pickaxe

The pickaxe is not a weapon of war but a tool of the builder and its appearance in a coat of arms is more likely to denote the profession of the holder or be some play on words on the family name. A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Axe it is shown conventionally as a wooden handle with a long, curved metal spike, very similar to its appearance today. A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P268