Interesting bucket?

[Christabel]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-16th-Century ... 3f094244d2

My first thought was, another of those Chinese buckets you find in antique centres, but I'm not sure now. I have never seen a weighted bucket like this, so is it English and how old is it? It seems like a good idea, in any case.

[Chris T]

Difficult to be sure, but my first thought was mining, rather than well........a well bucket is normally dropped into water from a fairly low height, the amount of re-enforcing on this one makes it look as if it was designed for rougher handling. If so, it would be called a kibble in my part of the world (Westcountry).

[Tom H]

The construction, with the folded over flat nails and the style & colouring of the planking looks exactly like the buckets being sold a couple of years ago at TORM, although the shape is different. Looks 21st century to me.

[Chris T]

I think it has some age to it: at base it is fairly well made, with considerable hand coopering skills. If it really is English Oak then I would say it is almost certainly old (although maybe not Elizabethan.....but who knows?).

I would say the money being asked is rather a lot: but then I am poor, tight and cynical. I would certainly expect to see considerably more proof that it is all that it says it is before parting with that ammount of money......

[The Iron Dwarf]

does not look as interesting as the bucket that saved someones awning at an event last year by pouring water on it when it caught fire

[Christabel]

So William Morris might have said "Have no bucket in your tent unless you believe it to be beautiful or know it to be useful?'

[Cat]

Iron Dwarf- and it was Bucket doing the pouring from the bucket too...that was an interesting episode, lucky we happened to have a giant around to act as fireBucket.
ETA- he is quite useful and I think he's a bit beautiful, specially in his banyan.