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When replicas of commercial products are discovered, it always
raises the question as to what purpose they served. In this
particular instance, there's no doubt that these items were
never intended as cheap copies to be sold by relying on the
branding and goodwill the original manufacturer, the
Walters Axe Company, worked so hard to build. Reproductions
(as opposed to the previously mentioned "cheap copies")
have always been classed as either salesman samples, patterns
from the factory floor, showroom models or examples of personal
whimsy. These options may all be reasonable explanations in
this case.
The samples, found and collected in the Ottawa Valley, are made
of painted and varnished white pine. Each has the appropriate
factory label affixed to it and each is a full-sized representation
of the production axe head. Prior to being placed in the Lee
Valley collection, there was much discussion by those who saw
them as to their purpose. It is probable that they came from
either a wall display at the Walters Axe Company's head office
or from of a salesperson's sample case. (Until its demise in
1973, the company employed travelling salespeople who represented
its product to owner-operated hardware retail outlets across
Canada.)
The
company, which sold to 20 other countries in addition to Canada,
advertised over 400 different axe patterns and was quick to
capitalize on the ever-changing demands of both the forestry
worker and the average customer. Most axes were offered in varying
weights and handle lengths, displaying an escalating scale of
forging and finishing qualities. |
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