  Civil war canister shot.
Chris reports that he found this approximately 2.5 inch diameter crude iron ball while walking in the woods in Pennsylvania. I immediately assumed it was a civil war cannonball, because that's the most interesting thing it could be. But a close second, and probably more likely according to a civil war author I asked, is that it's "canister shot", which is like shotgun pellets on a larger scale. Or it could be a crushing ball from a stone tumbler, but that's so boring it just can't be.
Analysis by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois (partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under grant DEFG02-91-ER45439) indicates that it is virtually pure iron.
Source: Chris Carlson
Contributor: Chris Carlson
Acquired: 5 June, 2002
Price: Donated
Size: 2.5"
Purity: >99%
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