MRL's German Warhammer -- myArmoury.com

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

Does anyone have any information regarding the dating of the MRL German Warhammer or photos of the original on which it's based? Thanks!

Sean Flynt · Posted: Mon 13 Mar, 2006 7:24 am Post subject:

Oakeshott has a chapter dedicated to hammers, but I don't have that book on hand at the moment. Blair's European and American Weapons is another possibility. I'd guess that it's 1450-1550. By the way, this reproduction is based on a weapon in Nuremberg, as is MRL's very attractive new horseman's axe of ca. 1575 (that date according to the catalog). It's at right in the photo below.:

Sean Flynt · Posted: Mon 13 Mar, 2006 11:23 am Post subject:

Hey, Chad! I found one that's not terribly far removed from the MRL--compact head, thick, short pick, stubby hammer. I'd still guess that the MRL would be a bit earlier.

This is hammer of ca.1550. Length: 490 mm. Width: 115 mm

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

Sean,
Thanks for the info. I guess the form of the MRL hammer makes it an Oakeshott Type H1 warhammer, then, right? I'm trying to figure out what part of what century that hammer fits. Happy

Sean Flynt · Posted: Tue 14 Mar, 2006 9:10 am Post subject:

I'll make a note to check Blair tonight.

Sean Flynt · Posted: Wed 15 Mar, 2006 7:37 am Post subject:

No photos in Blair. However, Blood Red Roses reproduces artwork showing a very similar hammer, and indicates that the illus. is last quarter of the 15th c. Peterson's Book of the Gun has a photo of a very similar hammer with some other items identified as "14th and 15th century" arms and armour. The Oakeshott H1 seems to originate mid 15th c. So, it looks to me like this particular hammer would be 1475-1500, maybe spilling over into the early 16th c.
Let's say 1488...July...10:17 A.M.... Laughing Out Loud

Alexi Goranov · myArmoury Alumni

Sean Flynt · Posted: Wed 15 Mar, 2006 8:44 am Post subject:

Hal Siegel · Industry Professional

PSA - note that MRL has discontinued the German warhammer. There's one more production run/shipment coming in, and then that's the last of them.

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

Here's a blast from the past (an old thread), but I found a hammer with a lot of similarities to the MRL version.

I found it in Rossi's Mediaeval Arms and Armour. It lists it as being Italian and from ~1430. It's house in the Armeria Reale, Turin.

The langets are obviously quite different from MRL's version, but the head has some similarities.

I think MRL plans to discontinue this one, as Hal noted, but it was still in the catalogue I got a couple of weeks ago.