Federal 12 Pounder Case-Shot Shell - Rare Bormann "Braille" Time Fuze

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Item: Federal 12 Pounder Case-Shot Shell - Rare Bormann "Braille" Time Fuze
Gun: 12-pounder smoothbore, 4.62-inch caliber.
Approximate diameter: 4.50 inches
Approximate weight: 10.6 pounds
Condition: Very good, excavated, un-fired, stable & deactivated. As dug, still in the rough with no coating. There is a minimal amount of iron surface build-up and pitting. Its Bormann time-fuze, with raised dots instead of numbers, is present. Several dots and hash-marks are visible as indicated in the additional close-up images. The hole in the shell, directly opposite the fuze, is where the shell was drilled to remove the powder. No repairs and ready for display.  
Recovered: Seven Days Battles areas."
Reference: Similar examples are pictured in:

  • "Introduction To Field Artillery Ordnance 1861 - 1865", by Jack W. Melton, Jr., and Lawrence E. Pawl, page 56.
  • "Guide to Civil War Artillery Projectiles", by Jack W. Melton and Lawrence E. Pawl, page 32, item Fig. III A-12 (same example as pictured in reference above).
  • "Artillery Fuses of the Civil War" by Charles H. Jones, page 24. (Fuze only)
  • "Civil War Projectiles II Small Arms & Field Artillery with Supplement" by W. Reid McKee and M. E. Mason, Jr., page 150, item 31. (Fuze only)

See above pages in the additional images.

Comments:  Recovering a shell with a Bormann "Braille" time fuze is quite rare. Dots were used instead of numbers to indicate fuze burn time in seconds prior to igniting the powder for shell explosion. During twilight or night-time artillery fire with little or no light, the use of dots by touch only, allowed the artilleryman to determine where to punch the fuze for the proper burn time. Though Bormann fuzes with dots have been referred to as "Braille" fuzes over the years by the collecting community, the alignment of the dots are such that they are not technically in the "Braille" form of numerals.

If you prefer that "just out of the ground appearance" then this example will be an excellent addition to any excavated Civil War artillery or general relic collection.

Product Code:
PC10758

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