Possible cannonball

[zouave114]

I just moved into a house built in 1875 that belonged at one time to a Civil War Cavalry vet. I found what looks like a cannonball in the cellar. It weighs about 16 lbs, and is 15-3/4 diameter.


Jeff

 

[Sim_Player]

I'll be darned! Nice catch Wizzo. That IS a broken drill bit in the center!!!
I've seen my fair share of broken bits.

What's a ball this size really worth (your life)?

Jim

 

[duggap]

I am curious about the comment that you cannot sell it. Look at the relic sites and you see artillary rounds for sale all the time.

 

[PressedTrousers]

Don't use as a football(soccer).

 

[NHBandit]

Very cool find and probably fairly valuable. With that being said, please don't listen to the future Darwin award candidates who "think" it's not a cannonball. It is most definately a cannonball of the exploding kind and considering the plug is still in place and there's a drill bit broken off in the other end you better believe it's still loaded with powder. Some police EOD departments will simply blow it up making it worth pretty much nothing. Find an expert who can make it inert without destroying it.

 

[ivan salis]

duggap -- the relic site cannon balls have been "deactivated" i'm sure -- thus they are safe -- now "live" cannonballs are dangerous and not legal to sell most likely i would think , however once rendered safe --that changes things .

 

[Aquila]

Be careful with that. I found this iron ball from my grandparent´s garage last week. An idiot injured last week here in Finland because he was drilling WW2 Panzer grenade. Fuse exploded and this guy had injuries to legs and arms :P.

 

[BuckleBoy]

This is a very odd piece. I DO agree that it looks like a drill bit stuck in it.

What gets me is the pits on the surface of this item. That is very odd--almost like it was used as a punching bag for a ball peen hammer. :P

The shell does Not look dug--which makes the surface marks even more puzzling.

If it is a shell, it is worth having it unloaded professionally and keeping it.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

 

[ok2raise]

those ding in it looks more like a ball pin hammer been beating on it but, ive found something very similar to it several year ago . where the boman fuse goes it was plug off . their was a pin sticking out of the other side it looked like graphit most around here though it was possibily a early they of mine
but handle with care i got rid of mine quick

 

[Marc in VA]

Sure looks like a cannonball to me but the fuse plug is odd. In fact a bunch of things look odd. The broken off drill bit is cool and all the divots look like someone was wailing on it with a ball peen hammer. Somebody had a death wish I guess. First off treat it as if it were live ordnance until proven otherwise. There are still few reputable folks who disarm civil war ordnance and that is the route I would take. I suspect that it may have already been disarmed. That could be the reason for the odd looking fuse plug and who in their right mind would bash a live cannonball with a ball peen hammer. Even still you must assume it is still live until proven otherwise. The last thing you want to do is take it to the military or the police. They will destroy it for sure and another piece of American history will be lost forever. As far as safety goes if you do absolutely nothing with it except display it, you have nothing to worry about. It is perfectly safe as is....unless your house catches fire

 

[BuckleBoy]

Sure looks like a cannonball to me but the fuse plug is odd. In fact a bunch of things look odd. The broken off drill bit is cool and all the divots look like someone was wailing on it with a ball peen hammer. Somebody had a death wish I guess. First off treat it as if it were live ordnance until proven otherwise. There are still few reputable folks who disarm civil war ordnance and that is the route I would take. I suspect that it may have already been disarmed. That could be the reason for the odd looking fuse plug and who in their right mind would bash a live cannonball with a ball peen hammer. Even still you must assume it is still live until proven otherwise. The last thing you want to do is take it to the military or the police. They will destroy it for sure and another piece of American history will be lost forever. As far as safety goes if you do absolutely nothing with it except display it, you have nothing to worry about. It is perfectly safe as is....unless your house catches fire

This is Absolutely Correct.

 

[hammong]

That "thing" that looks like a broken off drill bit looks to me to have round stamps in it, one with an "X" and one with a "T", and one that's eroded or destroyed. I might just be seeing things, it's late and my eyes hurt -- but that looks like something in the ball that's deliberately marked. I'm guessing fuse marking.

If you're going to keep it, you really should get it defused properly. The dimples do indeed look like somebody was beating on it with a ball peen hammer. Kids, probably.

Greg

 

[cwdigger]

This is a very odd piece. I DO agree that it looks like a drill bit stuck in it.

What gets me is the pits on the surface of this item. That is very odd--almost like it was used as a punching bag for a ball peen hammer. :P

The shell does Not look dug--which makes the surface marks even more puzzling.

If it is a shell, it is worth having it unloaded professionally and keeping it.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

I to agree that this "ball" looks very odd, from 1st glance at it it looked like a shotput or a reproduction shell, I am not so sure that it is a shell at all, for a couple of reasons, the surface as mentioned above, the size of that hole that the "drillbit" is stuck in doesnt appear to be the right size for any type of fuse besides maybe a wood fuse. The other plug on the "shell" is indented most real shells that plug is used for loading gunpowder and is not indented in the shell, it is flush with the outside and the size is a little off for any shell that I am aware of.

I just dont think its a shell, now that doesnt mean just start beating on it, If it is live it will not explode so long as you nothing stupid, ie... as said above throw it in a fire, beat on it with a ball penn hammer, drill it, etc... and if it is DO NOT take it to EOD they will take it and destroy it and then that priceless piece of history is lost forever, if you really want to get rid of it that bad I will drive to where ever you are and take it off your hands and I will get it deactivated the "non-explosive" way. I have found 8 other shells myself and think that the artillery was the backbone of the war. I think it is worth having someone look at that is a large relic collector or disarmed shells just to be sure, but dont let the army,navy EOD or any other ord. disposal place have it b/c you wont get it back.

 

[dank]

put it in a big field, on a big stump, get back 100 yards or so and shoot it till it goes boom. then post the vid on youtube!!!!

 

[gregor]

I was thinking of my cannonball and if it could be dangerous.
About 2.75 inches in dia. about 2.75 lbs according to bath scale.
Slightly rusted. The hole has some pretty solid matter like metal.
I found it in the mid 70's a few miles north of Barstow Ca. It
was laying on top of the sand on an elevated ridge.

 

[zaxfire69]

Hello. I have a couple of folks I can put you in touch with and will be able to tell you FOR SURE if what you are dealing with is a cannon ball and if it is loaded with powder. The same person could also render it safe if you would like. Let me know if you would be interested. I have some folks I can contact in Vicksburg, Mississippi that deal with this alot. Let me know.

 

[Jason in TN]

I am going to say it is not a cannon ball. Just does not have the right look to be one. If you ever do find one and want to keep it let some one who knows how disarm it. If not give it to some one who will. Do not call the EOD and have it distroyed it os a terrible waste of history.

Jason

 

[Jaichim24]

Perhaps an older "hammer throw" ball minus the chain and handle? Where everyone is saying a drill bit was lost, perhaps this is where the chain and handle came out?

The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown. Such competitions are still part of the Scottish Highland Games, where the implement used is a steel or lead weight at the end of a cane handle.

Like other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the ball the farthest. The men's hammer weighs 16 pounds (7.257 kg) and measures 3 feet 11 3⁄4 inches (121.5 cm) in length and the women's hammer weighs 8.82 lb (4 kg) and 3 feet 11 inches (119.5 cm) in length. Competitors gain maximum distance by swinging the hammer above their head to set up the circular motion. Then they apply force and pick up speed by completing one to four turns in the circle. In competition, most throwers turn three or four times. The ball moves in a circular path, gradually increasing in velocity with each turn with the high point of the ball toward the sector and the low point at the back of the circle. The thrower releases the ball from the front of the circle. The two most important factors for a long throw are the angle of release (45° up from the ground) and the speed of the ball (the highest possible).

While the men's hammer throw has been in the Olympic Games since 1900, the IAAF did not start ratifying women's marks until 1995. Women's hammer throw was first included in the Olympics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, after having been included in the World Championships a year earlier.

 

[55th Massachusetts]

Does not look like a cannonball to me. I've never seen fuse holes such as those.....just my 2 cents.
REB

 

[{Sentinel}]

Maybe a shell that's been turned into a counter weight. After the War, many left-over shells were turned into gate weights. Many of the cannonballs did have two openings (one for the fuse and one to fill with shot) but with yours, both are covered with iron...at least one should have had a brass or copper fuse in it. If it turns out to be a shell indeed, I have friends here in Virginia who are experts at Civil War Ordinance and who disarm shells everyday. They can disarm the shell and make inert for about $30. PM me if you want there contacts. Once this is done, they are safe for display or for selling

 

[knack4iron]

Looks like a shot put or as mentioned a gate counter balance could be a iron gate decoration. I've hunted Vicksburg for more than 20 years since 85'. Artillery shells just happen to my niche. If there was iron there I was gonna find it. Uncanny. Used to go to all the shows and sell,buy trade and deal with other artillery collectors. I've never seen any shell or ball that looks like that with all those dimples on it. Looks like its not intended to roll or go too far when it hits soft ground.

Just my story and I'm sticking to it.