antique broad ax head huge Civil War vintage hewing axe w/ welded steel blade

huge 1800s hewing ax head with a 12 1/2" long welded steel cutting edge. It's marked John Pritzlaff Hdwe Co. John Pritzlaff Hardware Company was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This antique ax head never got too far from home as we got it out of an estate in the Fond Du Lac, Wis area.

We're guessing that this is one of their earlier axes, probably Civil War vintage, because of the separate forge welded steel cutting edge. The poll of the ax also has a welded on steel plate for driving wedges, spikes, etc..

Overall this measures about 12 1/2" along the cutting edge and 9 3/4" deep. The blade is more or less centered on the eye, rather than being totally offset as is common with many broad axes.

The blade has been sharpened from both sides.