I have found a canon ball with something inside it?

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I found a canon ball while digging in my garden, if I shake it there seems to be something moving about in there.... P1010132.JPG any thoughts?
 

Upvote 6

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yes a fuse about to go kaboom! Remember Wiley Coyote on bugs bunny?
 

Last edited:

birdman

Gold Member
Jan 28, 2005
7,458
2,393
Choctaw Beach Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 and ORX, tesoro Cibola with garret,whites and minelab pinpointers
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It could have water that that made it through the plug. Awesome find! The police will take it and have it destroyed.. put it in a bucket of water , do research on disarming and preserving. Lots of YouTube videos out there.
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
i haven't had any luck finding info on disarming it, I would be quite happy to give that a go, it isnt water as whatever is inside has a distinctly solid feel to it, the fuses are generally wooden I've heard, the only thing I can see from the outside after a little clean is what looks like a lead plug? I suppose it might just be a bit of clean iron showing, thanks for all the comments people P1010134.JPG
 

ARC

Gold Member
Aug 19, 2014
37,280
131,718
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Your first picture was taken outside... good.
Second is taken indoors... not so good.

Don't ya think bringing something like that indoors is prolly not the best move / decision you can make until you have determined what in fact you are holding in your hand. ?

No offense. heh
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm thinking its maybe full of shrapnel and black powder, I'm fine with taking the odd risk, no one else is about downstairs and lets face it black powder is not the most volatile material, my thoughts are the risk is minimal, I will add I'm from the UK, we are quite mad here you know, also the reason I'm searching online and on this site is to try and find out more about it, if i spot anything that looks like a percussion fuse I will quickly change my attitude and thankyou for your concern, I better not mention that at one point I dropped it on the concrete patio, I bravely stuck my foot out to give it a rather painful but soft landing :D
 

Last edited:

1637

Bronze Member
May 26, 2011
1,774
2,421
tujunga ca
Detector(s) used
xlt mxt gmz and now a gmt whites
well,good luck with that.brad
I'm thinking its maybe full of shrapnel and black powder, I'm fine with taking the odd risk, no one else is about downstairs and lets face it black powder is not the most volatile material, my thoughts are the risk is minimal, I will add I'm from the UK, we are quite mad here you know, also the reason I'm searching online and on this site is to try and find out more about it, if i spot anything that looks like a percussion fuse I will quickly change my attitude and thankyou for your concern, I better not mention that at one point I dropped it on the concrete patio, I bravely stuck my foot out to give it a rather painful but soft landing :D
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
lol...yeah tomorrow they will be scraping bits of me off the utility room walls, seriously it is a wonderful object and if I inform the powers that be they will do a controlled explosion on it, which would be a real shame.
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,422
30,105
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
What's the story on where you live? What battles took place there?
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I live in Deal Kent, which has a huge military history dating back to the roman invasion, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington lived here as lord warden after the battle of waterloo, his death mask and campaign chair can be veiwed at walmer castle and deal castle was frequently lived in by King henry the 8th, here's a bit of the military history of the area if your interested WalmerWeb: Local History - The Royal Marines
 

HomeGuardDan

Bronze Member
Jul 15, 2011
1,677
2,473
Williamsburg, VA
🥇 Banner finds
5
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Don't call the police, they will only destroy it. You most likely have a case shotwhich broke free of the matrix. Can you take a picture of the fuse?
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I cant find anything that looks like a fuse, having said that I haven't extensively cleaned it, all I can feel is something moving around inside, here are a couple of maybe interesting looking shapes and artefacts I can make out on its exterior, it could have a bore hole for a fuse I'm yet to discover if its from the Napoleonic era, it does appear to be a 6 pndr judging by the general size of it. P1010135.JPG P1010136.JPG cant find anything that looks like an American style borman fuse which makes me feel and hope its not a percussion or timed detonator.
 

Last edited:

woodstock

Sr. Member
Feb 7, 2008
454
125
The Great Northwoods
Detector(s) used
F 75 Ltd ~ And many others
As Mad as you are in the UK I'm also a Mad American so I'd find a real high place and toss it as far as I could ... if that doesn't make it go boom then there maybe no boom left ... what is shaking might well be a chunk of rust from moisture getting inside .... Woodstock ( the American Madman )
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
your my type of guy, maybe I will throw it off the white cliffs of Dover, they will think its just another boring terrorist attack ;)
 

Last edited:

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,422
30,105
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I want to metal detect your beach! :occasion14:
 

OP
OP
G

General_Me

Greenie
Aug 4, 2016
14
22
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
well if you ever do, pop round and I will make you a nice cup of tea :)


I want to try my canon ball in one of these and see if it fits 84-British-Bronze-6-Pounder-Field-Gun-1796-Firepower-Museum.jpg
 

Last edited:

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
I'm thinking its maybe full of shrapnel and black powder, I'm fine with taking the odd risk, no one else is about downstairs and lets face it black powder is not the most volatile material, my thoughts are the risk is minimal, I will add I'm from the UK, we are quite mad here you know, also the reason I'm searching online and on this site is to try and find out more about it, if i spot anything that looks like a percussion fuse I will quickly change my attitude and thankyou for your concern, I better not mention that at one point I dropped it on the concrete patio, I bravely stuck my foot out to give it a rather painful but soft landing :D

I like your style! There are many more boring and less interesting ways to leave this world. Cool digs.
 

FriscoT06

Hero Member
May 2, 2011
600
650
Hatteras Island, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur II (retired), Minelab X-Terra 505
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
That is an awesome find. I hope you find out all you wanna know on it, this is a great site for that!
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top