stranges thing you found

[perry 82]

few years ago turned up this old nugrape soda botle

[JonW 0]

There may be an old dump there.

Have you seen any other broken glass, bricks, or bones?

[neil 2,398]

As a child we often used to help my farther dig around the garden and we used to constantly dig up ammunition from a world war 2 air craft that was shot down during the battle of britain .

The aircraft crashed into land adjoining our house and bits of wreckage was scattered everywhere and the ammunition belts for the aircraft guns landed in our garden, and even to this day we still dig up shells and bits of from the aircraft.

We live about one and a half miles from the old airfield that was used to defend london from attack from germany over the english channel and this aircraft was on its way back from defence duties when it was comming into land and just couldnt make the runway and crashed around our house.

My father tells me that 3 neighbours were killed in the crash as the plane hit the houses when it crashed.

[mavfreak 11]

on our old farm we use to dig up arrow heads. I have a jar of them somewhere.

We had someone from some university come and find some to and he found what he says is a tomahawk but to me it looked like a rock.

[GlenPettit 1,714]

I find a lot of new interesting things every Spring: Dog tags, balls, lots of marbles, pieces of tools, plastic toys, etc....

but then I also have tilled in about 70-100 bags of leaves I pickup in the city every Fall, never know what I may find in there, even after pre-sorting before it's tilled in.

Did find some huge bones out back, I thought is might be a Masterdon or such, but it was just the 100-year-old remains of a draft horse that was buried there.

Always feel like an explorer, "Indiana Jones-type", looking at what I just tilled and searching for "treasures". Do have two real arrowheads from that area.

Michigan Glen

The three things I grow best in my garden are:

1 Tired

2 Rocks

3 Weeds

[AMC RULES 36,945]

How about a cannon ball, anyone else ever found one? Any ideas how to ID it? :thumbs:

[MikesRJ 552]

How about a cannon ball, anyone else ever found one? Any ideas how to ID it?

Where was it found, and what is the diameter. If you can't measure the diameter accurately, then give the circumference.

[AMC RULES 36,945]

Believe it or not, I found it in the back yard this past fall while raking leaves. Was quite shocking when I actually realized what it was. The old timers I bought my house from(88 and 92yrs old)hadn't done any yard maintenance in a long time. I was cutting over growth back from the side of the house to the property line. I found it just laying there, half buried in the dirt, next to the stone wall that separates my property from the neighbors. I was a little apprehensive about moving it a first but ultimately couldn't resist, and eventually moved it a little closer to the garage. I guess so I could keep my eye on it?

Anyway, here's the said creature visible again after the recent thaw.

Looks to me to be about four inches in diameter.

Has an indentation on the side with some marking too.

Flipped the image upside down and enhanced the color and sharpness. Looks like a definite number four to me. Not sure of the letter or digit next to it? Might actually be two fours side by side?

So there it is, was I totally crazy for messing with it or what? Wonder if it's still live or it it just an inert solid ball? :thumbs:

[JonW 0]

It might be a "Shot put"

link

[AMC RULES 36,945]

That definitely sounds inert. :thumbs:

[AMC RULES 36,945]

Seems these things are quite the challange to ID correctly, as they can have both authentic and non traits at the same time. I imagine only time will tell.

http://www.pochefamily.org/books/SolidShotEssentialsMod.html

[6wheeler 586]

Every year is like a treasure hunt here. I bought this place 5 years ago and it was a crack house, so we picked up garbage every where the first summer. It was an old family farm from the late 30's til the late 70's before that, and you know how that goes, when they were done with something ,it stayed where the job was finished. I've pulled up anything from broken fenceposts to gears and sprockets and all kinds of iron. Although, the strangest thing I found so far, I was plowing my new sweetcorn garden last spring. It was going good when all of a sudden the 165 stopped dead in its tracks. I backed up a little and gave er'. I pulled up about 4' of 3/8" chain before I couldn't go any more. I went and got the Bobcat and worked the chain out, it was attached to an McCormick F-20 cylinder head. I wonder what they had tied to that thing. I can't for this springs surprises. My wife wants me to weld all of the pieces we find into a garden gate.

[jtmoyer 1]

I wonder what they had tied to that thing.

must have been a big dog.

[MikesRJ 552]

Believe it or not, I found it in the back yard this past fall while raking leaves. Was quite shocking when I actually realized what it was. The old timers I bought my house from(88 and 92yrs old)hadn't done any yard maintenance in a long time. I was cutting over growth back from the side of the house to the property line. I found it just laying there, half buried in the dirt, next to the stone wall that separates my property from the neighbors. I was a little apprehensive about moving it a first but ultimately couldn't resist, and eventually moved it a little closer to the garage. I guess so I could keep my eye on it?

Anyway, here's the said creature visible again after the recent thaw.

Looks to me to be about four inches in diameter.

Has an indentation on the side with some marking too.

Flipped the image upside down and enhanced the color and sharpness. Looks like a definite number four to me. Not sure of the letter or digit next to it? Might actually be two fours side by side?

So there it is, was I totally crazy for messing with it or what? Wonder if it's still live or it it just an inert solid ball?

It looks to be a cast iron solid shot of 3" or 4.5" size. A more accurate measurement would tell the difference.

Two things point to this being an authentic cannon ball. 1) The casting line running around the ball's circumference, and 2) the indentation along that casting line (which indicates the . See the following article for more details:

http://www.pochefamily.org/books/SolidShotEssentialsMod.html

The problem I am having with your find is the fact that it was found in NY State. You never said precisely where in NY, but there were no Civil War battles fought in that state anyway. Gettysburg was the most northern Civil War battle fought in the US. That said, it still could be an authentic ball someone placed there as a garden ornament.

Let me know what you discover. I could also put you in touch with a few professional Civil War historians who could assist you. PM me if interested.

[mavfreak 11]

wasn't the freanch indain wars fought in NY? :thumbs:

[MikesRJ 552]

wasn't the freanch indain wars fought in NY?

You are correct, but again, without a specific find location we are only guessing. More than likely, if it is in fact an authentic cannon ball, exact location and exact dimensions are critical details needed before any further investigation can be conducted with any certainty.

The cannon balls used by the British during that period were made by "Royal Warrant" of the British government. The cannon balls would be marked with an arrow indicating it's origin. The French cannon of the time used plain balls and would normally not have any markings at all. The cannons, instead, were heavily marked to indicate their poundage. Since this ball has markings, and not currently identifiable as an arrow, I would guess civil war rather than French-Indian. More details are certainly required.

Who's to say. Perhaps a civil war era company formed in that area and it is one of their practice shots. Again, more details are required to solve this mystery.

[AMC RULES 36,945]

Should I risk cleaning the rust scale off of it for ID purposes? What would be the best method? Would this affect the value, if any? :thumbs:

[AMC RULES 36,945]

I also forgot to mention that the old timer I bought the house form was a WWII combat veteran. Wonder if this ball maybe came from somewhere else, not originally from this area? :thumbs:

[mavfreak 11]

it may eve have been brought there as decoration and not even have been from that erea. I think the markings will tell the whole story.

As far as cleaning it maybe just a light cleaning of the area were the markings are might do. I would guess some simple green or something like that on a rag.

But I'm no expert on any of this stuff so hopefully others will tell you if thats ok. :thumbs:

[MikesRJ 552]

Should I risk cleaning the rust scale off of it for ID purposes? What would be the best method? Would this affect the value, if any?

DO NOTHING to the ball until you have an expert look at it. I would suggest getting it out of the weather, perhaps store it in a shed outside of your house. It is most likely inert, but I wouldn't bet my home owners insurance policy on it.

[AMC RULES 36,945]

:drool: The only shed I have has a 520 in it, certainly isn't going in there.

I might put a coffee can over it for the time being. :thumbs:

[6wheeler 586]

that is really cool, can you imagine that thing whistling by your head? Even if it didn't explode, imagine that thing bouncing in you direction. That in itself could be intimidating. Nice find, I hope its real.

[420lse 18]

I would tap it with a hammer to see if it's hollow. Just kidding the 4th of July might come early.

[AMC RULES 36,945]

:thumbs: Ain't happening.

[PlowDayJunkie 3]

Do not forget we also had the REVOLUTION here in central New York.

I live near the Home of General Herkimer, and as a young boy scout we used to find all sorts of stuff around the hills here.

Just Sayin

Scott