I've always got an eye out for old handmade petanque/boules balls, but these are the first that I've found, French and dating to the late 19th century I believe. These were made manually by hammering steel (and in this case one brass on each) nails into olive wood balls, one by one, which I understand then required several years to properly cure. Beautifully crafted and wonderfully tactile, each of these weighs nearly two pounds.

Approx 3 1/2" in diameter. Excellent condition, no losses. Sold as a pair.