Hungary-poland War Hammer Circa 1600

War hammers are rare on the market, and their price is always relatively high. This can be dated to the end of the 16th or the first half of the 17th century. These weapons, often unknown to the general public, were widely used in combat, in the Poland-Hungary zone, (and also in the rest of the sphere of Germanic influence). During a melee between two cavalry corps, they proved much more practical than swords, allowing a very rapid resumption of the blow when the enemy had been missed by a first movement.
Our specimen, due to the shape of its head, is more likely to be linked to a Hungarian, Polish, or Ukrainian origin. It is small but particularly interesting for its quality of production. These small hammers were also used as badges of power, as were the command maces (bulawas).
Head of the hammer: on one side it has a faceted peak, intended to slip into the joints of the armor , and on the other a 4-sided pyramid part, to strike the smooth parts of the armor. All sides of this head are covered with geometric decorations.
Hammer shaft: It has an octagonal section, with 4 main faces and 4 small faces. The section of the handle gradually widens as you move away from the head towards the handle. Just before the hilt, we find a ring quite similar to those found on the so-called "ring" left hand daggers from the second half of the 16th century and the very beginning of the 17th. Which completely coincides with the supposed dating of the hammer.
This arrangement of a guard ring on a weapon hammer is extremely rare.
HILT : It is twisted, and ends with a square section button, which was forged from the mass of the handle.

This hammer is therefore interesting for the shape of its head, very unusual, for the presence of a guard ring, and for the remarkable forging work on the handle. Its price is also particularly reasonable...
ref B-2440
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