Marble's Safety Axe No. 5, Marble Arms & Mfg. Co., Gladstone, Michigan

A genuine Marble's Safety Axe, Model No. 5, stamped Marble Arms & Mfg. Co. / Gladstone, Mich. U.S.A. / Pat'd 1898 on the folding safety guard, the mark used by the company from 1911 onward. This model appears in period hardware catalogs (e.g. Honeyman Hardware Co., 1930s) as the "Wood Handle No. 5," with a hickory handle and solid steel blade.

Webster Marble's safety axe, patented in 1898, was one of the most famous outdoor tools of its era, prized for the spring-loaded steel guard that folds up to enclose the blade for safe carry on a belt or in a pack. See Condition Notes below for detail.