Antique brass ship’s boat wheel with great patina.

Description

Antique brass ship’s boat wheel with great patina.
This small 16” brass and wood boat wheel still has its wooden steering gear column attached. I’m guessing that this boat wheel dates to the early 20
th
century, but I really have no idea how old this wheel may actually be. Its basic nautical design of using ropes to turn the rudder easily spans a century or more of use on small intracoastal vessels, so, without any markings, there is no way to actually tell. However, the steering column shows what looks like years of active rope burn marks on the wood and the unpolished brass also indicates significant, but not ancient age.
The wheel, with its attached wood column, turns freely on the original brass mounting base and the hard-wood handles attached to the brass spokes of the wheel are all in good shape.
The whole thing weighs in at just over 5 pounds.
This small boat wheel is an authentic piece of nautical history that would fit well in anyone’s collection.
Please email with questions.