I have recently located a ship's Bell, or what I believe to be a bell from a ship. It was located in the Caribbean waters. It is heavily encrusted with coral and is, sadly ,broken, so that the top is missing. On the exterior of the bell are letters only partially visible [I am hoping to have the bell CT scanned to allow me to read all of the lettering. Beside what may be the name is a Capital 'A' with a mark beside it; two horizontal lines topped with what appears to be a zero or an 'o'. I would appreciate it if someone in the group might direct me to where I could possibly begin researching the origin of this artifact or give me an opinion of what the marking means. So far, without a definitive name to research, I am just stabbing in the dark. I thought the marking might refer to the foundry. There is a border around the top with what appear to be palm leaves or something like that. On the exterior there are several lines; depending on how you look at them there are two, closer to the base, and one just below the decorative band at the top.
From the green colour to a large portion of the bell, I believe it is likely bronze. The letters are not etched, but were made when the bell was cast.
From the green colour to a large portion of the bell, I believe it is likely bronze. The letters are not etched, but were made when the bell was cast.
