Cannon Ball or is it?

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Everyone,

You know how there are those things you keep saying you want to add to your collection someday but never get around to it? Well, besides an army tank and a cannon I have always wanted a cannon ball. I know they are not all that expensive but I never gotten around to buying one. Finally my son-in-law bought me one.

The "cannon ball" that he purchased is not round as I would have expected. It is rather flattened as may be seen in the photos. I attended an antiques fair early this summer and a deal offered me one much like this one and said that it was part of a canister round. He said that these were stacked in some sort of canistered and the effect was much like a giant shot gun. I didn't purchase that ball because I didn't know enough about it to be sure I wasn't being taken to the cleaners.

What are your thoughts about this ball? One good thing about it is it sure won't roll off the desk and crush any toes!

Cheers

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Here is a photo of the "side" of the ball.

The ball weighs just over a kilogram (150 grams). I'm not sure what that is in Imperial measure. Darn metric scale!

I hope someone can shed some light on this mystery.

Many thanks.

Brian

[Guest Rick Research]

Looks right for cannister. Maybe it's flattened from being fired and hitting something. It was supposed to bounce, not explode. If it wasn't round when it was fired it wouldn't fly straight.

Anybody know how to date one of these, between ? 1600 and the 1870s?