Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls oak splint I would guess mid-20th century

I would guess mid-20th century

There is some loss of stain along edges of the carving

Each accommodates a photos of up to 3" x 4

which has holes drilled at the center of either long side

Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls oak splint I would guess mid-20th centuryI'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