48lb Cannonball!

[Coreymainit]

So I have this Cannonball in my possession. It’s 48.8 lbs and 8-10 inches in diameter. It has a hole on one side where somebody shoved a marble in it. Not sure if it has black powder in it or not. Anybody have any guesses at it’s worth or potential origins? I live in North Texas but it was not found in the ground by me so I’m not sure if it was used in battle here.

I’m told there is a man on here who knows just about everything there is to know about Cannonballs. Hopefully he can give me his 2cents.

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[Coreymainit]

Someone at some point shoved a marble in the hole it had.

 

[BillA]

thinking you will need to know the diameter

 

[villagenut]

CBG to the rescue...........

 

[Rookster]

I'm sure Cannon Ball Guy can help. In any case it's a nice relic whether its CW or Spanish American war.

 

[IDXMonster]

Hell of a heavy bowling ball!

 

[GaRebel1861]

I'm pretty sure that the marble can be chipped out of there. Very cool relic to have around.

 

[augoldminer]

might not be a cannon ball.

it may be a ball from a berdan pan.

https://www.redbubble.com/people/lenny7/works/1776503-berdan-pan

I have seen a few with a hole drilled in them for a ring to remove them from the pan

 

[Coreymainit]

Yeah I am not going to try to chip that marble out because I am not sure if this thing is still live or not...Wouldn't want to cause a spark and be blown to bits...

 

[Coreymainit]

I'm sure Cannon Ball Guy can help. In any case it's a nice relic whether its CW or Spanish American war.

Can he be tagged or something? been hoping to hear from him.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Hi Coreymainit. I see you are a new member, so first let me say, welcome to TreasureNet. I co-wrote a very detailed educational article on how to tell with certainty whether a ball is an artillery ball or a civilian-usage ball.​

http://www.pochefamily.org/books/SolidShotEssentialsMod.html
As the article says, for certainty in identifying the ball, we cannonball collectors must weigh it very precisely (typical household bathroom scales aren't precise enough), and measure it's very-exact diameter, using either a caliper or a diameter-tape. Your approximately-48-pound ball is too big for most calipers, so you'll need to borrow or buy a diameter-tape (also called a "Pi tape").

In artillery use, a ball MUST NOT fit either too loosely or too tightly into the cannon's bore (the tunnel in the barrel). So, generally, the ball was about .09 to .12-inch smaller than the cannon's bore. Due to the very-important need that the ball fit just right, the Ordnance Department created very-exact diameter and weight specification rules, which all cannonball manufacturers had to obey. An army or navy Ordnance Inspector carefully measured every cannonball, and any which failed the very-precise measuring test were rejected. The size-&-weight specifications, called the "Shot Tables," were published in the US Ordnance Manual of 1861. (The Confederates used he same specifications.) We cannonball-collectors use the Shot Tables very-precise weight and diameter-size charts to tell with certainty whether the ball is an artillery ball or not.​

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

As the Shot Tables charts at the link above show, there is only one actual cannonball which your 48.8-pound ball is even slightly close to matching up with.
An 8-inch caliber hollow explosive cannonball was 7.88-inches in diameter and weighed 49.75 pounds. Your ball is .95-pound lighter than that. But because I've very-precisely weighed many-many "definite" cannonballs, I can testify that being about 2% lighter than the official Shot Tables weight-specification doesn't automatically exclude a ball from being a cannonball. That's because large cast-iron objects made before the 20th century often contained airbubbles which were accidentally trapped inside the molten metal during the casting process.

So, the next step in identifying your ball is to do some super-precise measuring of its diameter. As mentioned above, the Shot Tables say an 8-inch caliber cannonball was 7.88-inches in diameter. If your ball measures between 7.85 and 7.88-inches (rusting could have removed a few hundredths-of-an-inch from its surface), it's a cannonball. Otherwise, it is not a cannonball.

Because you said you aren't sure whether or not it has gunpowder in it... let me also mention, if it is an 8-inch caliber cannonball, its 48.8-pound weight strongly indicates it no longer contains its 2-pound gunpowder bursting-charge. You can use a hammer and screwdriver to bust the glass marble out of the hole.

Speaking of the hole... I should mention that in your photos it looks like an unusually small hole to be a cannonball's fuze-hole. That brings up another possible ID for your ball. It might be a solid (not hollow) ball with a small hole for mounting it on a monument, or some other "Ornamental" purpose. The final chart on the Shot Tables webpage says a 49-pound SOLID iron ball is 7.145-inches in diameter. So if your ball turns out to measure approximately that size, it is a solid one, and would be an Ornamental Ironwork ball, not a cannonball.​

 

[Coreymainit]

Wow such great info and feedback! Thank you! I’m new to all this!

The weight was done on a medical grade scale which I spent a fortune on it so I think it’s fairly accurate. I will have to seek out a large caliper. I did measure the circumference with the type of tape measure a Tailor would use and it came out to 24.5 inches which it seems I’m able to convert to 7.79 inches diameter. I’ll seek to get a better way of measuring though.

I would chip the marble out but I’m terrified I might create spark and accidently detonate the thing.

It sounds like there is still a chance or maybe a Cannonball! If it were to be the one Cannonball option you stated it could be. What would something like this be worth? Just curious.

Thank you again!! Going to read tor links now.

 

[BillA]

TCG, super informative post
a ?, were cast cannons bored after casting ?
a link as to how ?
thanks

edit: Cm, busting glass will not spark; soak it, fracture the marble, soak it some more, pulverize it

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet Great info CBG you are an asset to tnet

 

[Force_of_Iron]

Welcome to tnet Great info CBG you are an asset to tnet

Yeah, he's good no doubt. However not perfect. He failed to take into account the weight of the marble in his calculations. I addition there may be other marbles inside or what else only god knows. I'm going to remain on the fence a bit more before I give my full endorsement.

 

[BillA]

hmmm, did you note that the ball is light ?
so a marble's + whatever removal will make it lighter yet
a fence picket sounds perfect

 

[Coreymainit]

Hi Coreymainit. I see you are a new member, so first let me say, welcome to TreasureNet. I co-wrote a very detailed educational article on how to tell with certainty whether a ball is an artillery ball or a civilian-usage ball.​

http://www.pochefamily.org/books/SolidShotEssentialsMod.html
As the article says, for certainty in identifying the ball, we cannonball collectors must weigh it very precisely (typical household bathroom scales aren't precise enough), and measure it's very-exact diameter, using either a caliper or a diameter-tape. Your approximately-48-pound ball is too big for most calipers, so you'll need to borrow or buy a diameter-tape (also called a "Pi tape").

In artillery use, a ball MUST NOT fit either too loosely or too tightly into the cannon's bore (the tunnel in the barrel). So, generally, the ball was about .09 to .12-inch smaller than the cannon's bore. Due to the very-important need that the ball fit just right, the Ordnance Department created very-exact diameter and weight specification rules, which all cannonball manufacturers had to obey. An army or navy Ordnance Inspector carefully measured every cannonball, and any which failed the very-precise measuring test were rejected. The size-&-weight specifications, called the "Shot Tables," were published in the US Ordnance Manual of 1861. (The Confederates used he same specifications.) We cannonball-collectors use the Shot Tables very-precise weight and diameter-size charts to tell with certainty whether the ball is an artillery ball or not.​

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

As the Shot Tables charts at the link above show, there is only one actual cannonball which your 48.8-pound ball is even slightly close to matching up with.
An 8-inch caliber hollow explosive cannonball was 7.88-inches in diameter and weighed 49.75 pounds. Your ball is .95-pound lighter than that. But because I've very-precisely weighed many-many "definite" cannonballs, I can testify that being about 2% lighter than the official Shot Tables weight-specification doesn't automatically exclude a ball from being a cannonball. That's because large cast-iron objects made before the 20th century often contained airbubbles which were accidentally trapped inside the molten metal during the casting process.

So, the next step in identifying your ball is to do some super-precise measuring of its diameter. As mentioned above, the Shot Tables say an 8-inch caliber cannonball was 7.88-inches in diameter. If your ball measures between 7.85 and 7.88-inches (rusting could have removed a few hundredths-of-an-inch from its surface), it's a cannonball. Otherwise, it is not a cannonball.

Because you said you aren't sure whether or not it has gunpowder in it... let me also mention, if it is an 8-inch caliber cannonball, its 48.8-pound weight strongly indicates it no longer contains its 2-pound gunpowder bursting-charge. You can use a hammer and screwdriver to bust the glass marble out of the hole.

Speaking of the hole... I should mention that in your photos it looks like an unusually small hole to be a cannonball's fuze-hole. That brings up another possible ID for your ball. It might be a solid (not hollow) ball with a small hole for mounting it on a monument, or some other "Ornamental" purpose. The final chart on the Shot Tables webpage says a 49-pound SOLID iron ball is 7.145-inches in diameter. So if your ball turns out to measure approximately that size, it is a solid one, and would be an Ornamental Ironwork ball, not a cannonball.​

CBG if this were to turn out to be an 8inch explosive shell. what would you estimate the worth to be? And are there any legal implications of selling it while not knowing whether it has been disarmed? I have people willing To sign liability waivers.

 

[fyrffytr1]

Use a brass punch to break the marble.