Item Number: A01366
Item Title: Delafield Malleable Shell
Price: $190
Shipping: Not included
Provenance: US
Type: Delafield
Size: 20 Pounder (3.67 Caliber)
Sabot: Intragal Malleable Cast Iron
Fuse: Parrott Zinc Time Fuse
Book:
Melton and Pawl (Paperback Editon) Page 86 B-4
Location Recovered: Non-Battlefield
Description:This is an early war time invention in 1861 by Col. Richard Delafield who was superintendent of West Point. This shell was cast with the sabot to save the process of making a sabot and then casting the shell around it. I'm surprised it didn't take off with more sizes and some use in the field. I suspect there were some politics in the background that prevented the more prevalent use of this style. But perhaps also there was some negative aspect this design that didn't function as well. but this shell is a war time invention that was sold to the State of NY in 1862. There are no known battlefield examples.
Condition is very typical of these rounds. They are lightly peppered all over from wherever they were stored since the civil war. Nearly all are fuseless although I've seen a couple that seemed to have a period fuse. This one did not have a fuse but I cleaned the thread and screwed on in it. The $190 price is the shell without the fuse. Add $40 if you'd like the removable fuse for a total of $130. This is a nice shell the belongs in every Civil War artillery collection.
Shell is inert, cleaned and coated.