Hatchet ID

[Knicked Digits]

I need help identifying this hatchet my father in law owns. The logo on the head is worn away but I can see the letters M-E-R-N with USA directly below in what looks to be diamond shape. Any help is appreciated

 

[Steve Tall]

It looks like this MERIT stamp, in a diamond, with FORGED STEEL above MERIT, and U.S.A. below MERIT:

It might be a brand from Sears:

For some interesting reading about Craftsman tool history and related brands, click here.

An excerpt from the link reguarding Merit Brand...

" The Sears catalogs frequently mention "Merit" brand tools as lower-cost alternatives to the Craftsman selections, and the next several figures show examples of various tools marked with the Merit brand. The Merit brand is believed to have been a private unregistered brand used by Sears, rather than an independent company brand.
Interestingly, several of the examples below are marked with an "AF" code, a code also found on a number of Craftsman brand tools. This strongly suggests that the maker of the "AF" Merit tools also produced Craftsman-branded tools.
Some of the manufacturers of Merit brand tools have been identified by means of manufacturer's codes or by production characteristics, including Danielson, Diamond Calk Horseshoe, and Vlchek Tool."


-Xander

 

[Square_peg]

I bet it says 'America'.

 

[Knicked Digits]

.....

 

[Knicked Digits]

It looks like this MERIT stamp, in a diamond, with FORGED STEEL above MERIT, and U.S.A. below MERIT:

I think that's it. Where I believed the "N" to be I think was actually just pitting that looked like the crossed line on an "N", it wasn't as uniform as the rest of the letters. And there's the bottom of the "S" just above the "I". It easier to see in good light and with a loupe. Thank you very much