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LOT 1351
Lead Musket Ball Collection
17TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 - 3/4 in. (2.08 kg total, 12-18 mm).
Group of ninty-nine lead musket and pistol balls. [99, No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK gallery, early 2000s.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Post Medieval Weaponry Display
17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Mixed group comprising: a petronel; lead musket ball and pistol shot in various gauges; three powder-charge containers; mounted on a display frame. 489 grams total, 13 cm wide including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
100 Civil War Period Lead Musket Balls
Circa 17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Mixed group of lead-alloy musket and carbine balls,some with casting seam and sprue nipple. 1.57 kg total, 9-19 mm
Found Hertfordshire, UK. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Piriform body with domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 580 grams, 12.5 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
