Unusual Axe Head Identification

blsnelling

blsnelling

Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
155
I collect vintage axes and was given an axe head yesterday by a friend. He picked it up years ago and it's just been setting on his bench. He knew I collect, so gave it to me.

This axe head is unlike anything I've seen before. It is hand inscribed, but looks to have been done by the manufacturer.

It has been suggested that this might be a Kelly Perfect pre-production or copyright prototype from the 1880s. If anyone could shed additional light on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

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Yes they can, which is why I'm asking for more info/clarification.

Have you ever seen anything like it?
 
The really old Kelly Perfects seem to have phantom bevels with a more abrupt transition back toward the eye, as shown on the left, below (from Wood Trekker):

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"Here you can see an original 19th century W.C. Kelly Perfect Dayton pattern axe next to a late 20th century True Temper Kelly Perfect Dayton pattern axe."

(photo and caption from http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/11/axe-head-geometry-phantom-bevels-and.html
 
blsnelling said:
Any opinions on this one?
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My opinion is that yours looks more like the one pictured on the right (labelled "late 20th century"), with shorter phantom bevels having a less-abrupt transition toward the eye. A sample for distributors? I don't know.
 
rjdankert said:
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Bob
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Great comparison shot! Neither the phantom bevels nor the 'Dayton' pattern match with either of the Kellys. Now you're going to have to start digging deeper into who all did make phantom bevel Dayton-like ax heads. But that still doesn't explain who or why someone would deeply engrave in what looks like casual cursive script on to an otherwise unmarked head. You'd expect a sample, mockup or a prototype to have a number or an identifier on it.
 
The etching doesn't look professional. There would be no reason to mark a prototype unless you were going to show it to prospective investors. You wouldn't show that axe to prospective investors. With no factory markings its anyones guess what it is.

Who suggested it was a prototype? Why did they suggest it?
 
There's a current ebay UK listing of a 1932 Belknap catalogue with Bluegrass ax heads shown. There are three Daytons illustrated; a plain, a phantom bevel and a phantom bevel Dayton Special. The bevel and the slight upturned toe of the Special look more like your head than do the Kellys.
 
300Six said:
There's a current ebay UK listing of a 1932 Belknap catalogue with Bluegrass ax heads shown. There are three Daytons illustrated; a plain, a phantom bevel and a phantom bevel Dayton Special. The bevel and the slight upturned toe of the Special look more like your head than do the Kellys.
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Right-clicking on the photo gave the option to copy the image address, which I inserted here:

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Reminds me more of a Collins, I am going off of memory though. I think I have one out in the shop. I will try to find it tomorrow and see.
 
Square_peg said:
The etching doesn't look professional. There would be no reason to mark a prototype unless you were going to show it to prospective investors. You wouldn't show that axe to prospective investors. With no factory markings its anyones guess what it is.

Who suggested it was a prototype? Why did they suggest it?
Click to expand...

No way to prove it but I think it is possible that a jobber could have used that as a representation of a boys axe to supply hardware stores. Many times hardware stores and chains had the own labels, etch, decal or stamp.
 
Any more information on this guy? I was finding the discussion fascinating and it abruptly stopped.
 
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