Antique Amber Glass Lightning Rod Ball 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.
Condition: antique - as found
Color: sun colored amber glass
 

Lovely White Milk Glass Antique Lightning Ball Vintage - BLUE SLAG GLASS - MOON & STARS - LIGHTNING ROD BALL
This auction is for the vintage lightning rod ball shown in the pictures. This piece features 6 crescent moons and 6 stars with a diamond pattern at its waist. It is in a blue swirled slag or 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.
Condition: antique
Color: white milk glass
 

Antique Copper Roof Finial - Architectural Art Here we have a fabulous, antique copper roof peak cap or finial from the early 1900's. This gorgeous old piece wears a colorful coat of patina that can only occur as the copper slowly ages and changes with time. This two foot tall finial once adorned the the high front gable peak of a beautiful Victorian home. Unfortunately that old home is now gone, but you can still use it's copper peak to make a stunning folk art display. Our old finial measures 24" high by 16 inches wide and deep and could be used to decorate your home or office in any number of creative ways. If you'd like some ideas, please feel free to ask. We have all sorts of great old items to choose from that will help make this wonderful antique piece something that is uniquely yours.

Condition: antique Good
Manufacturer: US  

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  

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