This is a great piece of history! It is 1/2 of an original Civil War cannon shell. This is the large size that was designed for the 8 inch bore that was a mainstay for the heavy artillery units of the Civil War. This one is cut in half and as you can see it displays to show the interior cavity of the ball as well as the fuse hole. On the top of the ball it has the hole where it would have at one time had the fuse. This is the version that was made without the tong holes. This is a wonderful addition to an already fantastic Civil War artillery projectile.