The lot features a very rare and authentic ball head war club from the Southern Plains Native American Indians and dating to the 18th to 19th Century. The war club shows a solid wood construction all being carved from one piece of wood with a spherical root burl ball head. The war club features unique chip carving four-point morning stars on each side with the hexagonal faceted haft having solid brass square shank trade tacks on each side, a true artful addition. The base of the haft shows a pierced hole that likely would have held a leather wrist thong or drop of feathers at one time. At the very base of the stepped or angled handle end there is visible five partially pierced round holes in a diamond with one at the center pattern, thought to be a signature or personal attribution from the original or early owner. The head, which is carved from the same piece of solid wood as the handle shows a fine black pigment mineral ocher painted surface along with a single short and wide round iron spike at the center making this a very formidable weapon. The war club was purchased by Reinhold Wurzel‰Ûªs father Rudolph around circa 1880-1881 while working railroad construction in the Oklahoma / Southern Nebraska region from a Pawnee Indian. The piece was then taken back to Germany with him and remained in the Reinhold Wurzel collection of tribal arts in Frankfort, Germany until it was purchased by Ben Thompson in the mid-1990‰Ûªs and brought back to the U.S. The well-respected Ben Thompson‰Ûªs collection from the Midwest contained some fantastic American Indians weapons and beadwork. As noted in the signed letter from the current owner, the piece was sold by Ben Thompson to noted war club and tomahawk collector and author John Baldwin of Michigan who later sold the piece to collector Tom Hardy. The war club tomahawk shows a fine even mellow patina with fine age and signs of use. This is possibly the earliest and finest ball head war club we have offered for sale with a wonderful provenance and history. The club measures 24 3/4" long, 4 5/8" wide, and 2 7/8" thick at the head. For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer‰Ûªs responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.