Māori Hand Club, Patuki, Alan Mann Collection
Patuki are an early form of Māori hand club whose primary purpose was battle not ceremony. The Māori scholar Terence Barrow noted that with the decline of warfare in the mid 19th century Patuki had fallen in disfavor and thus could only be found in early collections such as from William Oldman and Kenneth Webster (Barrow, 1969, p. 141).
This example was part of the Alan Mann Collection and has Janus faces at the top of the grip and a four-sided striking surface featuring a concentric diamond pattern. Overall, the patina is an aged red/brown with nice wear around the handle. The club is 20 1/16” (51.2 cm) in height, dates to the mid 19th century and sells for $6500.