# Lightning rod balls



## Oldihtractor

Pulled 6 of these off a barn n house in Pa last week.. They were just About to  hit it with the Excavator!!  Told me if you can get up there they are yours.. So built a rickity ladder out of some demolition lumber and up I went got all 6 copper rod and the glass  balls and copper ground cable..


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## RED Matthews

Hi Oldihtractor;  Nice Moon and Star LRBs.  Were they all alike?  The next question is did any of the rods have brackets for side hanging pendents?  Did all of the balls have a cap on the end lips?  Did you get any cable insulators when you took the cable off the buildings?  Which type of rods did they have, straight rods or spiral rods?  Anyway you look at it, it was certainly a good find - and well worth your time!! RED Matthews


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## Dean

I received these in a bottle collection that I purchased.  They are both 5" tall and the paneled one is 3 1/2" dia. and the round one is 5" dia.  The paneled one has 10 panels around with 10 panels on top and bottom.  Including the rod holes, I guess this makes it 32 sided.  Both are a nice sun colored amethyst color.  The paneled one has an embossed diamond w/ D&S enbossed within and two bottom panels have PATENT/ PENDING.  No embossing on the round ball.  Thanks, Dean


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## Dean

Another view


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## Just Dig it

wow...that one with the stars is breath taking...good job on saving them..that always makes them worth more on the heart....Beautiful Finds  .Eric mass


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## Brains

a long time ago i saw some purple stars that were like yours, if i remember correctly, at an auction.  Someone there payed around $100 for the lot of them, didnt think they would sell for that much.  Nice find, i allways like to look at them when i look for insulators.


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## Oldihtractor

Red    All were a like   straight pointed copper rods with three leg steel mounting brackets. steel ball ring / colllars    No brackets for side hangers.. no insulators on the cable..   I have a pretty good collection of lightning rod stuff.. spiral rods glass insert vanes cow and horse vanes.   Always on the look out for more.. being in thefarm equipment biz i get to a lot of old farms with buildings with this type stuff...   Made me late to the trade show for set up that I was on my way to. But  very worth it !! 

    Nice ones Dean    

   Brains I also have the star one in amethyst


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## RED Matthews

Hello again;  I noticed a post a little above this for a glass tube type lightning rod cable insulator by Craig98, that had an elongated D i.e. [_), I couldn't make the upper closure.  This type was held to the barn with a large flat topped staple.  
 I collected lightning rods, balls, and weather vanes for several years and still have many of them.  I guess I need to start selling them off.  I have some books on them and I know that the Fenton family of Fenton Glass in West Va., had some of the original molds in their mold collection.  They even made some marked repro's, but I guess the collecting interest lagged.  I think the 10 multiple sided one in this thread, that Dean posted,  with the D&S, was a Deitz &S item.   
_I_ have one light blue pendent hanging here in my office.  The lightning rod ball was to be broken by the hit of a lightning bolt.  There were often decorative pendent balls, that were strawberry shaped that hung on lightning rods with four armed hangers.  They were strictly for decoration.  Unfortunately the design was not engineered correctly.  The ornament had a threaded top on it and a metal screw cap with a retaining nail head inside a hole in the cap and then bent into a hook on the top of the cap that hung on the hanger.  Rain would cause water to leak inside the pendent and rust out the cap and/or collect in the ornament and freeze in the winter so they usually ended up broken.  I have looked for these pendents for a good 30 years and only found one that I could afford, a nice light blue milk glass one - and it has some ice caused fractures in the glass.  Oh well - it is just one of those things.  
 RED Matthews


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## JGUIS

Here's the mounting bracket. This is Dwayne Anthony's pic.


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## craigc90

That picture is awsome . thanks Josh


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## Stardust

MY BREATH WAS TAKEN AWAY WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE AND READ YOUR STORY. 
GREAT JOB ON SAVING THOSE BEAUTIFUL STAR AND MOON GLASS ROD BALLS. 
star


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## phantomaudio

I just stumbled on this site, and seen the pic of the moon and stars ball. 

 I too have 5 of these- I just recently took 3 down for a partial roof replacement on my old 1800's farmhouse. Yes, they are still installed with the original braided copper wire. I was told back in the 1920's was the original installation. 

 Unfortunately they are missing the copper end caps, but I see reproductions on ebay available.

 I never realized these were worth that much money, let alone the fact that they are the rare amethyst color 
 Should I take these down and preserve them?


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## Digswithstick

If it was me i would take them down and preserve them,you could put up some reproductions  or plain old ones .
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Forgot to say hi and welcome ,please post pictures of your bottles if you have some ,members like pictures !


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