Admiral Gardner, sunk in 1809 southeast of England
1486. Clump of cannonball, wooden spike and copper coins from the
Admiral Gardner (1809). 3340 grams, roughly 6” x 4-1/2” x 3-1/2”. Encrusted clump of at least twenty copper 10-cash coins in two embedded stacks, a six-pound cannonball and a wooden ship’s spike, the iron cannonball cleaned and treated but the rest as found, accompanied by a wooden stand for display. With photo-certificate. Estimate: $500-$750.
Lady Elgin, sunk in 1860 in Lake Michigan
1487. Model 1816 Springfield rifle, converted from flintlock to percussion (rare), from the Lady Elgin (1860). 3940 grams,
about 6-1/2’ long with bayonet. A complete firearm of any period from a shipwreck is a rare item indeed, and this one has the distinction of being
super long and accompanied by its original steel bayonet, great for an impressive display, the whole surface dark and waxy from preservation but showing some rust and rot underneath the shiny coating, the firing mechanism with arm bent over from the old frizzen to a new percussion hole in the barrel, obviously not operational but with everything in place, also interesting for the wreck itself, rammed in a storm by a poorly lit schooner, prompting the requirement of running lights on all vessels as is now the rule. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000.
S.S. Republic, sunk in 1865 off Savannah, Georgia
1488. Rare “cathedral” (Gothic) pepper sauce bottle, with wooden stand, from the S.S. Republic (1865). 259 grams, 8-3/4” tall and 2-1/4” in diameter at
base. Elegant bottle in light blue glass molded into the shape of a Gothic cathedral
(popular in Victorian times) used for pepper sauce, fully intact with thick lip at top and hexagonal sides, the glass itself slightly pearly but thoroughly translucent. With tag #R-04-02951-BE-005 and wooden display stand showing plaque on one side that says “SS Republic / 1853-1865 / Cathedral Pepper Sauce Bottle.” Estimate: $400-$600.
323