December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
Although the musket had superseded the pike in land warfare by the 18th century, pikes remained in use as shipboard arms throughout that century and well into the next. Approximately 7 to 8 feet-long as opposed to the 15-foot pikes once used by the massed infantry formations of an earlier era, they were known as “half-pikes” or “boarding pikes.” The latter term is somewhat a misnomer, as they were generally considered too unwieldy for boarding ships and were instead used to repel boarders. The iron "shoes" or butt caps tended to scar the wooden decks and were frequently cut off, but those made for the Royal Navy under contract during the Napoleonic and War of 1812 period began to be furnished with a unique shoe, 2 1/8 in. L, that was inlet with a 7/8 in. W hole at bottom, allowing 5/8 inch or so of the wooden shaft to protrude through, thereby protecting the decking from scarring, yet preventing any splitting of the shaft from impact on its base. This pike is 9l inches long overall, with a triangular profile, spike head, the each spike face is 4 5/8 in. L x 3/4 in. W and overall length of the head (including langets or side ears) is 14.75 inches. Below the head is mounted a diamond-shaped brass plate marked '10'. There is a repaired crack across the wooden shaft just below the langets, otherwise very good.