I know nothing about axes/hatchets and, truth be told, when I found this one I read the hand-written tag as saying "slinging" axe, rather than "shingling" axe, which filled me with satisfying visions of throwing this across the yard when in need of release! Now I understand that the notch in the blade was made for for extracting nails and the head on the opposite end for hammering, but still, my attachment to it is its beauty, and how great it feels to hold in one's hand--and certainly it is built to withstand some serious slinging! Personally, I'd just hang it from a couple of nails and take it down when in need of feeling powerful.

Second half of the 19th century I believe. 8 3/4" long x 5 15/16" wide x 1 1/8" deep. The blade is marked with a "2" but I see no other marks. The is one old chip to the wood on one side of the hand, long since worn smooth. Really quite a beautiful object.