Lot 551

Viking Age Iron Hatchet & Decorated Staff

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Viking Age Iron Hatchet & Decorated Staff

Estimate: $700 - $1,050

Starting Bid: $350

(0 Bids)

June 12, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
Louisville, CO, US

Description:

Eastern Steppes, Southern Europe, ca. 9th - 11th century CE. Scandinavia/Europe, Viking Age, ca. 9th–11th century CE. A hand-forged iron axe head of classic Viking form, featuring a long tapered head with a slightly curved single-edge blade, squared at the bottom, a pointed socket, and an opposing tapered square hammer head. The bold, purposeful lines are characteristic of Viking ironwork at its most refined.

The decorated staff, while period-consistent and of considerable interest in its own right, does not appear to be original to the axe head. The staff is elaborately worked along its entire length with intricate metalwork decoration including hammered copper and brass elements, suggesting it may have served a separate ceremonial or functional purpose. Size: 5.56” (14.1cm) axe, 17.88” (45.4cm) overall length.

Provenance: Emily & Walter Mead Collection, Santa Fe, NM., active 1960’s - 1990’s. (Mead Paper Corporation family).

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Item # 71464

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 + $1,000