Rare Antique Charles Freeman Explosive Head Whaling Harpoon

A rare antique Charles Freeman whaling harpoon from the Robert Hellman Collection. See REH074. Note: partial wood pole fragment has been removed as seen there. Here is the description from the Hellman Collection website:

Hand-thrust explosive iron patented on May 7, 1872 by Charles Freeman of Brewster, Ma. This iron has been fitted with an unloaded cast iron spade-shaped explosive tip 4 11/16 in. long x 4 in. in width at the base. The tip was designed for the Freeman iron but was obtained by me earlier and fitted on this iron. The tip is heavily pitted and somewhat rough at the edges (typical of most Freeman tips). It was attached with a modern (concealed) nipple and a modern round head machine screw.

The iron itself is about 36 in. long and is in excellent condition with smooth unpitted metal and has considerable old, probably original, black paint. There is the single, typical, 3 1/2 in. long moveable trigger/barb which has a small flip-up safety clip which seems to work so that it is pushed in on darting, which allows the barb to move inward and discharge the firing mechanism. Fully open, the tip of the barb is 3 in. from the centerline of the boss. Closed, it is about 2 1/2 in. from centerline.

There are two small barbs about 1 1/2 in. long welded to the shank 180 degrees apart. The tips of these barbs are about 12 in. apart and the forward barb is 17 3/4 in. behind the point of the explosive head. Shank dia.: 3/8 in. This iron is mounted to a fragment of wooden pole about 10 1/2 in. long and 1 1/2 in. dia. at cut off end.

The socket is served over its rear half (about 2 1/4 in.) with tarred marlin. There is an iron strap of 9/16 in. dia. hemp line. It is about 38 in. long with a whaleman’s hitch at the socket and a 2 3/8 in. long eye spliced at the distal end.

OA length of this piece from tip of head to end of wood is 51 in. I suspect that the wood and lines may have been added for effect, but they may be original. I can find no maker’s or ship’s markings of any kind.

(REH Illustrated Harpoon Catalog no. 187)