Polish War Hammer, Circa 1600

War hammers, are rare on the market, and their price is always relatively high. This one can be dated to the end of the 16th century, or the first half of the 17th century.
These weapons, often unknown to the public, were widely used in combat, in the Poland-Hungary zone, and also in the rest of the area under  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 example, due to the shape of its head, is typically Polish.
Head of the hammer: on one side it has a faceted peak, intended to slide into the joints of the armor, and on the other a spherical part also faceted, very effective on smooth parts of the armor .
Suspension hook: it is attached directly to the handle of the hammer, and soberly decorated with a Saint Andrew's cross.
Stick of the hammer: it begins at the level of the first third near the hilt by a square section, decorated with a cross of Saint Andrew, then the stick becomes twisted and fluted, to finally take a cylindrical section up to the head of the hammer .
Hilt: It is cylindrical, made of oxidized iron, which probably originally had to be covered with leather.
The hand is protected by a circular iron guard, and the grip ends opposite with another iron washer, to which the bottom of the handle is riveted. This riveting represents, again, a Saint Andrew's cross.
Beautiful, unusual object, full of history.
France = Free shipping charges, Western Europe=30€,
Ref E-2322