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The research I could find on this unusual cocktail shaker is that it was part of the historic Gorham (Gorham Manufacturing Company, 1831-1989, Providence, Rhode Island) "Shrapnel Shell Artillery Line".
During the onset of WWI (1914-1918), Gorham temporarily pivoted its massive silversmith foundries to manufacture actual wartime munitions, including brass casings and mortar shells. Gorham's in-house designers drew direct, blueprint-level inspiration from the British 18-pounder artillery shells they observed in production then. The result was an elite novelty line mapped under factory record 027, turning genuine wartime mechanical engineering into a striking piece of American luxury barware.
This shakertop features a distinctly stepped, tiered nose cone capped with a small vertical metal oval loop. This was mathematically patterned after a military time-delay mechanical nose fuse on a British 18-pounder artillery projectile!
The stylized, Old English Gothic letter "B" engraved onto the front indicates that this was originally a personalized luxury gift or part of a custom family estate bar collection.
The shaker stands 10' tall and is 3.75" wide at the shoulder. It has been in my personal collection since the early 1990s and has been very well cared for. It has been recently professionally polished to highlight its pristine condition.
The shaker is stamped on the bottom as shown: "G M C O" with the historic Gorham anchor logo, "E P" (electroplate), "027" (the design), and the Gorham anvil which dates the production of this piece to 1915.
Buyer pays for handling, insurance, and shipping (FedEx Ground) from 27511 (NC).
