Author Topic: Any ideas on an economical way to get this to US from UK? (Read 1078 times)

cannonmn · « **on:** July 12, 2011, 05:40:12 AM »

I'm guessing this weighs about 1/2 ton. It is a 15" stone mortar I acquired because I wanted a specimen by the maker, not because it was in great shape. It was recovered from a shipwreck, but is strictly a land mortar. Use password "attack" to view 6 photos. It is only about 3' long and 2' wide.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/Forums59/stone%20mortar/?albumview=slideshow

exlimey · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2011, 06:20:21 AM »

Do i see the name J verbruggen on that mortar ? Dam nice piece and an awkward piece to ship. Probably have to come on board a Ship to your nearest Port.

keith44 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2011, 07:00:48 AM »

economical? no. slow boat then rail, and perhaps truck after that.

Cannoneer · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2011, 07:36:12 AM »

Not unless you happen to be a very close personal friend of Neptune.
That's a fantastic purchase, John; would he have cast this in Europe or England? Can you give us any further details on this bronze beauty, and some of its palletized neighbors (that appears to be a bronze carronade, which also don't grow on backyard trees)?

KABAR2 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 12, 2011, 07:49:11 AM »

I am not sure if it still is this way but if you purchased a vehicle and had it shipped they also allowed whatever was in it shipped at no additional fee..... back in 1971 my parents shipped a Fiat 128 from Holland to NY for around 350.00 the trunk was packed with out camping gear...... There is a fellow in NY who back in the 1990's bought surplus Unimogs and ships them full of spare parts... maybe there is a company that ships by container and it could be added into that shipment...
great find by the way

jeeper1 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 12, 2011, 08:27:05 AM »

One thing is for sure, it won't fit in a fixed rate Priority mail box.

subdjoe · « **Reply #6 on:** July 12, 2011, 09:24:58 AM »

You need a bunch of different sizes so you can make a campanile. Check with shipping companies, they sometimes have lists of people how have less than container loads of goods who are willing to have others help fill the container to offset the costs some.

Heck, even UPS offers LCL shipping. http://www.ups-scs.com/transportation/lcl.html

See also: http://www.oceanfreightusa.com/ser_lcl.php

DaveSB · « **Reply #7 on:** July 12, 2011, 10:24:38 AM »

can't wait to watch you shoot it on youtube.

KABAR2 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 12, 2011, 10:37:53 AM »

Quote from: DaveSB on July 12, 2011, 10:24:38 AM

can't wait to watch you shoot it on youtube.

I doubt John will be shooting that one it would probably fail due to corosion in the bore.... remember this was brought up from a shipwreck.

DaveSB · « **Reply #9 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:31:48 AM »

Way to shoot down my hopes and dreams of seeing this thing fire!!! hahahaha.

projector · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:32:26 AM »

Too bad on the timing. Dominick was just over there.

no guns here · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2011, 11:49:26 AM »

Yup, have the previous owner contact a local shipping company. Cheapest to ship to nearest seaport and you pick up there. Can't ship in car like someone said. Shipping companies don't allow that now. It's not stupid sized or weight that the shippers aren't used to handling. Should be an easy problem to solve. Now... is there any problem importing with ATF or anything like that?

NGH

mechanic · « **Reply #12 on:** July 12, 2011, 12:40:34 PM »

If you know a company that regularly ships freight to and from UK in containers, it would just be a matter of an office pizza party to get this slipped in by an employee......

It works with US shipping anyway, I've had private companys that make regular runs "backhaul" for me when they would of otherwise been empty. Anything they get is more than they had.....

Ben

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #13 on:** July 12, 2011, 04:13:46 PM »

I used to know a loadmaster who was assigned to Air Force 1. ....

How about loaning it to a museum for a year (near destination) with the stipulation that they cover one-way shipping?

cannonmn · « **Reply #14 on:** July 13, 2011, 01:05:35 AM »

Yes the founder was Jan Verbruggen as someone guessed. The last part of "Verbruggen" is corroded off, but there's no question as to what it is. This was cast by Jan probably around 1750 when he was still in the Netherlands before he went to England. He cast this for the Dutch East India Co., if I didn't mention that before. They had these at their forts in Batavia. If anyone is new to stone mortars, they used pre-prepared special wicker baskets filled with either round, probably baseball-sized stones, or grenades. The grenades were supposed to have their fuzes lit by the propellant charge. The stones or grenades would come down on the heads of the enemy troops who were trying to enter the fort and make it unpleasant for them.

Thanks for the suggestions, am working on a few options of either shipping to US or leaving in UK under circumstances favorable to Springfield Arsenal LLC. There was a 42 pounder bronze carronade and a very old 10" mortar in the same group, that we didn't buy.

Cannoneer · « **Reply #15 on:** July 15, 2011, 06:46:23 AM »

To your knowledge did the mortar ever have the famous VOC monogram on it, I can't see any traces in the photos.
Were all three pieces recovered from the same shipwreck?

cannonmn · « **Reply #16 on:** July 15, 2011, 12:31:14 PM »

Yes all 3 pieces came from same 1863(?) wreck. There were 12 sizeable bronze pieces in all and at least one more VOC mortar, and that one supposedly had good marks, went to a collector long ago. Someone said there are pix of it in a book but I have not found them if that's true.

The VOC marked everything and this mortar certainly had the particular VOC mark used at Enkhuisen where Jan was probably working when it was cast.

cannonmn · « **Reply #17 on:** July 18, 2011, 12:31:24 PM »

Joe, thanks for the suggestions, I checked 'em both out. That part of UPS will not accept any antiques for shipment. The second link turns out to be a company named AMID which does not ship to the U.S.

There are other possibilities I'm investigating, and one shipper's quote is being prepared today.

Rayfan87 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 18, 2011, 12:57:58 PM »

What about an international moving company?
http://www.internationalmoving.com/art-antiques-moving.html

subdjoe · « **Reply #19 on:** July 18, 2011, 01:35:04 PM »

Quote from: cannonmn on July 18, 2011, 12:31:24 PM

Joe, thanks for the suggestions, I checked 'em both out. That part of UPS will not accept any antiques for shipment. The second link turns out to be a company named AMID which does not ship to the U.S.

There are other possibilities I'm investigating, and one shipper's quote is being prepared today.

My pleasure. Those were just the first two that came up in my search. I was hoping that if nothing else it would give you some idea of what types of rocks to start turning over.