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While fireman used axes for the business end of their organization, many also had dress versions which were used for parade and presentation purposes. These dress axes can run the gamut from simple polished nickel heads with black or brown wood handles, to most elaborate etched, gold embellished beauties, some equipped with fluted ebony or even genuine ivory handles, presentation plates and beautiful lower escutcheon decorations. Senior examples were usually finish in gold.

FDAXE-001-25971C - FIREMAN’S DRESS AXE

This Fire dress axe is a fairly large item, measuring overall about 17 inches in length. The head is the style that has a back point which bends, pointing downward. The head itself has a notch on each side of it which would have been for theoretical nail pulling. The head is held on by a boss fitting which has fluted surfaces. A screw retains the boss fitting. The axe’s handle is a hard wood, painted black. It is flared at the upper portion where it has escutchen plates which run down both edges. There is a hanger ring on each escutchen plate. There are also two plaques, one on each side, but there is no dedication. The bottom of the handle is fitted with a doorknob-like chape fitting. All of these fittings have good, nickel plated surfaces. There is some age and rust here and there, but, overall, they are in good condition. The paint to the handle is still in near-perfect condition. Despite its large size, this axe is fairly lightweight, as it was designed for parade use only. A good display item with some other fire related memorabilia. Excellent Plus. $695.00

FDAXE-002-26904 - FIREMAN’S DRESS AXE

This Fireman’s dress axe has seen quite a bit of usage over the years, and does show some age. It is the style which has the back of the axe head which goes downward to a point. The obverse area of the axe has the blade and the two holes at the top and the bottom behind the blade. This axe is of all steel base construction, having a nickel plated finish. The head of the axe is held on by a fluted umbrella shaped cap. The cap is retained with a screw. Below the head is a set of escutchen plates complete with eyelets and carrying rings. At the center area are presentation plaques on both sides. The lower portion of the axe has a ball doorknob shaped device which acts as a chape. The handle is of a hard wood which has been painted black. The paint is still fairly good throughout this handle. As mentioned above, the plating shows signs of age and flaking here and there. There appears to be little plating left on the presentation plaques. Overall, though, the plating throughout the other parts is about 95%. A good axe here for someone looking to buy an original rarely seen item for a priced accordingly amount. Good Only. $395.00