Restored tiny hatchet. Can anyone estimate a date?

[TrpnBils]

I don't normally get all worked up over relics, but I have one site I really enjoy everything that comes out of it because it's such a difficult site, so every fragment of flatware, every button, every coin, and even certain iron objects are a victory over the rusted square nails. I've pulled coins from as far back as 1796 and as recent as 1870, and we've found Civil War bullets and a bayonet there (it was part of a massive campsite area for Jackson's troops). The building on the site disappears from topo maps around 1900, but based on the number of nails there I wouldn't doubt that there had been multiple buildings over the years. Also finding a lot of livestock-ish type stuff, so there was likely a barn there too.

Anyway, we've dug probably a dozen axe/hatchet heads there over the past year, and most have been as big as my hand or bigger. I dug this little thing the other night and it was in pretty good shape, so I ran it through a round of electrolysis and sealed it with beeswax. Is there any way to approximate what time period of this site something like this might have come from? I'm really not familiar with estimating a site's age with the "technology" of its day....I'm kind of curious as to whether something about the way this was made will give somebody a clue or something.

 

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[vpnavy]

Can't help you on the date Jeff but dang - OUTSTANDING FIND! Also, after looking at a billion axes - it sure resembles a "flooring hatchet"...

 

[trapperart]

Nice find congrats

 

[TrpnBils]

Can't help you on the date Jeff but dang - OUTSTANDING FIND! Also, after looking at a billion axes - it sure resembles a "flooring hatchet"...

Out of curiosity where are you seeing it at? I didn't find much on a quick search aside from websites wanting me to put wood flooring in my house....

The butt of the hatchet here I thought was broken at first, but it's actually V shaped so I'm not 100% sure how it would have been connected to a handle.

 

[PaJim]

Google antique plumb hatchet, I see some examples close to yours. Is the back end broken off of yours?

 

[PaJim]

ANTIQUE PLUMB SCOUTS CAMP AX AXE HATCHET KNIFE ROOFING


Close!

 

[TrpnBils]

Google antique plumb hatchet, I see some examples close to yours. Is the back end broken off of yours?

That's what I was saying above - I don't know if it's broken off or not. I thought at first it was because I would've expected to see an oval like most hatchet heads where the handle would seat. With this one though, it's a V shape (think if the oval hole was broken almost at one end) but it's completely clean and straight, and each side of the V extends out the same distance. So if it's broken, it's an extremely clean break. I don't know... most of the other hatchet and axe heads we've pulled there are pretty obviously broken.

On the other hand, if this isn't broken and that's how it was supposed to be made I don't know how the handle would've been attached.

 

[vpnavy]

Out of curiosity where are you seeing it at...

I did a Google Search on small hatchet vintage (selected images only) and one of the pictures that came up was a hatchet that was very close to yours. It looked just like PaJim's find above.

 

[kcm]

Ah, so you're talking about the "hole" that the handle goes in? Some hammers and such have oval holes for the handles, but many have an opening that is narrow (V'd) towards the blade end and more open near the butt end. If this doesn't describe your handle opening (or if I'm still not understanding), please post a pic of what interests you about the ax head.