Featured Signal Cannon? 1738?

This was my grandfathers. He was successful lawyer and traveled internationally frequently. It’s very possible he purchased it from an antique dealer in Europe.

My father has never showed any interest in this item and after my grandfather passed away it sat in the basement for about 40 years.

I’m curious if it would be possible to learn a little more about it? Specifically the country it’s from (French? English?) and anything about the seal.

Thoughts on value? I have no intention of selling it (it doesn’t even belong to me!) but if it has some value then maybe I can convince my father to store it in the house where it will be better cared for! : -)

 

Tanya, let's ask the cannon guy: @springfld.arsenal

I KNOW he's going to ask: HOW BIG IS IT???

 

Thank you! Just the metal part itself is about 19inches length.

It is VERY heavy. About 32lbs!

It seems like it is brass.

 

Nice decorative small cannon. I see the date “1738” but I think that’s an indication of the era the cannon is intended to represent rather than when it was made. In my experience, cannons with details, finish, etc. like this one were most likely made in 20th C. Pieces that size actually made in 18th C. were “perfectly” detailed miniatures of the big, real ones. Yours has kind of generalized details that wouldn’t appear on the real thing. But yours is very good looking within the category I described.

 

Nice looking cannon. The carriage appears to be very well made and the metal definitely looks like forged pieces. Have a look at the opening, the mouth of the canon to see if there’s any damage. Generally canons that have been used quite considerably will show signs of damage from being fired and also possible repairs. The firing hole does look to be quite symmetrical because over time with being fired the firing hole does slowly loose its shape. I collect lantaka cannons and I’m also a antique bell collector being a member of the American Bell Association ( great site, check it out ).
The bronze on your cannon does diffently appear to have some age. You can have the bronze tested to help establish a possible time period of manufacture. Bronze over the century’s changed in it’s makeup and sometimes dating the bronze is the best way to find the circa of an object.
I’m trying to find out which crest it is as it appears to have a roosters head atop the crest. Unfortunately a lot of crests have a rooster in them, but the search continues. Anyway great looking cannon and it deserves to be in a place where it can be viewed and appreciated.

 

“The bronze on your cannon does diffently appear to have some age. You can have the bronze tested to help establish a possible time period of manufacture. Bronze over the century’s changed in it’s makeup and sometimes dating the bronze is the best way to find the circa of an object.”

interesting; I’ve been researching cannons for decades and this is the first time I’ve heard that, unless you are talking about the percentages of the different elements making up the bronze alloy. If so, those percentages were often regional, depended somewhat on what was available, and on the specific purpose of the casting.

 

One easy way to tell if it was made in the early 18th C. Is to pass a strong magnet all over the cannon (barrel only remove it from carriage first) within about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the surface. Do that and report whether any attraction was felt, and if so where on the cannon, and I can analyze those results for you.

 

that animal on the crest looks rather like a gryphon.

 

Nice canon, Tanya.

I'm with fid, the animal is more in the mythical range, like griffin/gryphon, than a rooster. Mythical is the usual thing when it come to crest decorations. (I know there is a heraldic term for those tops of crests, and this isn't it.)

 

Hello... I'm wondering if you ever confirmed the age and authenticity of your Canon I have one just like it 1738 with same crest

 

Hello . I'm wondering if you ever got any verification or authentication as to how old your Canon is if it is original or replica I have one just like it 1738 with same crest bronze as well

 

Repro/fantasy piece, for decoration. When you’ve seen enough of them they don’t take but a few seconds to identify. If u want further proof find an advanced student of heraldry and ask them to examine that “coat of arms.” It could be a copy of a real COA but I doubt it. (Cited from: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/signal-cannon-1738.43987/)

 

A fantasy piece?Decoration?I beg to differ..this is a real solid bronze cannon..was my dad's and I have seen it fire!.. I'm wondering how you can dismiss this as fake..have you seen this cast before? I have been researching this cast and design for quite some time and the one above that Tanya has is actually the only other one I've ever come across.

 

did it fire a cannon ball.....?
or just a blank.?

 

Not trying to brag but research me a bit and I think you’d give me some credit for knowing something, I collected and researched authentic antique cannons for over 30 years before my 200-piece collection “Springfield Arsenal” sold at Julia’s auction 2014-5. If the item was cast in 1738 there would be an iron/steel cruzetta embedded in the breech, easily detected with a magnet. On smaller cannons including the size of yours, the three or four outside end points of the steel are often visible on the surface of the breech. So if no ferrous metal detectable = modern item. Sorry but dem’s da facts!

 

show us !

 

Features that are incorrect for a 1738-dated nonferrous cannon:

1. Yours has rimbases which didn’t appear on cannons until after about 1830. Rimbases are the collars on the trunnions where they meet the barrel.

2. Most all nonferrous cannons cast before about 1770 had a pair of dolphins on top at the length center of gravity.

3. Vent pan on this piece looks to have been formed by cutting with a round-nose end mill. Vent pans on real antiques aren’t this way.

 

I have been tasked by a cannon expert to post this....& so I shall !!

"
I’m sure his is brass and brass isn’t a cannon metal. Gunmetal bronze was used due to hi hardness and tensile strength. Easy to tell apart by testing, brass is cu + zn, bronze is cu + sn. Did he look for marks under barrel, like “made in Japan”?"

 

I'm not doubting anyone's knowledge on here but I know for a fact this cannon is bronze I have had it tested and it does pass the magnet test there is ferrous metal in it and there are no made in japan marks on it whatsoever.. the Canon that Tanya posted does appear to be brass