After playing with a sword for awhile and maxing that expertise, I never really checked out the damage or bonuses on any of the axes I had stashed. I used crappy stuff to trade for potions, and when I found a spell book or charm to buy and didn't have any suitable loot on me I usually grabbed the heaviest repaired equipment I had available (armour and shields) to trade with first. Most of the weapons I stash were sold off in bulk before I headed to the wastelands near the end of the game.
North of the army barracks and Rivertown Watch building is Stormfist Castle, east and north of there is Ars Magicana (ie to the far east of the Cursed Abbey), where you can find some better merchants.
