🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Hatchet head with diamond shaped eye?

[ToastedWheatie]

What's the purpose / significance of the shape of this eye?
I've never come across this before. Internet search comes up empty, likely because I'm using the wrong search words, lol.

 

[Tony in SC]

It's an older axe made of iron. The diamond shape comes from being used as a wedge and hand hammered with another axe/hammer.

 

[invent4hir]

That's interesting. Teardrop shape on one side and widened on the other. Maybe it was modified to use with an extra thick handle where it inserts to prevent splintering the wood. Is there a seam on the butt end (i.e. left side of your pictures)?

 

[villagenut]

Tony is correct. I got one so stuck in a log once that I had to leave it after the eye folded up and the handle broke.....

 

[ToastedWheatie]

It's an older axe made of iron. The diamond shape comes from being used as a wedge and hand hammered with another axe/hammer.

Thanks! That explains it.
I found similar on the cover pic of this book, so I thought it was intentional

 

[invent4hir]

If you compare the thickness of the butt between the first and second pictures, they're about the same, and there doesn't appear to be any signs of hammering on the first versus the second. To cause that much distortion of the eye, I'd think the butt in the first picture would be noticeably mushroomed. Again a side picture of the butt would show this best.