This is a vintage witches ball - it dates to the early 20th century, probably the 1920s or 30s. You would hang this in your window to ward off evil spirits.
It is made of blown Mercury Glass, and this has a very highly silver mirrored finish. This has made it tricky for me to take photographs for you.
It is in good antique condition with no damages such as chips or cracks. As expected with a piece of this age - there is a little minor area of tiny scuffing to the glass on one side (as photographed) and also some marks on the top where the metal ring is - again as photographed for your inspection. But nothing major and really just commensurate with age. It certainly does not interfere with the display of the ball when hung up. his one is in lovely condition - and is certainly a great display piece.
Many of these old balls have a lot of major losses to the mirror finish or a lot of black spotting - apart from the one "scuff" mark and the scratches to the top which look much worse in my photographs) it is in fine vintage / antique condition. This is taken into account with my pricing.
It is a fair asking price for this lovely, larger example. It is a fairly large size about 9 1/2 inches in diameter (24 cm in circumference). These old silver glass hanging balls are now hard to find.
It is made of SILVER-TONE Mercury Glass - and this has a very highly mirrored finish - so it has certainly been tricky for me to take photographs for you.
It has its original metal hanging holder and ring.
Historically they are supposed to have been hung in windows in the 18th and 19th centuries to ward off evil spirits - it was believed that witches could be entrapped by their own reflection. These large reflective balls were first made in England in about the 1690s - this one dates to the early 20th century.
It is for UK postage only - and its delicacy would mean that it would have to be very carefully packed in a large sturdy box to send to you. This would be with Parcelforce 24. This will cost £10 and applied to your order at the checkout.