Cannonball ID Please

[Joefriday22]

Hi folks,
I'm a new guy here, I stumbled across your site while I was trying to find some information on this cannonball. I was told that it was found in the 40's in the Petersburg , Va area. The ball weighs 11 lbs 15.5 oz. Can anyone tell me anything about it?

Thank you very much,
Rob

 

[PCGeorge]

Hi Joefriday22. Welcome to the forum. Since you're new here, I'll introduce myself. I'm the co-author of the book "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil war" ...which is a 552-page "photo-encyclopedia" on that subject.

Sorry to have to tell you, that ball is absolutely definitely not a civil war cannonball -- nor a cannonball at all. It is a Sports Shot Put, from the 12-pound Weight Class of that sport. That is why it is marked with its weight -- whereas actual cannonballs were NEVER marked with their weight.

The hole in it filled with lead is how such Shot Put balls were made to weigh precisely 12 pounds, for fairness in the sports competition. (Your competitor's ball must not weigh any less than your ball.) I suspect the reason it now weighs a half-ounce less that exactly 12 pounds is due to the rust-corrosion and scaling visible on it surface..

No offense meant, but the Sports-&-Fitness Equipment brand-name "Healthways" being cast onto the ball should have been a clue that the ball is not a cannonball. Hopefully you didn't pay any money for that ball as being a cannonball. If you did, take it back and point out the brand-name "Healthways" to the seller.

Regards,
Pete [P.C. george]

 

[Joefriday22]

Thank you very much Sir,,I sort of thought that may be the case..I wasn't sure what the writting said on the item but I was thinking that it said Healthways..I paid $100 for it from a buddy so I'm sure that he will give me my money back.. He just bought a large collection of CW items from a lady who was selling her deceased husbands collection. He had a whole bunch of solid balls, bullets and ball fragments along with 5-6 muskets (I bought one of those too, an 1863 Colt) and some other items. He had this ball and he said he couldn't remember where it came from but he thought that it came in the lot with the rest. I was joking him saying that it looked a lot like a shot put..

Thanks again,
Rob