Can someone pls help me out with this one tribal spears??

koolaidsmile

Sr. Member
May 17, 2012
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I'm not quote sure what to call these or the age of them but there is no markings. At least none I can make out. I would assume they are some kind of tribal spears?? Any kind of knowledge on these would be awesome and I'd be very great full!! :-)

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Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

Kia ora Kathy. It is only my guess and in a way, I hope I am wrong (once again), but I might guess the marks you see are: Made In India.
They scream tourist-trade items to me. To my mind, they offer little substance as weapons.
Maybe they are Ceremonial items, eg like the Freemasons use? I don't know.
BTW, Am I correct, one blade appears to be brass and one is cast/forged iron?
Cheers, Mike
 

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Yes you are correct. It does seem to be one looks like brass and the other iron or steel.... On the axe blades. I would think though if someone bought them for a souvenir though that they would be well taken care of and unused. Looking at all the dings and dents and wear marks they look like they have been used before as a weapon. Any other ideas you may have are very welcome and thankyou so very much!!

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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Hello Kathy,

You have not yet mentioned the dimensions of these objects.

I'm very skeptical that they are any sort of weapon. I'm inclined to agree with trikikiwi that they appear to be decorative items perhaps aimed at tourists. I do not see the brass blade and decorative flourishes to be at all helpful in unseating or disabling cavalry. The semi-pointy portions are more decorative than they are pointy or edged. They seem to be made of component parts. These are not qualities an armorer would look for in a pike or halberd.

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"The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants.[1] It is very similar to certain forms of the voulge in design and usage. The halberd was 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) long." Halberd

The halberd was a medieval weapon first, and later a ceremonial weapon carried by palace guards. Look here:» Update on the Riddle of the Mysterious Medieval Halberds

How did you acquire them?

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koolaid,yours could be a reproduction,since it has a brass,bronze axe head(see added note)
East Indian Bulova war axe
Bullova Axe from Chota Nagpur Orissa or Eastern India | Fine Antique Swords and Weapons Arms & Armour for sale from Ashoka Arts Ashoka Arts
Eastern weapons - History Forum ~ All Empires - Page 4

after going back and looking at your imgs i just wanted to add,yours may be the
real thing,in this img it looks like one has a steel head the other bronze or brass,is
that the light making it look brassy

786131d1367118658-can-someone-pls-help-me-out-one-tribal-spears-image-43336136.jpg
 

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They are both right around 3 ft tall and 1/2 ft wide. I honestly do not feel as though they are for display purpose though. They have definatley been used before and they without a doubt have been hand made. I thought at first that one of them may have been a type brass etc but I believe that to just be a discoloration of the metal now since that color is only on one side of the blade and its very uneven in color. I want to also show you pictures where I can tell they have def been used in some kind of battle before. They have obvious war marks on them. I'm just hoping that it wasn't just some kids plating with them though lol. I did a bit more research and I actualy think they are called axe poles. Which are somewhat like halbreds but they don't have the hook on other side and they are made shorter. Oh btw when I talk about the pieces having markings that say something that I can't quite make out I mean over the entirety of the weapons. It looks like there's names or words etc carved all over the place on both of them. I just can't seem to make any of them out. I think it might be that they are not english that could possibly be a big hinderance too! I took a pic of one area in new pics that it looks like its a word.

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Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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Oh sorry one more point I wanted to add in. The spikes on the ends do not look like they were originally made that way. They look worn down or they may have been broken off when in use.

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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Hey while I have some helpful people's attention here already I was also wondering if maybe you could take a look at this too and give me your opinion on it :-)

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Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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kool i think your weapons are the real deal,i did a side by side, from link and your imgs
from link
East Indian Bulova war axe
A good Kond War Axe from Eastern India - Orissa. Often known as a Bullova Axe from the Chota Nagpur plateau. This weapon is a very nice example of a tribal Tabar or war-axe, fully complete and in good condition. The large steel blade is moustache-shaped with long protruding ends to the blade, the reverse of the head features a protruding flange. The long wooden shaft is typical for these axes and would have enabled it to be used or swung two-handedly. The upper section of the shaft bound tightly with brass or copper wire, with brass decorated mounts to the bottom, centre, and top of the axe. The very top still retains its original steel spike, often lost, and presumably just another way in which this weapon would have been used offensively. A wonderful solid antique axe, dating to the early - mid 19th century.
Bullova Axe from Chota Nagpur Orissa or Eastern India | Fine Antique Swords and Weapons Arms & Armour for sale from Ashoka Arts Ashoka Arts

side by side
axe 3.jpgkond-war-axe-wwwashokaartscom-fine-antique-oriental-arms-and-armour-swords-and-weapons-2-2348.jpg
 

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Thankyou so much! I think u hit the nail on the head. The design is the same exact one. I actually went to the website u included to ask for a appraisal on them and possibly more info!! Great job and many thanks!! I would say this one is solved :-)

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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Well thanks to everyone I did find out what these actually are. They are called bullova's. they are central indian tribal axes and they are authentic yaaay! I will keep everyone updated to the value of them.

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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I'm glad to hear that. Did you mean India indian? Please do keep us updated.
 

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Well man from the UK wants to buy them both for $300 what does everyone think? Should I sell?

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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Not having any experience in the sales of such items, take my advice with a large grain of salt. However, I would be reluctant to sell them for that price. I would expect them to bring four figures in the right auction. Unless immediate cash is important right now, I would hold on to them. I looked online and saw prices ranging from about $275-$1200 apiece for axes in either worse condition or not much better than yours. Earlier you mentioned that you had them authenticated, if you can get a certificate, the sales value would be greatly increased.
 

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Well man from the UK wants to buy them both for $300 what does everyone think? Should I sell?

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)

Hey Kathy,
I would think the shipping cost to the UK would be out of the yin yang for them because of the weight and size.
Good luck :)
Breezie
 

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Well man from the UK wants to buy them both for $300 what does everyone think? Should I sell?

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)

I would hold out for a better offer, $300 for both is a low-ball offer IMHO.

I found this one for sale for 165 British pounds, that's $250 US, and yours are far better made than this one, but this one could be older which contribute to it's crudeness in workmanship...

22- Indo-Perian 18th cent/ early 19th cent. War Axe / Bullova. - £165.00 : MountCastles Atiques, Specialist Antique, Armour, Arms and Militaria Dealership

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Here's another unique looking one that sold on Ebay for $235..

Excellent Old Antique Indian "Bullova" Axe No Sword Dagger Knife Tulwar | eBay

$T2eC16VHJIIE9qTYKJ1!BRR2TPtjtQ~~60_3.JPG
 

As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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hi kool
my search term was,......Antique Indian "Bullova" Axe
JMO i would ebay it or find another buyer,im thinking 350-400+$ each
because the blade on yours is 1 piece hand forged steel/iron, = +$ value
and in ........14th January 2009, 02:55 PM
A nice bullova from the Khond tribes, Chota Nagpur. End 19th century.
200 Euros or 280 US Dollars.
Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Indian axe (Bullova) for sale

and here is a discussion about your axe,in 2004 and 2007
about single all 1 piece and a 2 piece axe,yours is older if
im reading those pgs correctly,and a poster on the 2nd link
says that......1800 is the frontier between both techniques.
is this a common indian ax ? - vikingsword.com forums
Ethnographic Arms & Armour - Bullova Axe
-------------------
maybe you could get an offer from here
Oriental-Arms: Old Authentic Indian Bullova Fighting Axe

similar to yours,300-400$ range
Bonhams 1793 : An early Indian bullova axe
Indian 19th Century Bullova Axe  : Lot 812
 

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I'm sorry I just noticed your reply!! Your awesome thankyou so much. Yeah I'm starting to hesitate a bit now selling these to this guy. He seems to be very anxious to get them but almost trying to play it off that he could care less!! He's making me kinda suspicious!!

Kathy (koolaidsmile) :-)
 

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