Homestead axe info

[Hickory n steel]

I have a roughly 3.5lb Michigan pattern Collins homestead axe from my great grandfather and I have some questions ( as well as just showing it to you guys ) the first question is if you guys know when the heads were only stamped HOMESTEAD ? And if they always had blue paint on them ( or if that was just in the Mann edge days ? ) cause mine has no evidence of any blue paint.

Anyway here it is
The only markings on the head is HOMESTEAD and no weight.
As you can see the backside is fairly pitted, while the money side has it's fair share of battle scars. This old guy definitely has no shortage of character the original handle was really short ( 18" or less ) and while it had no swell and was cut at an angle it looked fairly professional ( though I'm not sure weather it originally came as a house/miners axe pattern ) , this axe was given to me by my grandmother as an 18th birthday present after I found it rusting away in the garage and had shown some interest in it ( I'm sure glad it didn't end up in the hands of my careless and destructive brother ) , it currently sits oiled/waxed and unhung until I have a need for a full sized axe and can find a handle I like. Any info on these homestead axes would really be appreciated:thumbup:

 

[SC T100]

There's a thread on here somewhere about Collins, and I believe Homestead was a line of theirs (at least at one point). I had a Jersey stamped Collins, but had a Homestead sticker. Interesting you have only the Homestead stamp. Do a search for the Collins Manufacturing thread and it may have some info in there.

 

[Hickory n steel]

There's a thread on here somewhere about Collins, and I believe Homestead was a line of theirs (at least at one point). I had a Jersey stamped Collins, but had a Homestead sticker. Interesting you have only the Homestead stamp. Do a search for the Collins Manufacturing thread and it may have some info in there.

Alright thanks for the info ! The other interesting thing is that most Collins Michigan axes have a much skinnier poll. ( I think mine is a 3.5 lber, but now that I think about the deeper poll it may be 4lb )

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

During the 70's the Homestead line was a low end big hardware store Collins line. That may not have always been so but I have a couple of axes around from the period I have used as general beaters for the last 40 years.

 

[Hickory n steel]

During the 70's the Homestead line was a low end big hardware store Collins line. That may not have always been so but I have a couple of axes around from the period I have used as general beaters for the last 40 years.

I know all the general info, so I know that mine is pre '66 ( when Mann edge bought them out , and started using flat cheeks ) but what I don't know is when they were simply stamped HOMESTEAD and nothing else, I'm assuming that all else was probably on the lable it would've had.