Item Number: A01662

Item Title: Rev War Cannon Ball: Arsenal Marked

Price: $1275

Shipping: Not included

Provenance:

Type: Mortar

Size: 12.5 Inch

Sabot: N/A

Fuse: Wood Adapter (Missing)

Book:

Location Recovered: Eastern Virginia

Description:Note: This will be very expensive to ship due to size and weight so it is recommended that it be picked up in Georgia or when I'm traveling to a show.

This is a fine example of the French mortars found in an Eastern Virginia cache in a river near Yorktown. While usually called 13 inch balls they measure closer to 12.5 inch.

They are known as the big balls with the large lifting loops. These loops are wrought iron bars in a bend cast into the shell body which would stick up 1" - 2" above the shell surface making it easy for the artilleryman to grab the the handles to carry it and position the ball in the mortar. See the last image for an example of one with the handles still present. When the balls were thrown into the river they were thrown on top of each other. This bent and broke off many of the handles as it did on this one. Very few have both handles and most only shows the two spots for each handle where it exited the shell body as is the case with this one.

The other interesting feature of this ball is that embossed in large letters on the side just below the handles is the foundry name "IMBRECHY". This one has the best and most legible text I've seen on one.

This is has been in my personal collection for years. I was fortunate enough to get one with both handles and a good arsenal marking from Howard Aligood allowing me to let go of this one.

The shell body is in very good shape especially for a cannon ball made from iron from the middle 1800's. There is only light ground action on the surface as the balls were well preserved in the water and silt. The powder cavity is pretty clean inside.

Shell is inert, cleaned and coated.