Watch List notes:

Wooden artillery quoin, mid- to late 1700s. 1022 grams, 31" long. Before Gribeauval's reform of the French artillery system in 1765, which mandated the use of elevating screws to raise the cannon breech, cannons were "aimed" by the use of a device such as the one in this lot, which was basically a stair-stepped wedge on a pole. The pole on this piece appears to be a replacement but the quoin itself is clearly old, worn and a bit worm-eaten. While quoins were still used in France after the reforms, most likely this piece was shipped to America when France started supplying the American rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Estimate: $500 - 750