Found on beach in 1970s. Painted black in 1980s. 5" across. 10.6 lbs. Solid

[romelpis1212]

This object was purchased by a friend from someone years ago. They said it was found on a North Carolina beach in the 1970s. It was painted black in the 1980s to cover rust. It is approximate 5 inches across. It weights 10.6lbs. It feels completely solid. There are no identifying markers anywhere on it. I promised my friend I'd try my best to help them identify it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

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[detectorcowboy]

Your first step needs to be identifying what type of metal it is?

 

[GoDeep]

What about pictures of the bottom side?

 

[unclemac]

door knob

 

[Mud Hut]

door knob

hmmm.. a 5" - ten pound door knob?

 

[ticndig]

at that weight my guess is a surf worn fishing downrigger.

 

[bradyboy]

net weight?

 

[romelpis1212]

I'm not a metallurgist but it looks like cast iron.

 

[romelpis1212]

I have no pictures of the bottom side but it is is flat and looks just like the rest of the object. No evidence of anything being attached to it at one point.

 

[DCMatt]

Yours looks like a weld has broken off at the top.



This one was for sale on the internet. The ad said the ball is 13 inches in diameter and weighs about 11 pounds.

 

[cw0909]

i saw your post yesterday, and it reminded me of an
item, a friend found in fla. back in the 90s. I think
DCMatt is correct on the ID.it took some looking to
find some similar imgs

J found a ball like this,but with a loop/ring weight 15# no chain
i dont remember the diameter
https://dygtyjqp7pi0m.cloudfront.net/i/16468/16226478_1m.jpg?v=8D018E64280EC50


we think it was prob used like one of these imgs

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Chain_Gang_Street_Sweepers,_1909.jpg
https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/5812...=pjpg&quality=65&version=1494287544&width=200

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

It might also be a basic counterweight from an oil lamp chandelier.
These were fairly common in old large houses from 1830 - 1900.

Dave

 

[romelpis1212]

Yours looks like a weld has broken off at the top.

View attachment 1913192

This one was for sale on the internet. The ad said the ball is 13 inches in diameter and weighs about 11 pounds.

Ok so the shape is almost exactly the same! Is is the closest I've seen to the shape of the object. Can you send me a link to where that object is being sold? I can't find it on the internet. Thanks!

 

[romelpis1212]

i saw your post yesterday, and it reminded me of an
item, a friend found in fla. back in the 90s. I think
DCMatt is correct on the ID.it took some looking to
find some similar imgs

J found a ball like this,but with a loop/ring weight 15# no chain
i dont remember the diameter
https://dygtyjqp7pi0m.cloudfront.net/i/16468/16226478_1m.jpg?v=8D018E64280EC50


we think it was prob used like one of these imgs

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Chain_Gang_Street_Sweepers,_1909.jpg
https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/5812...=pjpg&quality=65&version=1494287544&width=200

It's looking like it could really be a ball from an antique ball and chain. I'm doing some more research on what they looked like on slave ships since NC was a huge importer of slaves.

 

[romelpis1212]

It might also be a basic counterweight from an oil lamp chandelier.
These were fairly common in old large houses from 1830 - 1900.

Dave

The shapes are similar. Would the counterweights be 10 pounds though? That seems heavy for a counterweight.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

The shapes are similar. Would the counterweights be 10 pounds though? That seems heavy for a counterweight.

Here's where I'm getting my information... this plus 35 years of collecting and selling hundreds of fluid burning lamps.

“The tall case clock has a movement made in Charleston in 1835, the case itself is probably English. The iron ball at its foot is a counterweight for one of the house's whale oil lamps. The mantle clock in the dining room, made of bronze covered with gold leaf, was bought in Paris sometime before the Civil War. Visible in the mirror is a whale oil lamp, with its counterweight dangling above it.”
Excerpt taken from the book Old Houses – by Steve Gross & Susan Daley

 

[xaos]

Yours looks like a weld has broken off at the top.

View attachment 1913192

This one was for sale on the internet. The ad said the ball is 13 inches in diameter and weighs about 11 pounds.

Pretty sure there is nothing authentic about this....chain is wrong and the weld?

 

[romelpis1212]

Here's where I'm getting my information... this plus 35 years of collecting and selling hundreds of fluid burning lamps.

“The tall case clock has a movement made in Charleston in 1835, the case itself is probably English. The iron ball at its foot is a counterweight for one of the house's whale oil lamps. The mantle clock in the dining room, made of bronze covered with gold leaf, was bought in Paris sometime before the Civil War. Visible in the mirror is a whale oil lamp, with its counterweight dangling above it.”
Excerpt taken from the book Old Houses — by Steve Gross & Susan Daley

I can definitely see how you could see that. How would my object have connected to the lamp though? The only place it looks like something might have connected to it years ago is that "nub". Those counterweights look like there are several places where something connects to it.

 

[romelpis1212]

Pretty sure there is nothing authentic about this....chain is wrong and the weld?

Haha, yeah the chain and weld definitely look newer, and not well connected. But the shape of the object is definitely very similar!

 

[PanhandleDiggy]

I could be dead wrong, but it does look an awful like a pice of barshot to me, specifically image #14.