Red Rooster Cast Metal Finial or Cupola Topper Here is a neat old piece from about the 1940's. This good looking little 8 inch tall red rooster was actually standing on top of a weathervane finial or old barn cupola. He is worn some and there is a hairline crack in the base across his feet, but there is no movement and the area of the crack is solid and stable, so it has likely been this way for a long time and will be this way for a lot longer. The little Rooster still has a lot of his original black undercoating and red topcoat of paint in tact. He is hollow, but heavily cast, making him rather weighty for such a small piece. With a lot of good detailing, use your imagination to think up uses for this nice little rooster.
Circa: 1940
Condition: used. antique
Color: old red and black paint
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown
Author: unknown US maker  

Red Glass Ball & 3 Pendants on Fancy Lightning Rod I don't know for sure how old this set is, but I would guess from the style and the fact the rod is made of aluminum, it probably dates to the 1950's or possibly the 1960's. Not ancient, but old enough when you consider this lightning rod, red glass ball and three red glass pendants spent those 50 or 60 years out in the weather in the face of Mother Nature. The stand features a very neat spiral rod and with it's tri-pod like construction is able to hold not only the red glass lightning ball, but also three matching red pendants as well. I say matching and except for one thing there are a perfect match, but if you look closely you'll see that one of the pendants has either lost a part of its cap or perhaps never had it at all. No damaged or broken pieces and the caps are all firmly attached so I didn't bother them to try looking at the openings to see if there were and rough edges. Chances are there would be had I tried removing the tops. :) The lightning rod is painted a bronze or dark gold color and stands 30 inches high. I did replace all three of the hooks that had held the pendants because they were iron and near the point of rusting off completely. I believe this piece has spent the last several years indoors and was cleaned not that long ago. A wonderfully rare lightning rod with even more hard to find red glass ball and pendants.
Circa: 1950's to 1960's
Condition: used . as found
Color: Red Glass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Unknown American Crafted
Author: unknown  

Early 20's Tin Finial or Cupola Topper. 3D design This good looking old architectural piece is another finial or cupola topper. It is made of tin that was soldiered together and then attached to the peak of some type of finial. Likely this was once part of the peak on the tower of some old Victorian home or fastened to an old barn cupola. The tin is old and I have the feeling it is getting too brittle to last much longer outside in the elements, but could serve admirably in some indoor display. A rare old tin finial that likely dates to the roaring 20's.
Circa: 1920
Condition: used. as found antique
Color: aged tin . gray
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown
Author: unknown. American made  

Antique Amber Glass Lightning Rod Ball. 4 inch dia. Vintage Amber - sun colored glass LIGHTNING ROD BALL
This auction is for another vintage lightning rod ball as shown in the pictures. This lovely amber colored ball has a 4 inch round body in excellent, with no visible damage. As is common on this old lightning balls, both ends have some small chips in the glass but the copper end caps cover this damage completely. A nice vintage ball, ready to be used again as intended, or shown off in your collection!!
PS> I like to add a small light bulb inside these glass balls. They give off a lovely glow.
Circa: 1930's
Condition: used. antique
Color: sun colored amber glass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown. American Antique
Author: unknown  

Lovely White Milk Glass Antique Lightning Ball White Milk Glass LIGHTNING ROD BALL
This auction is for the vintage white lightning rod ball shown in the pictures. This piece is made of thick, heavy white milk glass. The body is excellent, with no visible damage, but as is so common on this old lightning balls, both ends have chips and rough edges. Fortunately the copper end caps cover this damage completely. A nice vintage ball, ready to be used again as intended, or shown off in your collection!!
PS. I like to add a small light bulb inside these glass balls. They give off a lovely glow.
Circa: 1930's
Condition: used. antique
Color: white milk glass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: unknown. American Antique
Author: unknown  

Antique Metal Finial - Old Baltimore Habor salvage Finial size = 22 inches square x 14 inches high As the story was told to me, this old tin finial, along with several other very similar decorative finials, once graced the roof-line of an old building in the city of Baltimore. Supposedly, the building was built in the early 1900's not far from the docks that connected Baltimore to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, many years later the building was abandoned and soon fell into disrepair. Somewhere around the early 1980's, the structure was torn down to make way for sweeping renovations that eventually became what many of us now know as Baltimore's Inner Harbor. To get back to the story, a group of these finials were loaded into a scrap bin, destined for the salvage yards. It was nothing but pure luck that they were spotted by one of the construction workers who pulled the battered metal pieces from the ruins and took them home. These pieces were never repaired or put to use by the man who saved them and it wasn't until after his death that they were uncovered once again. This time the old finials were found inside several large cardboard boxes that had been tucked away under a workbench in the garage of the man who found them. The garage was part of his estate and became the property of his only son. Sometime later, they ended up here with me. There is no doubt that time left its mark on these old pieces of tin. Their paint has peeled and the metal has nearly all separated at the joints. These pieces were in rough shape when they were first found and in even rougher shape when they finally got to me. Even so, when I saw them, I decided they were too nice to throw away. In the end I came to the conclusion that the only way these finials could be restored without destroying their natural patinas with the heat and other preparation it would take to solder or weld them back together was to glue them. So we clamped all four sides of each piece around some makeshift supports, then tape the pieces back together, first on the outside, then on the inside, until finally they were strong enough that we could coat all the seams on the inner side with heavy construction grade glue. Judging by the finished job that stands before me now, I would have to say the idea turned out to be a winner. No matter how many years it may yet take before this old metal finally rusts to pieces and falls away like dust. Then the glue will be all that remains. The base of this piece measures 22 inches square the finial stand 14 inches tall as shown. I'm glad these fine old remnants of the past could be saved, not lost to us forever as happens far too often with far too many fine old pieces of our history. Here's a thought I had. As you view this final you will notice how the bottom edges are a bit roughed up. The tin is somewhat bent and there is also some tarpaper residue stuck on the metal in some places. If you find this is not to your liking, I would offer this suggestion. A wood trim, sort of like baseboard trim used in most houses, could easily be cut to fit around the bottom of this finial. The wood could even be stained or painted to match your existing trim. This is something we would be glad to discuss further with you if you'd like.
Condition: antique - as found
Manufacturer: US  

Vintage Victorian roof top finial . Iron & old paint This is a very heavy piece, which doesn't appear to have spent too many years out in the elements, but still has the look of being vintage and nicely aged. This finial is a 27 inch tall Victorian Roof ornament complete with what remains of a coat of old white paint. The ironwork is very well done, with smooth welds and strong joints. A heavy piece considering it's size and one that could certainly serve either as a roof top ornament once again, or in any other role you have in mind.
Circa: unknown
Condition: used . as found
Color: old white paint
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Unknown American Crafted  

Rare Ribbed Mercury Glass Lightning Rod Pendant These silver mercury glass lightning rod pendants were a rarity to begin with, then mother nature got involved and in the end, very few survived. This is one of those few and it is in fabulous condition considering it is at least 50 years of age. Just shy of 4 inches tall, this lovely pleated glass pendant once hung high atop some old building where it braved decades of wind and storms. The work is done now for this antique pendant, except for the job of being placed on display and admired for the work of art it truly is.


Condition: antique - very good
Manufacturer: Unknown  

Old Baltimore Habor C 1900 Tin Flame Tipped Roof Finial Finial size = 22 inches square x 24 inches high. As the story was told to me, this old tin finial, along with several other very similar decorative finials, once graced the roof-line of an old building in the city of Baltimore. Supposedly, the building was built in the early 1900's not far from the docks that connected Baltimore to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, many years later the building was abandoned and soon fell into disrepair. Somewhere around the early 1980's, the structure was torn down to make way for sweeping renovations that eventually became what many of us now know as Baltimore's Inner Harbor. To get back to the story, a group of these finials were loaded into a scrap bin, destined for the salvage yards. It was nothing but pure luck that they were spotted by one of the construction workers who pulled the battered metal pieces from the ruins and took them home. These pieces were never repaired or put to use by the man who saved them and it wasn't until after his death that they were uncovered once again. This time the old finials were found inside several large cardboard boxes that had been tucked away under a workbench in the garage of the man who found them. The garage was part of his estate and became the property of his only son. Sometime later, they ended up here with me. There is no doubt that time left its mark on these old pieces of tin. Their paint has peeled and the metal has nearly all separated at the joints. These pieces were in rough shape when they were first found and in even rougher shape when they finally got to me. Even so, when I saw them, I decided they were too nice to throw away. In the end I came to the conclusion that the only way these finials could be restored without destroying their natural patinas with the heat and other preparation it would take to solder or weld them back together was to glue them. So we clamped all four sides of each piece around some makeshift supports, then tape the pieces back together, first on the outside, then on the inside, until finally they were strong enough that we could coat all the seams on the inner side with heavy construction grade glue. Judging by the finished job that stands before me now, I would have to say the idea turned out to be a winner. No matter how many years it may yet take before this old metal finally rusts to pieces and falls away like dust. Then the glue will be all that remains. The base of this piece measures 22 inches square the finial stand 24 inches tall as shown. I'm glad these fine old remnants of the past could be saved, not lost to us forever as happens far too often with far too many fine old pieces of our history. Here's a thought I had. As you view this final you will notice how the bottom edges are a bit roughed up. The tin is somewhat bent and there is also some tarpaper residue stuck on the metal in some places, but what a great conversation piece this will make.
Condition: as found
Manufacturer: American made antique  

Antique Spiral Lightning Rod with Stand & 4 glass balls Here is a very unique old weather vane or lightning rod which dates to the 1940's. This interesting old piece is made from aluminum which has been formed into fancy spirals and bends that are quite eye catching all by themselves. The lightning rod at the center is twisted around into a spiral that goes right up through the middle of a really neat looking lightning ball with its own unusual design. The ball measures about 4 1/2 inches tall and wide and is made of very thick white glass, which has survived the many years outside in the elements extrememly well. Not only is the shape and the overall design of this glass lightning ball a bit out of the ordinary, the raised markings surrounding the center are equally strange. The ball is marked 'Diddle Blitzen Rods,' in raised relief block style letters around the angled panels that lead down to the textured glass that makes the verticle center of this odd shaped ball. But that's not all....
The curled top ends of the three legged stand portion of this metal work of art were made to hold any number of various glass or metal adornments that were offered for sale from the supplier or as many folks quickly realized, could be customized later by the purchaser at a much lower price because almost any sparkling item at all that a person had three of would make excellent added decorations for their lightning rod.
Pictured here are three blue glass balls about 2 inches in diameter. These were not original to this piece when it was first sold, but were added sometime later by the previous owner and make a very nice addition to this set. You can use them also or switch them off for something more to your liking. The choice is up to you and the possibilities are endless.
Total height of this old lightning rod unit is 24 inches tall by 14 inches wide. It is in very good condition, so you can use it inside or outside or both, if you so desire.
Condition: antique - as found
Manufacturer: D&S