99% of the makers' time was spent on the bit, the work edge being many times more important than the heel, obviously, and it's a bit hard to say if freeze-thaw (plus heavy use) might be responsible for any heel breaks. On both the top and the bottom edges (center of the piece) the edges were considerably dulled and ground smooth--you can see in the photos how the raw iron ore wore to a bright polish as the celt heat shifted slightly in its bindings. With the way the piece was secured there would hardly have been any of the heel exposed--see the pic as held in-hand, so the natural shape of the celt (the rough heel) didn't matter. Again, many, many hours went into polishing the bit to its high gloss. Length is 3&5/8" by 2&7/16", thickness is only 3/4" behind the bit area. The piece came from an estate in the Union County, Illinois, area, it's lifetime guaranteed authentic. Shipping will be $7.00 as the piece is moderately heavy. I welcome checks (or cash) and/ or M.O>s, but do not use paypal--Roy A.