Circular stone - marble...???? What is it?

[Limitool]

My 8 y/o granddaughter brought this over to me and asked me "What is it... Grandpa?" She found it in their garden along with one about twice this size. I didn't weight it but it's "heavy". While it appears totally round it isn't at all. It doesn't roll like a ball bearing but it is pretty circular. It feels like rock and/or stone but how did it get so circular and why?

Thanks for any ideas or insight... Brad

 

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[huntsman53]

Brad,

It is possible that it is a Stone Ball used in games by the Chickasaw Native American Indians or another tribe that occupied Middle Tennessee at one time. Of course that is if it was found in Middle Tennessee but even if not, many tribes had similar games using stone balls. In one of the games, the stone ball was rolled across the ground and the braves would throw spears at it. The brave that came the closest to or hit the stone ball, won. I believe it is too large to have been made for and used as an Aggie or Alley!


Frank

 

[kcm]

It might also have been a fake egg used in a chicken house. Snake eats fake egg and dies = 1 less chicken egg thief.

 

[Limitool]

Brad,

It is possible that it is a Stone Ball used in games by the Chickasaw Native American Indians or another tribe that occupied Middle Tennessee at one time. Of course that is if it was found in Middle Tennessee but even if not, many tribes had similar games using stone balls. In one of the games, the stone ball was rolled across the ground and the braves would throw spears at it. The brave that came the closest to or hit the stone ball, won. I believe it is too large to have been made for and used as an Aggie or Alley!

Frank

It was found right here in Centerville Frank.... ? It does feel heavy and hard like a stone but how in the hell did it get so round? And on this one (of two) there are no chips or marks either.

 

[huntsman53]

It might also have been a fake egg used in a chicken house. Snake eats fake egg and dies = 1 less chicken egg thief.

You could be right but I have never seen Nesting Eggs that were round. The ones I saw and some that we also used, were always made out of Blown Glass or were Ceramic, never made from a rock or stone and always shaped like a chicken egg as you might be able to fool the chickens for a few days but they catch on quick if the Nesting Eggs aren't shaped like a real egg. We had over one hundred chickens most of the time when I was a kid and usually collected 2 to 3 dozen eggs every day. I also helped out my second cousin gather eggs on a very large Egg Farm in Powell, Tennessee on the weekends which had thousands of chickens. There is not much worse than ticking off a Hen that is trying to nest, when it is 10 degrees, your' hands are frozen solid and she starts pecking and flogging them! Ouch...ouch...ouch!!


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

It was found right here in Centerville Frank.... ? It does feel heavy and hard like a stone but how in the hell did it get so round? And on this one (of two) there are no chips or marks either.

You would have to ask someone over in the North American Artifacts Forum that question. I do know that many if not all of the Native American Tribes had developed ways to hone the stones down until they were perfectly round or so close to perfectly round that you could not tell they weren't without measuring instruments!


Frank

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Everlasting gobstopper/jawbreaker taste it.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I carve wood and different items and that looks like a golf ball when you remove the outer part.Not saying that is what it is but it looks real close.

 

[trikikiwi]

I'm pretty sure what you have is a ceramic ball used in a ball mill machine for grinding material to fine powders.



Pharmaceutical Technology : Report On : Ball Milling

 

[doublet2a]

Check valve for a liquid pump of sorts?

Tim

 

[trikikiwi]

Check valve for a liquid pump of sorts?

Tim

That's another possibility - for a diaphragm pump.

Edit: Except, in my experience they will be plastic, not heavy ceramic.

 

[tamrock]

I think trikikiwi is right.

 

[Limitool]

I'm pretty sure what you have is a ceramic ball used in a ball mill machine for grinding material to fine powders.

View attachment 1344653

Pharmaceutical Technology : Report On : Ball Milling

Yea I think your right also trikikiwi. It can't be a check valve because it's not truly circular. And it's not close to a stripped golf ball. Way to heavy for that. And it looks like in the pic you posted above the large ball does not appear to be truly circular either. Unless somebody comes up with a better idea I think you'll be the "winner".... thanks. Brad

 

[Craigwac]

We used to find dozens of those in my neighbor's yard. We believed they were antique fired clay marbles. Good bit of them for sale on ebay.

 

[releventchair]

Read an account once, not sure of accuracy...where a hammer drill would be used to cut holes in rock with water running over them to tumble stones round for kids.

 

[huntsman53]

Well Brad, I just hope it isn't a Kidney Stone someone passed!! Oouuuuccchhh!


Frank