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Musket Ball Gang Mold

Dateca.1730-1743

OriginEurope, Netherlands

MediumBrass

DimensionsOverall length: 16 5/8" Cavities: about .63 caliber (24 to the pound)

Credit LineGift of Mr. Stanley Josephson

Object number1980-157

DescriptionCast brass musket ball "gang mold" set up to cast thirteen balls in each pour. Reinforced hinge on one end, and tapered quadrangular tangs (for wooden grips) on the others.
Label TextIn martial production shops like the Armoury, “gang” molds were used to cast many musket-sized balls in one pour. This large and heavy mold forms thirteen projectiles at a time, and is typical of those used during the Revolutionary War period.

From the wreck of the Dutch East Indiaman "Hollandia," sunk on July 13, 1743 off the Isles of Scilly.
Markings"XXIIII" chiseled into one half near the tang, indicating it cast musket balls of 24 to the pound.
ProvenanceFrom the wreck of the Dutch East Indiaman "Hollandia," sunk on July 13, 1743 off the Isles of Scilly. Purchased by the donor at an auction in Penzance in the 1970s.

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