🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Toy Cannon or Carronade, antique toy?

[digi-shots]

I was just reading another posting with a toy cannon and thought of a model that I have. I bought it quite a few years ago at a flea market in Pennsylvania. I don’t collect cannons but saw this one and thought it was super cool looking and fairly well made.

I think this is actually a type of cannon called a carronade.. I added a diagram that I found online of a carronade that lists the various parts.

I don’t know if it’s a hand made one of a kind or mass produced. There is an adjustment nut on the bottom of the wood base that allows the carriage to slide back and forth. There’s also a threaded brass screw for elevation. The “touch” hole is open to the barrel and I guess it would fire (I don’t plan on testing it, with my luck it would blow up!). I added the two pieces of rope on both sides.

Has anyone ever seen a model like this before or have any idea how old it is.

Thanks for looking!

 

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[Smithbrown]

It's a nice carronade model and mounting. Not a British carronade, more like French of American.

 

[Tony in SC]

Cool little cannon! Do you plan on keeping it?

 

[digi-shots]

Smithbrown… thanks, it does look like a French carronade, especially their later style.

I would think most toy models were fashioned as close as possible to actual working cannons and carronades. I guess to be more accurate the brass barrel should have been iron… but the brass really looks nice. The model shows the two most prominent carronade features… a lug under the barrel (to eliminate trunnions) and an elevation screw.

I’ll probably hold onto it for the time being… I have it displayed with a couple of cannonballs.

Any idea of how old it might be?

 

[Smithbrown]

Don't think it is a toy as such, more like something for a retired sailor to play with than a child. No idea whether it is a contemporary model or a later one. But nicely made and nice brass work, too.

 

[digi-shots]

I noticed the bore drilling is off centered… maybe more of a sign of a home crafted item… along with the hammered end of the pins and carriage slide screw bottom. Could be that the fittings are all hand made.

(I did add the two silver slip rings and rope… I may replace the shinny rings and darken the rope.. or just take them off)