🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Ball with thru hole

[IHC656]

Found in a farm field were a school house stood before 1913.
Thought it was a ball from a bell at first but after it soaked in vinegar it looks to be aluminum.
Pre vinegar photo’s.

 

[dave_e]

Looks a bit like an ox knob.

 

[Tpmetal]

Looks a bit like an ox knob.

Yeah I was thinking that as well. Or maybe a piece off old hanging lamp. I'm used to my ox knobs being hexagonal or chewed up if round from being tightened on

 

[dognose]

the ball with the hole may have been on a rod used for the clapper, similar to this image.

 

[Jack873]

Maybe pewter? Not sure if they would have been made of metal, but since a school is involved, could it be a bead from an abacus?

Abacus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[IHC656]

The material had me stumped. Was thinking cast aluminum. But possibly it’s pewter. Seems on the heavy side to be aluminum.
Ball clapper that was the term I was searching for earlier.
Not sure if is more modern that is farm related or something from the time of the school. Here’s a cleaned up picture.

 

[Gene Mean]

Interesting. Maybe it's the school bell clapper.

 

[Tony in SC]

Some of the early tractors used a ball on the gear shift for a pivot!

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Does the mushroom shaped piece fit in the hole? Some sort of finial system?

 

[IHC656]

Does the mushroom shaped piece fit in the hole? Some sort of finial system?

No

 

[digger dug]

fish net weight?