Owl Quality Axes

St. Catharines, Ontario
1930s – 1940s*

Owl Quality axes were made sometime in the 1930s-1940s by Welland Vale Mfg Co. Ltd, for a Canadian Hardware company using the initials WHL.

We can date these axes based on other hardware axes brands made at the time, including Howland’s, Howden’s, and their own Welland Vale Brand.

Whoever the “WHL” retailer was, they were likely based in the prairies, or possibly Western Ontario based on where these axes tend to pop up. Currently, not much else is known about the brand.

I don’t tend to mention price or rarity, but I see eBay sellers listing these for over $300 – which is insane. Maybe, $50-60. It’s an uncommon and cool find, but not wildly rare, sought after, or influential.

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