Accession Number

1986.008.1758

Alternate object names

Mold

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

An iron, scissor-type shot mold from the wreck of the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. This handheld mold was used to cast round, lead ball-shot, one at a time. The balls made by this mold were approximately 13.5 millimeters diameter, the appropriate size to be fired by an arquebus, a type of matchlock firearm carried by soldiers on the Atocha. One handle bears the symbol “ƒ” - likely a maker’s mark. The other handle is engraved with cross-hatched lines intended to aid the user’s grip. The piece has an overall length of 15 centimeters.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

FIREARMS

Firearms replaced crossbows by the late 1500s. They were extremely heavy and not very accurate, but they were powerful. To improve accuracy, each man carried a pole with a yoke at its top to steady the muzzle while he used both hands to aim and fire.

Arquebuses and muskets both fired lead balls, but each had their own advantages. Muskets had a longer range, but arquebuses could be reloaded faster. Neither had a built-in firing mechanism, so the soldiers carried lit slow-burning cords with which to ignite the gunpowder behind the ball.
Object Caption (2023):

Shot Molds with Balls
Iron (c.1620)
Gifts of Jamestown Inc., Mel Fisher
1989.001.0001a-b, 1986.008.1758

Soldiers often had to make their own shot, using this scissor-type mold to cast them, one at a time.