A friend of mine sent me pictures of this axe and asked if I knew what type it was. It seems to have a patina which is unusual for the shape. We don't have any other information except it was found recently in the basement of a house in Philadelphia, PA.

Thanks

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Hi!

This isn't an antique. It's a decoration piece.

Are there any traces of mould lines? What size and weight is it? The blade looks like a distorted version of a Jan Petersen type B, And Aslak Liestøl 1976 type f, but the shape of the eye region points to the medieval or early modern period or later in a nordic context. Could one hazard a guess that it is a copper alloy cast from an original heavily corroded axe, abrased and polished before beeing left in a moist place for too long?

It may have also been made for a special purpose, like those tools made of bronze and copper mallets that won't spark when striking in an environment with explosive dust.

As a decoration piece this axe is not suitable for chopping wood.
I believe its blade can damage easily.
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In addition to any other observations, I'd venture to say that most hand axes are not usually hafted like that, regardless of pins or wedges being used. As I understand it, when the axe head is mounted, the axe eye is slid up the length of the haft (which widens at the end) in order to work with centrifugal force. I may be entirely wrong, but I'm here to learn.