Kelly Hand Made Ax Head ?

[Whiskers]

Hello all, I'm no serious ax collector, but enjoy picking them up when I'm out. I've got these 2 Kelly Hand Made heads, and I can't find a lot of info on them. I found the logos referenced a couple places, but that's about it. Any idea how to date them? Are they rare? While I haven't seen another, that doesn't mean much. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[garry3]

The ones I have came across with that style of stamp seem to be older axes of two piece construction using the over coat method. As far as putting a date on them I have not been able to.

 

[traditionalist]

I've got one

 

[Whiskers]

Nice axe, I know they are out there, but I think the history has mostly been lost to time.

 

[Steve Tall]

The Kelly Hand Made brand axes used to be worth as much as Black Ravens.

Kelly sold the Hand Made axes for the same price as the Black Ravens and the Flint Edges (according to the 1913 prices list). It seems like the Hand Made brand is not as rare or uncommon these days as the Columbian, Copper King, Silver Edge, and Chip Slinger brands (which all cost more than the Hand Made).


As mentioned in an earlier thread, here's a list of Kelly axe brands, from most expensive to least expensive (based on Kelly's 1913 price list):

1. Kelly Registered
2. Columbian
3. Perfect / Hand Honed (tie)
4. Copper King / Silver Edge / Chip Slinger (tie)
5. Flint Edge / Vulcan / Black Raven / Hand Made ... (tie)
6. Wood Slasher / Jim Dandy (tie)

The Kelly Registered cost 33% more than the Kelly Perfect.
Kelly Perfect cost more than Black Raven.
Black Raven and Hand Made cost the same as Flint Edge.
Wood Slasher had the lowest-cost.

(Cost are generally listed as per dozen heads, and the cost difference between brands can be relatively small.)

from National Hardware Bulletin, September, 1913

 

[Whiskers]

Thanks for the info, that's pretty interesting stuff. $10 in 1913 was a pretty penny.

 

[NDAnderson]

Got this axe from my 97 yr old grandpa that has embossed "Kelly Oil Whetted Hand Honed Axe". How old might this be? and a less important question to me, how much might it be worth?

I cant figure out how to load my own image, so here is a link to an identical one I found online:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/kelly-hand-honed-oil-whetted-embossed-felling-axe

Some info I found on Kelly Axe Mfg. Co.:
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. .html

This link says 1874-1904. But the above picture from 1913 makes it sound like it was still manufactured in 1913, so I'm not totally convinced.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/579047...how_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details