Any ideas

[Whatdayagot]

I found this at a old property 1730s found in a area of lawn where I found two Spanish reales 1768 1775 also found lots of other old stuf buttons coins shoebuckle feels like stone but is very heavy maybe lead? Has grooves where the hole on top is I was thinking fishing weight but itwould be too heavy for around here. But who knows also the bottom round part has some type of shape carved out or worn out any info about it would be appreciated found it about a foot

 

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[relic nut]

Maybe a weight for a fishing net

HH, RN

 

[BosnMate]

Does the hole in the bottom look like it would hold bees wax? The lead line, or sounding line, used by sailors to tell the depth of the water, had bees wax in a hole on the bottom, which was so they could tell if the bottom was sand or rock. Lead line had marks every fathom, (6 ft.) which is how Sam Clemens arrived at the pen name "Mark Twain." The sailor on a river boat would toss the lead line, then holler the depth. If he shouted, "By the mark, twain," the water was two fathoms deep. If the water was deeper, say between two and three fathoms, then he'd shout, "By the deep, twain" That's also where the term "deep 6" comes from. Anyhow, it looks to me like you have a net weight, or possibly a lead line for use on a river boat, the lead/sounding lines for sea going vessels had a larger, heavier lead weight.

 

[sutphin]

NEET FIND

 

[bradyboy]

I'm going with a sounder - IMO

 

[DCMatt]

Does the hole in the bottom look like it would hold bees wax? The lead line, or sounding line, used by sailors to tell the depth of the water, had bees wax in a hole on the bottom, which was so they could tell if the bottom was sand or rock. Lead line had marks every fathom, (6 ft.) which is how Sam Clemens arrived at the pen name "Mark Twain." The sailor on a river boat would toss the lead line, then holler the depth. If he shouted, "By the mark, twain," the water was two fathoms deep. If the water was deeper, say between two and three fathoms, then he'd shout, "By the deep, twain" That's also where the term "deep 6" comes from. Anyhow, it looks to me like you have a net weight, or possibly a lead line for use on a river boat, the lead/sounding lines for sea going vessels had a larger, heavier lead weight.

Wow. Awesome find and awesome ID!

I learned something today!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Tallow, not bees wax. Most I have ever seen would go about three to eight pounds - up to almost 30 pounds. I had a small one (about four pounds) made from a diving belt weight in a length of lead pipe. It had to be thrown ahead of the boat, get the line to the bottom FAST (100 ft of line has a lot of drag) so it could be bumped on the bottom when you were directly over it, and be hauled up as the boat passed. That one looks too small to hit the bottom hard enough to pick up a sample. But you never know.

 

[DCMatt]

Here is one about the same size.