/animal control.
 
Pydpiper said:
I spent the past week at a very large swap meet, in the period of 4 days I spotted no less than 500 axe heads in every shape in every price range.
I do this swap meet every year, if I had a bit of knowledge of what I was looking at I may have bought several more than the two I brought home.
Is there a website or book that will help me separate the good from the bad?
Thanks!
David
Click to expand...
I recommend asking this same question on the Tomahawk Q&A Thread. I sent an email to Dr. Van Horne and he said he'd stop by in a few days to answer some of the newer questions that had been posted. Also, there are a couple book references in that thread that might help you out.
 
Folks collect Collins, Keen Kutter, Plumb, Norlund, Marble's -- probably others. All were quality brands.
 
240 acres of swap meet you can camp at ? I would think I died and went to heaven . I,m gonna check out that link . I have to make it there one day .
I used to go to one that was a drive in theater . And I thought that was big .
 
Thanks for the replies guys.. I will check out the tomahawk forum.

This swap meet is always compared to one that happens in Carlyle Pennsylvania. However, I hear the one in Pennsylvania is even bigger.
Burls creek is in Barrie, northern Ontario. Easy to get to.

I also bought a big old wedge for splitting wood, the guy threw in an axe head with the name "Samson" on it, both are in perfect shape, $5. I can't find any reference to that axe head, that's what began my curiosity. one guy had a few that had tags saying "Hudson Bay Trading Co." and wanted $75 each, these things were in poor, poor shape. I can't help but wonder if I had a bit more knowledge as to what I was seeing if I couldn't find more.
 
Burles Creek ? I,ll have to see how far it is from Montreal . Are there facilities for camping or is it Au naturel ? Maybe you will see me there next year .

I would have liked to have seen those hudson,s bay heads . Funny thing is The Bay was part of the Hudons Bay company . While I am sure they are not as young as that or sold at any time at the Bay they might not be as old as all that .
 
There are designated camp sites, but they are raw, no hook ups of any kind. If you show up I am at site 313, forever.
 
Hi,

The nearly definitive web site for trade axes and hawks is.
http://members.tripod.com/tomahawks-r-tatca/id2.htm
It loads slowly, but it's well worth it.
I wish there was something similar for felling axes.

Regards,
R

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"A knifeless man is a lifeless man"
-old Nordic proverb
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