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<p>[QUOTE="springfld.arsenal, post: 42083, member: 54"]<i>There is a very light indent ring to one side of each. </i>If we can't see that in the photo I'd like to see it, I don't know exactly what it would look like from the words.</p><p><br /></p><p>I used to dismiss people who'd bring me brass or copper balls with their theory that they were cannon balls, but I don't do that any more. Recent scholarship and archaeology have convinced me that copper cannon balls, including grapeshot and canister shot, saw widespread use in Mexico because copper was more available than iron, the more traditional cannonball material. Just a possibility to consider. In order to check that out fully you'd probably have to check around to find out what bore sizes of cannon were in use then, say ca. 1800, and also what the grapeshot diameters were for large cannons. If they came from a family with ancestors who fought in the Mexican War, that's a good clue.</p><p><br /></p><p>I can't comment on the souvenir possibility but if you find an identical one mounted on an old stand with a descriptive sign saying it is a copper mine souvenir, there you go.</p><p><br /></p><p>You will get attention if you care to post a link back to here or make a separate post on SARA, the "Spanish Artillery Research Associates" Yahoo group." I've seen more discussion of copper cannon balls there than anywhere else.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="springfld.arsenal, post: 42083, member: 54"][I]There is a very light indent ring to one side of each. [/I]If we can't see that in the photo I'd like to see it, I don't know exactly what it would look like from the words. I used to dismiss people who'd bring me brass or copper balls with their theory that they were cannon balls, but I don't do that any more. Recent scholarship and archaeology have convinced me that copper cannon balls, including grapeshot and canister shot, saw widespread use in Mexico because copper was more available than iron, the more traditional cannonball material. Just a possibility to consider. In order to check that out fully you'd probably have to check around to find out what bore sizes of cannon were in use then, say ca. 1800, and also what the grapeshot diameters were for large cannons. If they came from a family with ancestors who fought in the Mexican War, that's a good clue. I can't comment on the souvenir possibility but if you find an identical one mounted on an old stand with a descriptive sign saying it is a copper mine souvenir, there you go. You will get attention if you care to post a link back to here or make a separate post on SARA, the "Spanish Artillery Research Associates" Yahoo group." I've seen more discussion of copper cannon balls there than anywhere else.[/QUOTE]
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