A 19 th century copy of a war hammer

[Stuka f]

It is military but doesn't really fits a category!

Perhaps a Viollet le Duc...

I love the top part as a object!

With the handle it looks like a obvious fake....

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Stuka f,

I'd say you are correct about this not being an authentic piece however, being a First Class Non-expert, my opinion may not be worth a lot. I've seen a few of these war hammers in books and museums and the shapes of the heads vary a great deal. From what I know these were used by men in armour against other men in armour so they were weapons of blunt force trauma weapons. The area that I would question is in the attachment to the handle. The method of attachment seems to be a socket and I would think this would be prone to allowing the head to fly off in battle. Also I don't like the way the handle tapers as all the ones I've seen were straight from the pommel to the head. Could this have been used as a decorative piece to top a flag standard, such as might have been used inside a hall or club?

When I say "I don't like" the handle I actually really do like the whole weapon, authentic or not. I think it is a very nice piece.

Don't you think this would fit under the "Swords and Edged Weapons Section"?

I would be happy to move it there once it has some exposure in this section, in fact I would really like to see it take up residency in that area.

Regards

Brian

[Stuka f]

Hey Brian,

you are absolutely right about the lack of a elaborated way to hold the hammer to the stick.

Just found out that even Viollet le Duc did pay attention to that attachment, so that makes it a rather ordinary 19 th or even 20 th century copy.

It might indeed fit under the swords and edged weapons section. Feel free to move.

cheers

|<ris

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi |<ris,

I should have mentioned that many authentic war hammers with wooden handles had side, or cheek, pieces attached to the head and running along two sides of the handle. I've read that these were to prevent the head from being detached by a sword cut. However, that is highly unlikely and the true purpose was to strengthen the area where the socket met the handle as that area, upon the weapon's impact against armour, was prone to breakage.

I'll relocate your post now.

Regards

Brian

[Stuka f]

I see it was relocated, thanks Brian.

"side, or cheek, pieces attached to the head and running along two sides of the handle" were the therms I was seeking when mentioning that even Viollet le Duc did pay attention to that attachment.

Just like on this halberd, that is a time piece.

[Brian Wolfe]

In the past, movies always made you think that the knight in full armour was much like an army tank of today, nearly invincible. In a way they were correct except they were anything but invincible. The halberd could peirce armour with the "beak" on the back of the head, spear the knight in less protected areas between the armour plate and used to pull him from his steed to be finished off by squires with long pointed daggers. So much like today's army tank they could be sitting ducks for the RPGs, land mines and HEAT rounds of their day.

I like that we have taken this topic farther and hope others will add to it.

Regards

Brian

[Stuka f]

Here is a full view of the halberd peak(Swiss 17th century!);

[Mervyn Mitton]

War hammers were quite rare in use - the preferred weapon was the one with the axe. The most respected horsemen of the the 13/14th Centuries were the Polish - it was they who managed to turn the Turkish army back at the gates of Vienna. The period that war hammers were used was in the early medieval days - as Brian says they could inflict great damage on armoured knights. They

were not really a British weapon - more in use in the middle European area.

This one was made for wall decoration and probably is Victorian period. Mervyn