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Old Ball and Chain Shackle? Or a fake?

18 visible archived posts · 18 preserved total · topic ID 4563

Shadycyde 09 Jan 2012

This was supposedly found while digging near the railroad in Kinston, NC. Can anyone verify the validity of this item and possibly give me a little more information on it? Is it homemade? Is that I can't find another one like it online?

Mark Lyons 09 Jan 2012

Hi,

It is hard to tell from the picture, but I suspect the chain is of modern construction and was electrically welded.
There are some members here that may reply that will give the date when this technology was first used.
The M.H. lettering certainly was welded on and I do know that this welding was not available in the 1880- 1920's when the majority of the ball and chains were used. The staple where the chain is attached to the ball appears to be welded in the same fashion.

The leg clamps are not typical of of a restraint of this kind either. I believe I see a nut and bolt holding the leg restraint together and that is the typical design Uncle Billy would use to make a conversation piece in his work shop and extremely unlikely that a prison would order up any supplies with this sort of construction.

The item does not seem to have the patina one would expect to see on a relic which spent most of its time buried under ground near the railroad yard. The rail yard yarn sounds like a fairy tale story to me. Maybe this special rail yard also lacks precipitation too so as to preserve any prison artifacts that may find their way to its location.

Metal (of the ferrous persuasion) objects buried underground for a long time develop layers of rust that break away in thin sheets. This has minor surface rust and my guess is that it spent most of its life hanging over the doorway at Kelly's Bar and Grill.

If this is offered to you and you miss the sale, do not fret...you will find another variation during the year.

If you do find one, do not let Chum Lee handle it!

mark
O----------o

anon456 10 Jan 2012

I have seen that one floating around ebay before and they do get creative in the description. Bottom line, not the real deal. Fake!

Shadycyde 10 Jan 2012

Mark, thank you so much for responding so quickly! I decided to take it to the NC Museum of History today, where the Chief Curator, Mr. Porter, was able to take a look. He seems to think that the initials were added later, and that the piece may be valid. He has never seen another like it, real or forged, and he is sending the pictures to a friend of his at the Smithsonian for more information. Admittedly, when I first saw it, I thought the shackle itself, and the initials were wrong. But Mr. Porter explained that a lot of them were homemade from common items on hand, and that could explain it's uniqueness. He showed me how the shackle tapered from top to bottom to fit the ankle just so, and how it opened and closed with the screw permanently attached. It was quite amazing actually! He further explained that it wasn't a field shackle, meant to allow movement, but most likely an auction shackle meant to hold a slave in place. I think that all 3 of us agree that the story is decidely fake given the piece's condition. But it does add the intrigue and mystery! I don't have high hopes that it's real, but trying to find out it's origin is an adventure in itself. If it is real, I'd like to donate it to the museum, and if not, it makes a great conversation piece. I should know soon, and I promise to keep you updated. Thanks again for everything!
-Sam

Mark Lyons 10 Jan 2012

Hi,

I think your Curator, Mr. Porter might know that North Carolina was the last of the 13 states to declare independence from England, that the colony was originally named the Province of Carolina and that Pirates worked the shores until the first half of the 18th century, but an expert on the Ball and Chains, he is not.

Ball and Chains are not typically associated with the slave trade. To my limited knowledge of that topic, I don't believe North Carolina had the same slave trade activity than its more southern neighbors, but resident cotton and tobacco farmers were certainly known to hold slaves.

Ball and Chains were used primarily in the prison system to allow prisoners just enough movement to work in the fields or build roads. Prison run factories produced ball and chains and prison management also bought them from cuff manufacturers.

In a slave trade setting, I would have to ask: why would the auctioneer need to put the slave in a ball and chain in lieu of locking him (or her) to a stationary pole or cart?

I think your curator is SawChucking a story with this item and I trust the Smithsonian guy will set him straight.

I will be curious what he has to say and do hope you will report his findings to us.

mark
O--O

edgeplayusa 10 Jan 2012

I agree with Mark. The ball and chain appears modern. The following points support my position:

The staple on the ball appears to be electrically welded.

The chain appears to be modern, electrically welded proof chain.

The ankle shackle appears to be a pipe hanger.

The bolt holding the end of the shackle together appears to be a modern hex bolt. Old bolts usually had square heads. The bolt is also an anomaly. There is no reason to anchor the bars together with a bolt, which is both insecure and, in its day, expensive. A smith would have been much more likely to join the shackle bars with the ring that is captured by the bolt.

The patina does not look right.

Dorson 10 Jan 2012

The picture is rather poor and can't be certain if the ring in the ball is cast, hammer welded onto the ball or electro or torch welded. But the chain link is welded by modern means and the shackle is what they use to clamp pipe in building construction either suspending overhead or as riser clamps. This is an old discussion somewhere on here, but they didn't have steel like we know it today and the patina on steel is different then wrought iron of the day.

Anonymous 10 Jan 2012

SawChucking?

Daniel Webster 11 Jan 2012

SawChucking

saw-chuk / Show Spelled (saw-chuck-ing) Show IPA verb, -ed, ing,
verb (used without object)

1. to invent or create facts from imaginary thoughts.
2. to state falsehoods under the guise that they are factual.
3. to broadcast and chronicle events which never happened, to the masses, as if they did.
4. to alter or change known history by carelessly using any of the above.

ex. By using effective sawchucking techniques, my real estate agent talked me into buying some great property in Southern Florida.

Anonymous 11 Jan 2012

#10

Unresolved image reference ↗

Anonymous 11 Jan 2012

#11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_SawChuck

anon456 11 Jan 2012

#12

And please keep him off of Pawn Stars!!!

Anonymous 12 Jan 2012

#13

What a pompous photogragh!
Who else would pay to have this studio shot taken?

ChuckII 12 Jan 2012

#14

Here's a similar set of shackles:

<img src="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=riveted+ ... efurl<span class="link">http://www.warehamforge.ca/REPRODUCTION ... chain2.jpg" alt="[linked image]"></span>&w=504&h=378&ei=iVUPT_ozydu3B-nsgP0B&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=942&vpy=194&dur=111&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=156&ty=102&sig=106984515420835746894&page=6&tbnh=154&tbnw=205&start=93&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:93

edgeplayusa 13 Jan 2012

#15

404 Message on that link.

Anonymous 13 Jan 2012

#16

Here it is:

Normand Marion 13 Jan 2012

#17

This is a real ball and chain,more likely used at stag parties in 1950 -1960 great item to remind the new to be wed what it will be like to have a wife !!!!,also usefull to insure he does not leave before he is(tarred ) molasses and feathers and whatever else we would decide to do to him.In those years I have seen B/C made of old cannon ball,cast lead ball,toy plastic ball filled with concrete,shackles were made of pipe clamps,bent flat bar,a piece of chain,a padlock,that was all that was needed.The initials on the ball are most likely the owners at the time .Just my opinion
Normand Marion

ChuckII 13 Jan 2012

#18

I made a ball and chain out of part of a John Deere muffler. The shackle was part of the assembly at the top of the 3-inch exhaust pipe that flaps over the opening. The ball was concrete, formed in part by a thick beach ball.

And no, I didn't try to sell it on ebay as coming from Alcatraz, Sing Sing, and/or Leavenworth LOL.