Artillery / Shells


Dark & Rarer CS 12-Pounder Lead Side-Plug Case-Shot Shell (Rarity 8+ in D&G)

Excavated from Petersburg (Where These Are Mostly Found)

Actually, these lead-plugged side-loaders are even rarer than the already scarce copper or brass side-plugged shells, not to mention the more "common" iron side-plugged shells.  This one shows the real desperation of the Confederate armories in that they utilized simple lead as the plug filler.  It is a case-shotted shell--the reason for the side-hole for loading.  The copper timed-fuse adaptor is very nice, and the iron has been professionally cleaned for it's beauty and preservation.  The iron is 100% stable, with no active oxidation whatsoever.  There are small areas of pitting in small patches, but otherwise the majority of the shell is extremely slick and smooth.  Since they are essentially only found in the Petersburg area or Virginia Theater, it is most probable to be a Tredegar product.  You don't get many opportunities to get one of these.  Better yet, I'll put it at a price that'll really make you happy...

$375

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Stunning Original 3" Ordnance Rifle "Quaker" Gun

From the GAR Hall Post #4 in Hagerstown, Maryland -- Otis Reilly Specimen

Measures Over 4' Long, Complete with Trunions, Fully Bored, Original Green Field Paint & GAR Gold Remnants

If you don't believe this piece is that stunning, I'll merely relay the truth to you to exemplify this:  my wife LOVES this piece, and did NOT want me to sell it.  I happily had it on display in my "war room" new display, and really do not want to sell it.  But "economic realities" are just that.  Can't pay for doctor bills with sunshine or relics.  So it shall go.  Some astute and most fortunate collector shall receive this one-of-a-kind piece and treasure it as much as we have.  It is obviously an almost full-scale (over 4' long) wooden-milled ("Quaker") copy of the classic 3" Ordnance Rifle.  It is milled from one piece of wood, and even bored-out.  It is speculated by many to be a wartime training piece, possibly a true "Quaker" gun to fool the enemy, possibly a casting model used for making statues around the turn of the century--but at the very least, we are certain of it's 100% GAR Hall status.  Coming from the famous Otis Reilly collection of items placed on display at GAR Post #4 at Hagerstown, Maryland, the remnants (albeit feint) of the GAR hall gold paint can be seen along the dark field green original ordnance coating.

I don't need to say a whole lot more.  I will miss it.  I'll let you enjoy the pictures of it, and let someone else take charge and care for her.  It is literally an immediate centerpiece to any collection, especially a projectile theme.  It comes with my display stand I made (and I put a pic of a 3" Parrott Shell as reference.)

LAYAWAY

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Spectacular, UNGODLY-Rare 2.9" CS P1861 Britton Segmented Case-Shot Shell

Rarity 10 ( Less Than 10 Known To Exist), Spectacular Condition w/Complete Sabot

Found Only Fired At The Battle of Helena, Arkansas

CORRECTION!!    The consignor had to correct me--boy did I really miss this one!  But since he's the one with the shell, he's forgiven me!  You know I never stray too far or long away from my sincerest passion in the War--"heavy metal"!  And mainly of the most rare, beautiful condition, and Confederate kind!  This one has it all in SPADES.  This is a spectacular condition 2.9" Britton Shell used exclusively by Confederates for their 3" Blakely Rifled guns they imported.  The iron is completely slick and smooth, and together with the complete lead sabot in equally extra-fine condition, this is truly a "collector's grade" specimen of an awfully rare Confederate projectile (imported from Britain).  The exquisite quality and design of the entire shell, especially the very soft, higher-quality lead and design, always seemed to allow the lead sabot to expand and spread perfectly into the rifling.  This shell was patented on March 8, 1861 (patent #585) for it's segmented interior, as well as Britten patenting the unique percussion fuse.  As with almost all surviving few specimens, the bulbous brass Britten percussion fuse is gone--I have only seen a handful with them intact.  They apparently were knocked-off easily upon impact.  The rifling in the lead sabot is perfect.  You literally couldn't ask for any more out of a piece, excepting for the fuze to be present.  You can buy a fuze and stick it in there, and you'll have one of the best of the less than 10 known to exist!!!!  They are exclusively found fired at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.

It ain't gonna get any cheaper to find one this nice--if you see any for sale at all...

LAYAWAY   $1398

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Scarce CS 3.4" (or 3.5") "Star" Polygonal Cavity Read Rifled Shell

Found Only from the CS Fort Protecting the "High Bridge" in Virginia

Pictured in the Book "The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics" (Sylvia & O'Donnell, 1978)

This 3.4" caliber "polygonal cavity" Read is found only at the fort guarding the huge railroad trestle named the High Bridge in Virginia, over the Appomattox River.  In the 1850s, the Southside Railroad between Petersburg and Lynchburg was built through Farmville between Burkeville and Pamplin City. The route, which was subsidized by a contribution from Farmville, required an expensive crossing of the Appomattox River valley and flood plain slightly downstream which became known as the High Bridge. The High Bridge's twenty piers contained almost four million bricks, and supported a wooden superstructure. It was believed to be the longest in the world when completed in 1852. The Southside Railroad itself was completed in 1854.The Southside Railroad was heavily damaged during the American Civil War. The High Bridge played a key role during Confederate General Robert E. Lee's final retreat from Petersburg in the last days of the War. The Battle of High Bridge took place there on April 6-7, 1865. Fleeing Union troops, the Confederates set the bridge afire after crossing it, but failed to destroy it. Union troops were able to use it and continued the chase, which ended several days later at Appomattox Courthouse, where Lee's surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant took place on April 9, 1865.   All of these shells sat undisturbed within the fort, until they were found in the summer of 1960 by teenagers, Tom Brooks and Mike Petrrakos, who would "eyeball" several dozen shells while playing in the fort.  Mike's father (George) would help the boys carry them back home, and then buy an old, used army metal detector.  After sinking deep shafts into the ground, they probed piles of rifled and smoothbore ammunition--left perfectly stacked just as they were in April, 1865, when Lee's hurried evacuation of Petersburg--and the Richmond government--left no time to do otherwise.  A picture of the boys and father Mike Petrakos with ALL of the 800+ projectiles they uncovered is seen on page 243 in the O'Donnell and Sylvia book "The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics".  I can send you a photocopy of the picture (can't put it on the  website here unless I ask Steve & Mike for permission--copyrights reserved!)

The diameter of this shell suggests that it was another attempt to produce a dual-gun ammunition that would serve in two different gun calibers.  In 1861, the State of Virginia had antiquated 4-pounder smoothbore guns "reamed and rifled" for active service, but most were so old and over-used that they typically were sent to a "backwater" fort far from the front, as was the case with this one.  Since it could also be used for 3.5" Blakely Rifles, this truly was a "dual-use" purposed shell.  The shell is (obviously) unfired, but ready with the original copper CS paper timed fuze adaptor, and intact copper tapered sabot ring (high convex).  This shell has been professionally cleaned and sealed.  Iron is completely stable. Only the typical ground action on all of these shells--all being from the boys at High Bridge, and having to have them stored outside (since the parents were too worried about them being loaded and in the house!) Once again, an awfully rare and unique example of Confederate ingenuity and engineering.

Sale Pending

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Excellent & Very Scarce CS 12-Pound Wood Plug Fuzed "Polygonal" Shell, Cut-In-Half

 Fantastic Displaying 12-Sided Rhomboidal Dodecahedron Cavity

Exclusively Confederate & Atlanta Arsenal/Campaign Produced Shell, Shaped Internally to Produce Uniform Explosion & Dispersement of Shell Fragments

Wow!  My Industrial Engineering degree is really being put to good use!  Got to know your authentic, real Civil War history, science, and how to write good descriptions if you want to know what you are really buying!  (Ha! Ha!  Just remember what the true Lord says in the Good Book, "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge..." )  This is a fine example of the excellence of Confederate engineering, science, & physics which they designed and introduced exclusively in the War.  In so many areas--though restricted by manpower, material resources, production capacity & quality control--Confederate ingenuity really showcased itself in a wide array of weapons, ballistic designs, submarines, landmines...you name it.  This is the very scarce "Diamond"-pattern, 12-sided polygonal ("many-sided") internal walled 12-pound wood plug fuzed shell that is almost exclusively attributed and found in the Atlanta Campaign, and thus believed to be a Georgia Arsenal product (whether Atlanta Arsenal, Columbus Depot, Macon, or Augusta is not known exactly).  For my fellow "heavy metal" enthusiasts (and geeky engineers!) it is a rhomboidal dodecahedron shaped cavity (the "diamond" pattern with 12 sides).  There are several polygonal cavity designs of different patterns and number of sides, and the "diamond" is far scarcer than other examples (see Dickey & George "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War", 1993 Edition).  Since each diamond pattern indents toward the outer wall of the shell, the iron is weakest where it is thinnest--being where the outlines of the diamond patterns are.  Once again, pure physics at play, whereby in the explosion of the black powder within the chamber causes the force to seek the areas of least wall thickness/strength, and thus the shell would explode into equal pre-determined diamond pattern shaped shell fragments.  It literally optimized and maximized the effective destructive and injury-inflicting capability of the shell.  As you real relic hunters know, typical spherical internal chamber shells can fragment into as few as two big pieces (since we've dug them by the hundreds).  You can obviously kill or hurt up to 12 Yankees every time one of these polygonal shells exploded, versus just 2 or 3!  This absolutely astonishing and ingenious use of science/physics with their field projectile ammunition design is a spectacular testimony to the Confederate engineers and designers, given the many other limitations they had to operate under.

Offered here is a slick and wonderful condition specimen that my buddy just had cut in half.  You can buy ONE or BOTH!  I had him take pictures both with, and without chalk-lining the inside so you can see exactly what the chamber looks like.

$285 Each   or   $450 For Both

ONLY ONE LEFT!!!   HURRY!!!

 

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Slick & Pretty 3" CS "Virginia Prototype" Bourreleted Read Shell

Comes With Custom Wood Display Stand & Engraved ID Plate -- Intact Copper Fuse & Sabot

From The Historic Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia -- Jackson' Finest, and Last, Hour

The Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia would prove to be equally stunning to the entire fortunes of the Confederacy.  Not only was it one of the most cunning and daring strategic battle plans devised by the seemingly unbeatable partnership of Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson, it would become one of the largest Union disastrous defeats.  So complete was their victory that it allowed Lee the one true opportunity to strike into the North itself, attempting to make a final "knock-out" blow, if it ever was possible at all.  But the victory would come at a price that so many will argue cost the South the real chance of ever winning their independence.  Shot within the dim, smoke-choked thickets and woods in the twilight of the evening after his stunning flank attack, Jackson was unwittingly fired upon by his own men with the fatal wound that some would easily say sealed the doom of the South.

Offered here is a beautiful piece of that Confederate history or triumph and sadness.  Recovered decades ago (when quality like this was commonplace) is this so slick and nice CS 3-inch rifled "Virginia Prototype" shell, complete with the original and gorgeous copper paper timed fuze adaptor and copper sabot ring.  According to the master pioneers of artillery identification and study, Dickey and George quickly noted that based upon their recovery locations, this appears to be the truly first/earliest model of the Virginia-made bourreleted Read shells (from Tredegar, of course).  They only begin to appear at sites in very late 1862/early 1863, employing a wood-plug simple fuze system.  By the spring and summer of 1863 sites, you then see the copper timed fuze adaptor, like this specimen offered here.  By 1864, you find only a few leftovers as this design was phased out of production use.  This specimen offered here has very slick and stable iron, with only the most minute ground action to be seen anywhere.  It is so slick and pristine in spots that you can see the original lathe finishing marks upon the bourrelets, as well as see the ever-vivid lathe dimple on the base, the angled lathe-mating hash-marks in the base (so it would grip into the mating face-plate of the lathe to ensure no slippage while milling), and the nose shows where the lathe chock was actually knocked-off at the arsenal by the finisher (they'd take a hammer and chisel to knock the protruding lathe "dog" or chock off, so as not to impede flight out of the cannon tube).  You can even see the excellent gas bubble cavity around the base bourrelet (where a large gas bubble came to the outer shell surface after being poured and the viscous molten iron settled and cooled).  Professionally cleaned and lightly coated with wax finish for great protection, beautification, and luster, this shell displays perfectly upon a custom-made wooden shell display stand, and bears the engraved plaque of the shell and it's recovery from Chancellorsville.

All the quality and value you come to expect from Champion Hill....

Sale Pending

       

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Really Nice and Rarer 3.8" UNFIRED Hotchkiss Shell

w/Iron Percussion Fuze, Sabot Intact, & CRISP Hotchkiss Patent Base Markings!

From the Bridgeport, Alabama Cache

Slick, unfired, and completely intact original and rarer 3.8" rifled Hotchkiss Shell, being made to be fired by the 14# James Rifled Cannon.  This comes from the large cache that was discovered where defending Union forces near Bridgeport, Alabama had dumped all the supplies and ammunition they couldn't carry away when Hood's approaching Army of Tennessee was heading near the area for their fateful march into Tennessee in late 1864.  The specimen is wonderfully preserved, as is typical with fresh-water found specimens.  It has been professionally cleaned and coated to remove the "scaling" you find on water recovered iron projectiles and artifacts, and shows the excellent, slick, and stable iron underneath.  Only minimal water/ground action to be seen on the iron, and much better than you typically see on water recoveries.  The lead sabot is BEAUTIFULLY intact, being the original lead hue of dark grey.  Being unfired, the sabot is obviously in pristine unfired condition.  The Hotchkiss Patent base information that is rarely encountered on specimens is marvelously present, seen vividly upon the base cup of this shell.  Equally rare is the intact iron percussion anvil fuse, which is crisply preserved and showing at the nose.

Excellent addition to your "heavy metal" collection!

Sale Pending

   

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Ultra-Rare (Rarity 10) 3.3" Selma Arsenal Bolt From Vicksburg

ID'ed Exclusively to the Lone 18-Pounder Rifled Gun Protecting Waul's Texas Legion Lunette (Next To Southern Railroad) at Vicksburg

Offered for your "killer" ultra-rare AND ID'ed Confederate iron collection is this 3.3" Selma Arsenal (Alabama) made rifled projectile, excavated by a long-time local Vicksburg relic hunter decades ago.  It was found in the vicinity of where I-20/Exit 4B Outlet Mall is located today--where a massive CS impact area was located behind the Federal lines by the Southern Railroad.  By knowing your Vicksburg history (great NPS map showing all CS gun locations and calibers), and some simple looking at the map for the line-of-fire, there was only one odd-ball rifled gun that could have fired this one: the lone "18-pounder rifle" located by Waul's Texas Legion Lunette defensive works next to the Southern Railroad!  The NPS battle map shall accompany this projectile to the future owner of this piece.  Seeing as only less than a dozen 3.3" Selma Bolts are known to exist, you can quickly appreciate not only the rarity of this projectile, but to be ID'ed as well is truly the "icing on the cake"!  What kind of cannon, exactly, this "18-pounder rifle" was that the Confederates had is not precisely known by existing records, but it is my educated guess that it was probably a 3.5" Blakely, or some really old and odd smoothbore (3.4" 4-pounder?) that was rifled by the Confederates (much like Virginia did) and pressed into service.  It also may have been a really "one-of-a-kind" rifle gun that the local A. B. Reading Vicksburg Foundry and cannon makers made (A. B. Reading made 6-pounder and 12-pounder smoothbore guns for the Confederacy, as well as some ammunition).

The projectile itself displays well, given that almost half of the original copper ring sabot is present!  Off the handful known to exist, virtually all of them are without the thin copper ring sabot, as they apparently were quickly thrown-off in flight from firing.  I've had people trying to buy this projectile JUST TO GET THE SABOT to put on their example!  The iron is slick and stable, though obviously with moderate ground action and pitting.  It may not be the prettiest 3.3" Selma Arsenal ID'ed Bolt....BUT IT IS THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST 3.3" SELMA ARSENAL BOLT!

Can you find any Confederate item--being rarity 10 (less than a dozen known to exist)--anywhere near this kind of price?  If it were a rarity 10 CS button or buckle, it would cost you THOUSANDS of dollars.  One day, CS rare iron will make the meteoric rise in value, and we'll look back at these prices in amazement!

Sale Pending

   

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Incredible Condition 3" CS "Virginia Prototype" Bourreleted Read Shell

REMOVABLE Copper Paper Fuze Adaptor, AND w/Paper Time Fuze

You know me...and you know my passion for the highest quality or rarest Confederate iron!  This one "fits the bill" in almost every facet!  Offered here is an exceptional condition, early-found Confederate 3-inch "Virginia Prototype" bourreleted Read shell, found in the very early years of collecting relics from the once hallowed battlefields.  In fact, judging solely upon the quality of the iron, removable fuse, threading, etc, I'd say this could possibly be an early pick-up "souvenir" specimen.  Yeah...it's that kind of nice.  According to the master pioneers of artillery identification and study, Dickey and George quickly noted that based upon their recovery locations, this appears to be the truly first/earliest model of the Virginia-made bourreleted Read shells (from Tredegar, of course).  They only begin to appear at sites in very late 1862/early 1863, employing a wood-plug simple fuze system.  By the spring and summer of 1863 sites, you then see the copper timed fuze adaptor, like this specimen offered here.  By 1864, you find only a few leftovers as this design was phased out of production use.  What you immediately notice about this piece--well, besides the wonderful condition of the iron--is the super-cool crude Confederate mold seam in the shell.  It is so pronounced--visible literally across a dark room!  The crispness of the seam, the lathed bourrelets, and all features of this shell are just beautiful.  Virtually free of any ground action or pitting, which is why it has that early 20th century "eye-balled" or "souvenir" found feel to it, as I'm sure you can agree.  The completely intact copper tapered high convex sabot ring clearly evidences that it was fired, showing the rifling well.  And to top this beauty off is the completely REMOVABLE copper paper timed fuze adaptor, in which my buddy has added an original papaer timed fuze!   Now how cool is THAT?!?!  The base shows the lathe dimple as well as the day they chocked it into the lathe for the finishing work on the bourrelets.

With this extra-fine specimen, you literally get it all.

Sale Pending

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Ultra-Rare INTACT Complete CS 12-Pound Wood Plug Fuzed Shell on Sabot w/Straps

From the Famous Milledgeville, Georgia Armory Site

Keeping the parade of outstandingly rare and unique Confederate iron coming your way!  This is only one of a mere handful (less than a dozen) excavated and intact Confederate 12-pounder wood plug fuzed shells complete.  This was among the cache recovered from the site where the Milledgeville, Georgia Confederate Armory had to dump and abandon piles of ordnance which they could not take away from the armory as Sherman's "March to the Sea" brought the horde of Yankee's upon the site.  The condition is obvious that it has almost perfectly preserved the wooden original sabot, and clearly the original wood plug fuze!  Being a water find, you have the affect of excellent preservation, only showing the "scaling" common to fresh water finds upon the slick and stable iron of the shell.  The tin straps can be seen clearly and vividly.  One could PAINSTAKINGLY, with the most careful, expert cleaning, have the iron scaling removed to exposed the perfect iron beneath.  But again, only in the hands of an expert who would clean it by hand (Dremmel Tool, chisel, etc--NO ELECTROLYSIS since it would affect the wood horrifically).

Personally, I love it just the way it is.  So very rare, and so historic.  You'll be only one of  a handful of people to own one!  Good luck finding another one anytime soon, especially at this price...

Sale Pending

   

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PRISTINE Non-Dug Gettysburg Souvenir 12-Pound CS Solid Shot WITH Original CS Arsenal Red Paint (Outlining Where Tin Straps Were Holding To Wooden Sabot)

From the Personal Collection of Jack Melton -- Originally Sold By "Fields Of Glory" In Gettysburg

Provenance As Being From The Cellar of Dr. O'Neil's Cellar (Wartime Gettysburg Doctor Living at 51 York Street)

Letter from Owner Accompanying This Cannonball, Stating Provenance

If you love "iron," especially Confederate, non-dug & unfired, GETTYSBURG provenance battlefield souvenir iron, then my friends, you've found your next projectile to add to your collection!  Coming from my good friend Jack Melton himself, this piece has so much to please any collector.  You will quickly notice in the pictures below that this 12-pound Confederate cannonball is without question a NON-DUG piece, being that there is absolutely nothing but perfect, unblemished iron, and the original red arsenal paint outlining where the tin straps and wooden sabot were attached together with the round.  Being in such pristine condition, you can see the extremely crude, classic CS molding traits of the clear molding seam, the mold sprue anomaly (where the "sprue," of port of pouring the molten iron was, and has a concave declevity where it didn't pour hot enough or quick enough to flow over smoothly), and the tiny gas bubbles that floated to the surface skin of the outer shell of the projectile.  Just spectacular, 100% Johnny Reb IRON!  Being a non-dug Confederate piece, it could only be possibly improved with the provenance: I rarely buy, sell, or believe any Gettysburg tall tales about relics!  But this piece was originally purchased by Robert Welty from the "Fields Of Glory" relic shop in Gettysburg years ago, which none-other and all-things-artillery expert and "guru" Jack Melton purchased from him on May 28th, 2008.  Since Jack needed some cash this spring, he was selling some of his prized personal collection items, and I was fortunate enough to acquire this one from him!  The hand-written letter from Robert comes with the piece.  According to "Fields Of Glory," it was found within the cellar of Gettysburg wartime doctor, Doctor O'Niel, who lived at 51 York Street in downtown Gettysburg.

Any way you look at it, it's a phenomenal quality Confederate projectile with a provenance that makes some people go "weak in the knees" over!

Sale Pending

   

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Excellent 3" CS/US Rifled Artillery Worm Implement

Well, I had the matching quality grease bucket from the cache of artillery equipment in the barn near Appomattox Courthouse just a few weeks ago...and though I've really tried to get some of the other great artillery tools, limber chests, horse equipment, etc, from that barn in Virginia, all I can afford are these smaller implements!  But hey--they are at least super-cool and really affordable!  This is your classic CS/US style 3" rifled artillery worm tool, that would have been at one end of a rammer.  The worm would be utilized critically in trying to dislodge and withdraw any stuck projectile down the guns bore--so it was QUITE important!  Though the long wooden pole/rammer is detached, you get an outstanding "killer" artillery display piece!  Solid, great untouched attic condition on the iron, and complete.  No damage or repairs.  Total length measures just under 10" long.  If it were still on the pole, it would measure over 5' long, and cost you at least $1500!

You can have this Southern barn-found beauty for a fraction of the price!  If you love artillery, you are NUTS not to get this to sit next to all your projectiles at this price....

Layaway $570

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Great Displaying Confederate 30-Pound Read/Parrott "Rabetted-Edge" Band Shell

10-Rabetted Edges on the Base of the CS Version (As Opposed to 8-Rabetts on US Specimens)

Here's an affordable, yet fantastic displaying version of the Confederate-made 30-Pound "rabetted-edge" Read/Parrot shell.  Jack Bell, Rafael Eledge, and others have documented how these specimens with the 10 rabetts (the rectangular flanges designed to help hold and adhere the copper sabot to the shell base) are Confederate-made versions.  Known US design and manufacture are 8-rabetts.  The diameter size of this shell is the 4.2" width of all 30-pounder rifled Parrott guns, and has a length of just under 12.5".  The shell has been professionally cleaned and wax coated for preservation and beautification.  Only the expected mild ground action to be found on the shell.  The zinc fuse remnants can be seen easily.  Best of all, the rabetts themselves show magnificently upon this specimen.  Very smooth and wonderful displaying piece of LARGE Confederate rifled artillery!  I used both natural light and flash photography to really showcase the detail of this piece.

$375

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Wonderful CS  3" Unfired Broun Shell w/COMPLETE Copper Sabot

From the Appomattox Campaign for the End of the War

You probably don't have a Broun in your collection already, and if you do, it's probably got very little (if any) of the original copper sabot!  This little gem has the COMPLETE copper sabot intact, with clear saw-cut flame grooves to be seen in the sabot (where the arsenal pre-cut these small relief marks to assist with allowing hot gas to ignite the paper fuse, and for expanding into the rifling for expansion).  This specimen is unfired, and from the Appomattox Campaign at very end of the war--which is usually where these unfired Brouns are found.  The first appearance of the Broun is from Cold Harbor in May, 1864, so we know the Broun was a later development for the Confederacy.  It was designed by Captain William LeRoy Broun, commanding the Richmond Arsenal, and began production of this shell in April, 1864.  This specimen has the usual central Virginia ground action, having been professionally cleaned, coated, and disarmed.  The machined grooving on the sabot is seen wonderfully across the that beautiful copper sabot.  You can see the lathe-chuck on the bottom of the shall base.  The head of the shell, acting as an upper bourrelet, is seen distinctly upon this specimen. 

Rare shell, and far rarer still in the fact that the copper sabot is so intact and nice.

$595

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Phenomenal Displaying NON-DUG Original 3-Pound US Ketchum Hand Grenade

Excellently-Made, Historically-Correct Reproduction Tail, Fins, & Plunger

Oh my, is this spectacular.  Just take a look at this excellent displaying complete 3-pounder Ketchum grenade.  The grenade itself is a mint-condition original non-dug 3-pound Ketchum, having the beautifully intact lead/zinc plunger adaptor.  The wonderfully made and precise historical reproduction wooden tail, paper fins, and plunger disk insert only serve to put this phenomenal displaying piece "over-the-top."  Uncleaned & uncoated, the grenade is 100% in "foundry-new" condition--just like the day it was made.  The internal plunger percussion device was removed, and obviously without any powder charge, so it's perfectly safe.  The ingenious and revolutionary Ketchum Hand Grenade design was a small engineering marvel, far ahead of it's time.  The percussion plunger design was unique for it's time, but proved to be rather ineffective if thrown at more horizontal angles--one needed a high arching "lob" in order to allow both gravity's effect to give it enough force on impact to make the cap pop, and you needed an almost vertical landing to allow the plunger to receive the sufficient force.  This is also why the Ketchum Grenade was not very successful, as it's very light weight was simply did not have enough "umph" behind it to give the plunger enough force behind it to pop the percussion cap.  The larger and more common 5-pounder size was preferred, due to the weight, but these were largely ineffective, most often being lobbed right back at them by the Confederate defenders!  The more reliable use of small field artillery cannonballs being lit and thrown by hand was the best use of "hand grenades" during the war, and was a common practice by the Confederates at close-quarters at Vicksburg and Port Hudson.

This is almost certainly a Bannerman specimen, and outside of original fins, tail, and plunger, you won't find a better non-dug displaying specimen ANYWHERE and ANYTIME.  If you are going to buy, always buy the very best.  And you've found it.

Sale Pending $1075

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Original Field Artillery Lanyard -- Very Good Un-Issued Condition

There's also another piece of artillery equipment you need to operate a cannon--the lanyard to pull the friction primer and spark the charge!  To go along with the other outstanding artillery equipment, I offer you this nice original field lanyard, in un-issued condition (probably a Bannerman).  It is still in it's looped-knot configuration, and every piece is intact and present.  No wear, obviously, and one small chip in the wooden handle from the years.  The primer hook would be attached to the small twisted brass wire of the brass friction primer, which would be inserted into the breech.  Upon pulling the panyard, the top of the friction primer would snap, thus the friction would create a spark down into the breech, igniting the charge.  Another "must-have" for any artillery collector...

$550

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Very Scarce (Rarity 9+) CS 3.67" "Imitation" Pre-Rifled Read-Parrott Shell

Seeing as there are less than 50 of these specifically known to exist (per Dickey & George), even they have to proclaim it as "quite rare" in their own words!  It is a 3.67" Confederate "imitation" and pre-rifled 3.67" Read-Parrott shell, listed on page 220 of Dickey & George (1993).  This CS specimen is quite unique in that it has the thick pre-rifled iron sabot (very shallow pre-rifling), and these CS specimens (as opposed to the pre-war US experimental examples) have the ever-present CS lathe chock near the nose.  There is belief that it was produced in one of the Georgia or other Deep South (Selma?) arsenals, given their tendency to be found in the Deep South.  Awfully hard CS shell to find to put in your collection.  You won't get many opportunities to own one.  This one has slick, stable iron, a perfectly intact sabot, great lathe dimple in the base with corresponding lathe chock in the nose.  The copper timed fuze adaptor has a little damage, but who are we to complain at such rarity!

$895

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Phenomenally Rare (Only Handful - Rarity 10) 3.4" CS Burton/Dyer Shell

Seeing as there are only 5 or 6 of these--at most--known to exist, it is my pleasure to yet again offer a phenomenally rare Confederate projectile for your collection!  And in terms of iron condition and quality, you won't see one better!  It is essentially free of any ground action whatsoever.  Just gorgeous, slick iron.  With only a quick, light coating of wax for protection against dust, it is a dark beauty!  These come from early-war 1861 northern Virginia sites.  They were made in Virginia (believed at Tredegar) for exclusive use in antiquated 4-pounder guns that the State of Virginia--in her desperate need in 1861 for weaponry--had rifled at Tredegar for the State of Virginia and issued to Virginia batteries.  As you will quickly notice, it has the classic form of a Dyer shell, but as Dickey & George explain in great detail within their watershed book "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War (1993)",  they go into the "Dyer and Burton Controversy" that the inner artillery collecting community get into regarding whether they feel it should be called a "Dyer" or a "Burton" shell.  Frankly, I just call it RARE AS CAN BE!  So whether you want to call it a "Burton" or a "Dyer" shell is meaningless, in the long run.   Alexander B. Dyer and James H. Burton both traveled to England TOGETHER in the late 1850's to study British rifled artillery projectiles, and both incorporated such similar newer (and British-based) design concepts to work.  What we DO KNOW is that James Burton WORKED FOR THE STATE OF VIRGINIA in 1861 under contract, designing their ammunition.  Thus, I personally like to call  it a "Burton" shell, as it is clearly a Burton-designed, Virginia-made and used rifled projectile.  It was a simple design, with the more British concept of using a lead band around the base as the sabot, having the 5 notched grooves in the base of the projectile (as seen wonderfully on this specimen here), and in traditional Confederate form, utilizing a simple wood-plug adaptor fuse.

All that truly matters with this projectile offered for your collection is that it is absolutely gorgeous, absolutely rare, and absolutely Confederate!  Good luck finding any for sale again....ever. 

Sale Pending 

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Nice CS 24-Pounder Spherical Early-Found Shell from Virginia, w/ Mold Seam

Here's your classic Confederate-made, large-calibered smoothbore field artillery projectile, being an early 20th century "eye-balled" find in northern Virginia.  The Confederacy had to depend upon these much older smoothbore field pieces for years into the war.  Classic mold seam with the wood-plug fuse adaptor fuse hole.  Smooth uncleaned metal with that out-of-the-ground minute surface pitting (sitting outside in a barn--not wet, but exposed to air moisture).  This one could be professionally cleaned with some TLC and be a real "smoker". 

Consignor Says, "It's Time To GO!"  Price Reduced!

 $295 

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Excellent Excavated 3.67" Hotchkiss Shell, Full Lead Sabot -- Clear James Rifling

Found at Vicksburg -- Clearly Fired From 3.8" James Rifled Gun (15 lands-and-grooves) -- Iron Percussion Fuse

It's hard to find a truly excellent iron condition AND full lead sabot large-caliber complete Hotchkiss these days--especially one with a great iron percussion anvil fuse AND with crisp lands-and-groove rifling from a 14# James Rifle!  Yes, the 3.8" James Rifle EASILY fired a ever-so-slightly 3.67" caliber projectile--the nice, soft lead sabot band merely smushed into the rifling, and out it went smoothly.  In fact, while firing so much and fouling the gun barrels so much during the siege, it was easier and safer to fire such slightly smaller ammunition (fouling in the bore decreased the bore diameter ever-so-slightly).  This one has the Hotchkiss patent base information, and faintly, as expected.  But she is otherwise a real beauty. 

Consignor Says, "It's Time To GO!"  Price Reduced!

  $595 

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Outstanding Blown Confederate 6-Pounder Cannon Tube Large Piece

From the Historic Battle of Saltville, Virginia October 1st-3rd, 1864

How many chances do you get to own a piece of a Confederate cannon?  Well, don't ever say I didn't give you the chance!  In fact, this will have been your FOURTH chance to have dug pieces of a Confederate cannon tube offered by me in the last 2 years!  I had a grouping of 7 pieces of this same exploded 6-pounder cannon tube manned by stalwart Tennessee artillerymen equipped with old 6 and 12-pounder guns guarding the strategic saltworks at Saltville, Virginia is late 1864.  This poor old and antiquated 6-pounder blew during the battle, with these large shards of the blown tube being found decades ago by a local relic hunter. The cannon tube piece measures over 13" long and 8" wide, and you can clearly see this piece displays where the thicker, reinforced breech portion begins.  The 1st Battle of Saltville was the Federal attempt to deny the Confederates from their largest saltworks in the Confederacy--and salt was all-important for preserving food, salt-peter, and a myriad of other common uses.  Amongst the Yankee attackers was a USCT mounted regiment, which did fight hard against the Confederate fortifications.  The Confederate defenders held-off their attackers, and would be later accused of war-crimes perpetrated against wounded and captured black Federal forces.  After the war, a war-crimes trial would be held, and one Confederate officer hanged for the alleged atrocities.  I placed a 6-pounder solid shot next to it for scale reference (NOT for sale with the piece!)

Killer piece of history!  Now seriously...where else can you find ID'ed CS 6-pounder Cannon tube pieces???

LAYAWAY

 


 

Phenomenally Rare (Handful Only) CS Selma 12-Pounder w/Copper Slotted Side-Plug

With only a several known specimens, this example of the Selma Arsenal-made Confederate 12-pound spherical shell, having a copper time-fuse adaptor, BUT a slotted screw-in copper side-plug is among the rarest Confederate projectile variations in existence.  Being an unfired projectile found decades ago in Selma, it shows the spotty mix of both super-slick iron surface, and minor pits from the water exposure.  The copper fuse and plug, however, show beautifully. 

You will rarely have a chance to see, let alone BUY such a rare piece.  Anytime you can buy a rarity 10 CS shell under $1000, you had better jump at the chance.  Do you find rarity 10 CS buttons or buckles or anything else priced so reasonably?  One day soon, rarity 10 CS shells will be right up there is astronomical prices like everything else Confederate.  Bet me...

Sale Pending

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