Anybody else like hammers with this shape ? Got the little fellow today at auction. Head without handle was in box which I bought with idea of replacing missing handle. When I examined box LO and BEHOLD the handle was there also. I guess I should have expected it; thurs night found dollar on ground outside auction; yesterday wife lost glasses and when we came out of store someone had found them and put them on ledge outside store. Got hatchet at thurs night auction; just liked shape. Friend bought the other three hatchets I got with this one for triple what I paid for them. So far so good expecting good week ahead.

Very nice tools..

You need to play the lottery.

Yep, nice style.  As I understand it, this was the original Maydole adze-eye claw hammer shape, so there's some nice historical connection to using one.  I've got one in that style; need to dig it out...need to sort through the hammer bin, thin out the herd.

I like that shape of claw hammer, just has  a nice aged look to it.   Leaving an auction once, noticed some guys having trouble loading iron into their truck, on my next trip by, they were gone and a $20 was laying in the street, sure leaves a person with a good feeling, no I did not know the guy that probably dropped it. 

> J. L. S. Co

Assuming owners mark, possibly J. L. Swain , Sr, DBA...
also with Charles Swan & Joshua G. Gray (Somewhere in PA or NC or both)

Only a weak guess, but would date it mid 1890-1910...
(The company had a patent for a railroad tie, but the patent was cancelled, they seem to have gone broke shortly after)

2 other uses, a company in texas (grain dealer), and a much later surplus outfit (1960's)...

Or something else entirely, always a hazard guessing owners marks ;P

Quote from: jimwrench on June 29, 2013, 05:11:05 PM
Anybody else like hammers with this shape ?

I like them, and have a bunch of them.  This pattern seems to be the older pattern for hammer heads, not far removed from those made before Maydole invented the adz eye hammer.  They kept on making them.  I bought one that was marked US -- an army issue.  Not sure when they stopped making this style.

I have a similar design hammer marked PLUMB USA in 2 lines.