Identity and Value of Mold

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy all,

I am trying to Identify some Molds I got recently. and help would be appreciated. These are the numbers.

Ohaus 490 788 Round Ball Double

Lyman 429 860 Round Ball Double

Lyman 420 546 Round Ball

Ideal 429 215

2- Ideal 358 156

Ideal 358 429

Lyman 380 6 7 Round Ball

Lyman 440 512 Round Ball

Ideal 451 785 Round Ball

All seem to be in great shape. No rust and fit together snuggly. All have working sprue cutters.

Sam :-D

[dromia]

Welcome aboard Muddy Creek Sam. :drinks:

If you click the link to Cast Pics at the bottom of the page then on the menu on left there is a link to Lyman and Ideal moulds for you see what you've got.

Round Balls are, round balls. :-D

As to value I suppose it depends on availablity and any rarity value. I don't use that well known auction site my self so cannot comment on what comes up there.

[floodgate]

Sam:

On the Lyman round-ball moulds, the second group of numbers has nothing to do with the mould name, but (if it appears on both blocks) is just a "match number" to keep both block halves together through machining, finishing and packing. (The pre-WW I Ideal fixed-block moulds DID use full numbers for the RB moulds.) The #429215 and #358156"s are the classic Ray Thompson SWC gas check designs, and the #358429 is the even classic-er Keith plain base SWC.

Lyman used the "IDEAL" stamping prior to about 1964, having acquired the Ideal line in late 1925, but kept it separate from the "Lyman" line of sights the company was founded upon (in 1878) until about then. Any "IDEAL" loose-block moulds without vent grooves date from the mid-1950s or earlier. I don't know the Ohaus number codes, but they were acquired by RCBS many years back.

floodgate

[copdills]

Welcome to the Forum Muddy Creek Sam

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Floodgate,

Thanks for the info. Went to a friends house to get a Spar T and he handed me a box and said here have these. Have only cast .380 round balls for my 2nd gen 51 Navy Colts, and had no idea what I had.

Sam :-)

[Muddy Creek Sam]

copdills,

Thanks for the welcome. What part of SC are you in. I am in Cottageville.

Sam :-)

[floodgate]

Sam:

Nice haul; you'll like the Spar-T, too. You'll like it even better with the "J" to "X" shellholder adapter for "modern" shellholders and the matching "Special-T" primer-seating adapter - both much better (and easier to find) than the original designs. (Lyman catalog numbers 7095762, @ $11.50 and 7095763 @ $7.95, respectively.)

Floodgate

[Bret4207]

Welcome aboard Sam! Nice haul on the moulds. I have a Spar-T too, nice press.