November 15 & 16, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2022
Interesting example of an early colonial American produced spontoon head with Maryland association. The cutout word and decoration are associated to Valentine Creager and the Liberty Arrow Company. Creager was commissioned as a captain in the Maryland Militia and had organized the Liberty Arrow Company from the Manor district in November 1775. The spontoon could have been crafted by the Militia captain, who is listed as a blacksmith, as it was not uncommon for company commanders to finance and equip their troops during this time. This spontoon head is constructed of iron, and features a double edged leaf shaped blade with a spear point. The word "LIBERTY" is cutout along with the arrow symbol, pointing upward just after the Y. The crossbar has incisive lines on both the upper and lower sides as do the toggles. The base is cone shaped in order to accommodate the haft which would have been secured by two iron nails or screws. This spontoon was most likely mounted to a 6' haft with a metal butt so it could be inserted into the ground. By the time of the Revolutionary War, polearms were mostly discarded from European use but were used by American colonial forces as means of identifying officers, signaling troops, or, in some cases, as a weapon. This spontoon head is pictured on pg. 277 in "American Silver-Hilted, Revolutionary and Early Federal Swords Volume I". CONDITION: Heavy brown patina with light edge wear. Light forging flaws with noticeable seam on cone. A great example of a colonial polearm head.
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