SHIPWRECK FIND! JAR OF MUSKET BALLS, TORPEDO BOTTLES, FLINT? HELP PLEASE!

[miamibeachcg]

Hello all!
I won a storage auction that was full of items that appear to gave been brought up from a shipwreck!
The jar (which still has 80% of it's cap) is holding what appears to be musket balls - it is VERY heavy.
But what I can't be sure of is the clump of what looks like more musket balls stuck together, but you can see where one is broken - and it's made of wood?! There is also another jar that had large & small balls in it that were very light weight + small same shaped rocks that I'm thinking may be flint.
Were the light weight balls & the balls in the clump that appear to be made of wood kindling for starting fires?
I would appreciate any help.
There were also some torpedo bottles & a brandy type bottle that had a old french biz card in it; on the back was written "ENGLISH 1780 WINE" + what looks like the trigger guard & another piece of a musket that is fused to a type of glass.
I do these auctions to help support Joy's House (www.joyshouse.info); a sober house for girls I opened in my daughter's memory & any help with these information wise will help me in selling them & supporting the house.
Thank you in advance for any help.
miamibeachcg
PS - I can't see the photos I attached (after making them web size) - did I do them correctly?
Again, much thanks for help with these - they are very cool!

 

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[Bryanhashemi]

thats awesome! maybe some lead weights in there? cant tell the size of the "musket balls". Maybe picture them by a coin. Could also be shrapnel balls.

 

[Lafitte Deux]

You might also want to post in the Shipwreck forum here at TNet. Lot's of experienced folks over there.

Shipwrecks

 

[surf]

Hello miamibeach,

Welcome to TNet, and thanks for showing us your discoveries.

I believe the mass of balls is canister shot.

Finds from the Avondster

The large mallet looks British, and that 1780 date is about right. I'd love to see some closeups of the lip and neck, please. The smaller black glass utility bottle may have contained preserved food, or condiment.

The covered stoneware storage jar appears of more recent time, but maybe not. I'd love to see it cleaned up. The aqua torpedo soda is also deserving of more photos in my eyes. It appears again to be British and late 19th Century. The amber round bottom, I'm not reading the embossing. More photos, please.

Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC​

 

[Thommy]

A "Stand of Grape" possibly, but certainly canister if not grapeshot. Grape is always iron. Canister shot could be iron or lead. Yours looks a lot like one I found near Savannah, Georgia in 1990. Whatever you do, DO NOT TRY TO DIP THIS IN ACRYLIC OR OTHER PLASTICS, IT WILL DESTROY IT. We dug 4 canister/grape rounds, and I was the only one who didn't dip his in acrylic or other plastics, and mone is the only one still in one piece. I DID NOTHING TO IT. They trapped moisture inside the piece by sealing it in plastic, and they corroded and fell apart.

 

[cw0909]

hi miami,cool finds,and wonderful project your joy house, welcome to Tnet
more info @ link
Bottle Bases Page

The majority of these bottles - round bottomed or torpedo - date from the 1870s to the 1910s, though there are some American made torpedo bottles
(Eastern Seaboard) that date back as early as the 1840s (McKearin & Wilson 1978, Baltimore Bottle Club 2002). Most have a blob style finish, occasionally
an oil or mineral finish, though some were made with a Codd finish/closure and later ones (early 20th century) were produced with a crown finish
(Elliott & Gould 1988).

 

[LuckyThirteen08]

Nice Man, Thanks for sharing!!!!

HH John

 

[miamibeachcg]

Thank you all for the info! As for the nass of balls - why is a broken one look so much like it's made of wood? Photo attached. And the jar of what looks like flint and balls - those balls are very light compared to jar with musket balls; that one is HEAVY!
The torpedo bottle says LONDON on 1 side & WEBB'S on the other.
Finally, the trigger guard & other rifle/musket pieces appear to be embedded in some form of glass - is that normal?
Since my plan is to sell them to support Joy's House, I want to sell bottles seperately & then ...? Should I sell the rest as one bundle? Is my find valuable? So glad I found you guys!
Photo of canistor that appears to be made of wood. Also, would the balls with the flint be wood - for kindling?
Thank you guts for all your info; you've helped immensly!
PS - I attached photos of rest of boxes; including a sextant (frozen) and a greek like bottle, and what may be parts of a pulley? Plus the remains of a rifle or musket.

 

[wvwildman]

nice finds congrats HH

 

[BosnMate]

canister shot was packed in sawdust, in a tin can, attached to a wood sabot along with a bag of powder. the last photo is just the can and wood sabot, and the last picture shows an original with the bag of powder attached.

 

[miamibeachcg]

surf, here are more photos of the bottles - I will try to get you close ups of tops (they look like blobs). Thank you!

 

[surf]

Hey miamibeach,

Thanks for the additional photos. The Webb's is a round bottom aerated soda water. It does have a blob top, and is more modern than the aqua "torpedo", or Hamilton bottle next to it.

"The patent for the egg-shaped or torpedo bottle was registered as the Hamilton bottle by William Hamilton, inventor, in 1809...

The Hamilton bottle was not prominent until the 1840's when virtually every manufacturer was using it. Prior to this, the sale of mineral waters was conducted only on a small scale, with each chemist bottling his own soda water in the basement of his shop, and selling it as a medicine to his own shop's private customers..." http://www.stcroixarchaeology.org/files/Bottles_Found_in_St_Thomas_-_Hannon.pdf


John C. Webb began his soda manufactory in Islington about 1809. The firm grew and later became known as J.C. Webb & Co. Ltd. They had a long run

Are those mallets multiplying? I think I'm seeing some cracks in the glass. Those will harm the "value" at sale.

Did you find any paper work on the wrecks these might have come from? Provenance might help restore some of the "value" lost in the condition problems.

The little urn shaped guy on the left, I believe, was a cosmetic, or cologne.

Some of our members are very knowledgeable about gun flints. You might do a photo array of some, to get further information.

Continued good luck.

 

[cw0909]

miami yours looks like a quintant-sextant ca. 1890-1910,but with out the box
and paper work,i cant tell, could be a reproduction,can you read any lettering
on it and yours is missing a couple of parts, mirrors lens and shades
reproduction
The Antique Sextant - Full Sextant Product Line
Antique Reproduction Vernier Serialized British Captain's Brass Sextant, from The Antique Sextant | Case can be Custom Engraved
vintage
ANTIQUE SEXTANTS, OCTANTS & NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS by Land And Sea Collection&#8482

 

[miamibeachcg]

cw0909 - are these the lenses you were asking about?
Thanks for any help; I have a 99.8% positive feedback on eBay & don't want to hurt it selling fake stuff.
What would I call this in a listing? " Shipwreck Relics", "Return from the deep sea; a collection of recovered shipwreck items"?
Thanks again forum!

 

[taz42o]

Think this may be it. It should be marked by the scale. Some sites say the inlaid scale is platinum others say silver?
Silver plate maybe?

Navigational Instruments : GOOD ANTIQUE SEXTANT BY WHYTE THOMSON C1890

What is the round thing on the side of the jar of flints?

 

[miamibeachcg]

TAZ420, THAT'S IT! I can't find any markings; it's all oxidized I believe, but that's the same shape down to the handle! Wonder what mine is worth, since it's probally just a nice desk ornament now?
Thanks again!

 

[miamibeachcg]

Surf,
Here is a photo of the bottle with the "screen" - it's a very futuristic looking sponge! (I believe). I also laid out what I believe are flints (although, they all are flat and have a ridge - like it was meant to be tied to a stick like an arrowhead?) + the balls that were in the jar with them. The smaller balls are heavier than the large ones! Not sure what the large ones are or were used for. Maybe these close ups will help.
This site has been an incredible fountain of information - I am so happy I found you guys!

 

[taz42o]

Ok I see its some kind of sea creature stuck to the jar, I dont think you have to worry about authenticity with sea creatures and coral on your items.sure would be nice to know what ship this stuff came from I think that would raise the value.
Those bigger balls look to be clay maybe, can you get a diameter measurement on the bigger ones?
Those flints are not arrow points they are gun flints and are made that shape to be clamped to the hammer in side a piece of leather.. Some flint can be ID'ed to the area it came from by color.

 

[miamibeachcg]

The bigger ones are 6" in diameter, the smaller ones are about 3 1/2" in diamater & those rifle flints are about 1" wide; which looks like they're Flint-Eng-8 whatever that is, according to your chart.
Do you know the value of the cannister shot or grapes? that I have are worth? Someone sent me a message asking if I'd sell any since they'd always wanted a piece from a 18th century fighting ship - I have a small corner that came off I would sell him if I knew the value, plus it would help for listing the main one (as well as the sextant) on e-bay). Maybe put the question to the What Is It Worth forum?
Thanks for your help with these taz420; what do I have?

 

[surf]

Hey miamibeach,

I like that covered jar. Closely examine the heel, and see if there is any sign of an impressed mark, peeking from below the sea life.

This is some excellent marine life, right here: