I just joined this forum today. I'm hoping you folks might help me with a little research project that I've no idea how to proceed with. If I'm lucky, I'll figure out how to attach images and my goal of figuring out what this is will be fulfilled.

I picked up this piece from the son of a WW2 veteran. The vet passed away & the son is slowly cleaning out the house. I've been fortunate to pick up a number of WW2 German awards, pins & insignia that were brought home by the gentleman but this one is an odd ball. The son remembers it from his youth and recalls his Dad saying it was a German axe. I posted it on the WAF but no one had a clue since it wasn't the normal configuration of 'axe' (fireman's) that the guys were used to.

It's a mere 12" long and looks to me like some kind of warhammer wannabe. There are no markings. Where I don't collect this stuff I'm hoping to get some idea of (hopefully) who would've made a piece like this in miniature, around when it was made and hopefully some advice on a venue where I might find someone who collects this type of item since it certainly doesn't fit with the collecting direction I'm on.

All comments or guidance is welcome & appreciated.

Rick C.

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Greetings. This is a sugar axe, domestic serving tool from times sugar was distributed in loaves or tablets. Victorian era fashion was to create these little gems as miniaturized, sometimes decorated weapons. The sugar dealer had a similar though much larger implement, somtimes appearing like out of a fantasy movie. http://ponzisantiques.com/images/items/327-1.jpg

Yes, this is an actual working tool , take a look also here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sugar
In Frace it is known as 'sugar hammer' = marteau a sucre. Can be in a shape of an actual hammer or adze (mostly in Islamic cultures).

What I ponder after reading of this piece’s true nature is how the heck (and why) did the aforementioned vet toss this into his duffle bag among the captured weapons, medals and insignia?

Were these produced and used beyond the Victorian era or was this already an antique when it was picked up in WW2? Where it doesn’t appear Germanic, based upon the motif on the axe/hammer head can it be guessed where this may have been produced?

Being a WW2 collector, I’ll admit I would’ve much preferred an elaborate story of evil nazis producing a horde of genetically engineered dwarf Vikings to be sent against the enemies of the Reich, wielding these war hammer/axes rather than this being a kitchen implement belonging to some Victorian age Martha Stewart but, hey, that’s just the way my luck plays out on Fridays.

Might there be anywhere I can look to learn more about these and, perhaps, see similar examples?