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American Indian Triple Batwing Pipe Tomahawk

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
American Indian Triple Batwing Pipe Tomahawk
This is an exceptionally rare and important triple batwing pipe tomahawk war club from the American Indians dating to the 19th Century. The piece is from the Ex-Collection of renowned author and collector John Baldwin and is one of only a few authentic 19th Century Indian Wars Era examples known to exist. The piece comes with a signed letter of authentication from John Baldwin. The piece features a large, heavy pipe tomahawk head which is blacksmith hand-forged showing three authentic batwing cutouts down the center of the blade. The forged head also shows a small rear facing spur, forged chevrons and base, wide forged moudlings and filed rings on the elongated pipe bowl as well as four circular copper insets in the blade. At the eyelet hole there are two brass tacks which lead into the excellent hardwood haft handle being adorned with additional brass trade tacked designs and artful hot file brandings overall showing a wonderful, true deep authentic shiny patina. At the end of the haft near the gripping area is a pieced hole which holds a drop tied on showing a beaded and fringed drop and old tarnished brass beads with four hawk bells. The beadwork shows a geometric linear pattern in all 19th Century glass trade seed beads of red white hearts, cobalt, and chalk white. A linear bar line such as this suggest a Cheyenne origin. Interestingly the Triple Batwing pipe tomahawk which is photographed in several of John Baldwin’s Books and now are in the Baldwin Trust were attributed to the Cheyenne (one even shows a photo of a Cheyenne Indian holding the tomahawk appearing in his book) with it being possible this piece is also attributed to the Northern Cheyenne as well. This is truly a scarce opportunity to own one of the rarest and well documented American Indian Triple Batwing tomahawks currently on the market. Overall the piece measures 24 inches in length with a head that is 12 inches long with a 4 ¾ inch long blade (across). Provenance: From the collection of author John Baldwin. Baldwin purchased the piece from a dealer at the Las Vegas Antique Arms Show in the fall of 2001 and later sold the piece to the current collector with the letter of authenticity signed by John Baldwin in 2002.