Cool beans Hide! That Craftsman has the same exact head I just sold and also matches the pics I posted of recent sales. Vintage stuff is touchy, many people love "patina" and grunge on certain items, but when it comes to axes/hatchets, I believe the cleaner the better. I hit mine with a wire wheel (have one on my bench grinder), clean 'em up and oil 'em down. I truly believe, when it comes to hatchets and axes, the cleaner the better. I'd get that head shined up, then see what I could do to clean the handle up, then rub in some linseed oil (or whatever you have handy) to get it looking as nice as possible. Beauty sells imho. I'm not sure what the best thing would be to do with the screws. Possibly remove them and install a small wedge (?). Or maybe, just leave it alone (?). Personally, I'd find a way to get rid of them, but it would all depend on whether you'd create more harm than improvement. With your background and experience, I think you can figure out the best thing to do.

Yours very well may be a Craftsman also, it's pretty much what mine looked like before I cleaned it up. When I bought it, I could see there was a maker's mark, I just couldn't read it. Your poll is also a lot nicer than mine as mine had been hammered on and mushroomed, but the head alone still brought $100 in less than 24-hours. If that axe and handle cleans up well, I'd sure consider listing it at $200 without hesitation.

If you decide to list it and need me to walk you through the listing process, email me at thumper1952@verizon.net and I'll post a step-by-step. It's not difficult really.

As for eBay, I believe you're already registered with them, correct? Do you have a PayPal account?