You mean besides hitting things?
Could it have just been a 99-cent-counter hammer?
Later edit: Could it have been an inexpensive carpet tack hammer? Most such hammers I've seen have actually been upholstery hammers, with considerably longer heads (presumably to get into difficult spots on chairs/sofas/etc.), but if what you needed was to tack the carpet down, this would be enough. But I'm just speculatin' here.