Iron, 6" height, wedge section with slight flare to the blade. Triangular eye with hammer face to the top of the socket. The left side struck with a deep crisp armorers mark, evidently a version of the Maltese cross. The Knights of Malta (also known as the Knights Hospitallers), fought the Barbary Coast Pirates at sea in the 15th century and this axe was possibly made for shipboard use-a boarding axe which served both as weapon and tool to cut the boarding lines cast on by the enemy. Rust growth consistent with use at sea and storage in the Mediterranean atmosphere.
