What is this object in my garden (that looks like a bomb)?
My parents moved into a new house several years ago. In one of the gardens behind the house, we found this round metal object about the size of a bowling ball:
Both my mom and I think that it looks like a bomb, and are afraid to touch it. I know it is unlikely that it is a bomb, but it is always good to err on the side of caution. Also, who knows what kind of person lived in the house before us.
Does anyone know what it is?
2 answers
It could be an old rusty flower pot, of the kind that you hang up in strings or chains. For reference, see for example this. In which case the holes on top (which is actually the bottom) is there to drain surplus water from the soil. Is there a second metal ring on the other side?
It's not a bomb, you've watched too much Looney Tunes :)
What you are looking at is a vintage/ antique style of smudge pot. Although the top part held a wick which would be lit, the bottom part held slow-burning oil, not explosives, so you can relax.
The Wikipedia article on smudge pots says that they are used mainly for preventing frost on plants, and shows a larger, more modern variant, and lists several other usages over history. My family had one as a kid that looked similar to yours, but was used as a mosquito deterrent, I would guess filled with a citronella-based oil. (Today, one sees similar things in a tiki-torch looking device.) Given their use by construction crews as road flares, this might be where we got the one we had, as Dad had worked highway construction before I was born, and was occasionally able to obtain surplus.
For your use today, if it is clean and in good condition (i.e. not rusted through) it may have value to the right antique collector- I see prices on Etsy of $40 to $70. Otherwise, it might make a neat piece of decor. In any case, you needn't fear it, it should be completely safe to touch.
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