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Vintage Longshoreman's Cargo Hook - Hand-Forged Maritime/Stevedore Tool, Asian Style

Currency:CAD Category:Antiques / Maritime - Harpoons Start Price:10.00 CAD
Vintage Longshoreman's Cargo Hook - Hand-Forged Maritime/Stevedore Tool, Asian Style
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This item SOLD at 2026 Jul 21 @ 13:35UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST
Preview: July 18th (10am - 5pm)
Pick ups: July 23nd - July 25th (10am - 5pm)

Preview and Pick up location: 27294 Fraser Hwy, Aldergrove, BC V4W 3P8

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Vintage longshoreman's hook, also known as a cargo hook or fishing gaff, traditionally used by stevedores, dockworkers, and fish-market laborers for handling heavy cargo. This example follows the Asian/Japanese maritime style, identifiable by its angled base and sharply curved working end.

Design Features
Hand-forged iron or carved wooden handle (varies by regional manufacture)

Sharply curved hook designed to bite into crates, sacks, or bundled cargo

Weighted lower handle providing leverage and momentum

Angled base typical of historic Japanese and Asian port tools

Historical Use
Longshoremen used these hooks to:

Load and unload cargo from ships

Drag heavy sacks (grain, rice, coal, fish)

Grip wooden crates or rope-tied bundles

Work efficiently in crowded docks, fish markets, and coastal warehouses

The design also served as an improvised defensive club, a practical reality of early port labor culture.

Collectibility
Collectors value:

Authentic hand-forged construction

Patina and wear consistent with maritime use

Regional stylistic traits (Japanese/Asian variants are particularly distinctive)

Integrity of the hook point and handle

Contents: One longshoreman's cargo hook in Asian/Japanese maritime style.
Materials: Hand-forged iron or hardwood handle.
Era: Early-mid 20th century.
Notes: Classic stevedore tool; suitable for maritime collectors or industrial heritage display.