Fishing balls

The twine was wrapped around the balls so that the twine floated on the surface of the water rather than sinking to the bottom, and when fishermen later went out to make their catch, the twine was easy to find. Floats are still used today, but they are made of plastic or aluminum.

Like so many other old maritime objects, the floats are coveted collector's items. Interest is particularly high in Japan, Canada and the United States, but there are also many collectors in the major European fishing nations such as England and Norway.

Some floats have been hand-blown by glassblowers in the traditional manner, but most are made in forms such as pressed glass. As a result, many of them bear cast marks that indicate the glassworks where they were made.

The shape of the floats could also vary from country to country and depending on the yarn they were used on. Japanese floats were often oval or torpedo-shaped and were known in collectors' circles as "kanji rollers" because they were inscribed with Japanese kanji characters. Russian, English, Norwegian and Danish swimmers are almost always round.

If the item is in stock, it can be shipped within 24 hours
If "On order" is shown, the delivery time is 2-5 days.