Item Number: A01161

Item Title: Broun Shell

Price: $195

Shipping: Not included

Provenance: CS

Type: Broun shell

Size: 3 Inch Caliber For Ordnance Rifle

Sabot: Copper Ring

Fuse: Wood Adapter (Missing)

Book:
Dickey and George (1993 Edition) Page 132
Melton and Pawl (Paperback Editon) Page 52 A-56

Location Recovered: Reportedly from the Atlanta Area

Description:These Brouns are very Confederate and interesting shells. The are the late war design of Col Broun of the Richmond Arsenal. The metal is generally of a lesser quality than most ordnance of the war so it is hard to find a slick example. They are designed with one bourrelet on the iron body and the sabot serves as the other bourrelet so only these two places needed lathed. The shell is cast on a copper ring which has tabs to fit into the shell body to keep it from slipping. The sabots came off the majority of them when fired.

This example is in pretty good condition overall. The iron has light peppering on the body and does not appear to have been run through electrolysis but is generally clean and quite solid with no pits of any size. The lathe dimple is clear on the base. The shell still has bout 1/2 of the sabot intact with clear rifling marks and a very nice patina. The portion missing shows the indentions that the sabots tabs would fit into so you can clearly see how it is designed. Since there is only 1/2 of the sabot and it is a long skirted design the shell will not sit on it's base without some assistance.

Some conservation efforts on this shell would make it look nicer by removing some coated over surface rust and dulling the glossy finish.

The shell is inert, cleaned and coated but could use some TLC.

I indicate this is "Reportedly from the Atlanta Area" as the collection was from a local digger who didn't buy much if anything. But I've not heard of any from here though that certainly doesn't mean they didn't come from here. Though somewhat common, they are generally found at late was sites. So my guess is the digger either traded for this or traveled outside the area.