Please identify this tool

[dethanb]

Good day to you all,

My girlfriend is great at finding interesting items for the home. She has this hand tool,but neither of us know what it is?

 

[zigs]

Welcome to the forum

Interesting, is that a lever just above the blade?

 

[dethanb]

Foot lever/step

 

[zigs]

Does it move the blade or is it fixed?

 

[Tetters]

Welcome to the forum @dethanb. Fascinating, never seen one like that before

 

[dethanb]

Does it move the blade or is it fixed?

Fixed

 

[Chuck]

Fixed

What does the foot lever do if it doesn't move the blade. Is there a spring or something missing?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Its an antique shingle removing shovel. Not sure if that is a fulcrum or a kicker. Maybe both. Most new ones have a fulcrum but have square shoulders for feet.

 

[dethanb]

Awesome, thank you.

 

[Marck]

What a beautiful tool. It almost looks like a medieval weapon. It would be interesting to see how it was used. I did look up roofing shovels. There are many different modern designs, but none like that one. That projection on the handle does look like a lever, but if so, for what purpose? Perhaps shingles and roofing techniques have also changed in the last 100+ years.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Here is a more informative angle of a similiar tool. The valuable tools are 1800s, as mass manufacture in the 1900s changed everything. Plus at this point 1920 was a century ago. A tool can be a 100 year old antique but priced as a collectible as a result.

 

[Marck]

This pic does gives a much better view of that projection jutting out. It does look like a foot press, but that still seems odd because the shovel would be slid under the shingles at a low angle. That is if I am understanding its use correctly.

 

[DirtMechanic]

It does look like it worked the same plane as the roof. I have a chest of old tools and generally think they must have not only been slow to use, but a bit miserable as well.