19thc Glass Target Balls
£225
A run of 5 glass target balls, dating from the mid 19thc, predecessors for clay pigeons.
Each hand blown cobalt glass ball was filled with feathers and sealed with a cork stopper, they were then launched into the air by a machine called the ball chuck.
As they flew through the air they were easily seen as the sun reflected off the ribbed blue glass.
When the target was hit by the gun shot the glass shattered and the feathers would disperse into the air.
These are increasingly rare to find as the target balls had a short production life of only around 20 years, as in 1880 they were replaced by the clay pidgeons still used today.
Price is per ball.
Origin: English
period: 1860