Hello Georg, we do not know which century it came from, however all I can tell you is my that it was dug up from the dirt near a dam at Windsor Sydney, my boyfriend Brett, was playing there when he was a child, and dug it up, his father kept it for him, he is 48 years old now and would like Appraisial for it. I will also forward some more photos this afternoon.

I have now included more pictures and updated description.

Looking forward to your Appraisal and valuation.

Dear Corinne,

Thank you for the additional images and your patience. The apprised object is a legcuff or shackle made out of iron. It consists out of a round weight or ball, a chain and a wristband to fix this to the leg to prevent fast movement and a possible escape of the captive. This piece was probably made in the 19th century.
This piece is in good condition and there are no serious damages visible.
An estimation would be between 200 to 400 AUD.
This estimation is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparables. Retail "asking prices" can be higher and vary.

With best regards,
Georg

Georg thankyou, however I thought after googling it, it was from the 17th or 18th century. I cannot find any recorded that were made in the 19th century.

Dear Corinne,

the surface of the metal and the construction of the chain are a hint, that this piece was made in the 19th century. Ironworks from the 17th and 18th-century difference especially in the construction of the chain links. Also, the metal of the wristband was made out of a prefabricated iron plate as you can see at the uniform thickness. But it is a quite easy constructed type of legcuff. I add a photo from 1909 where you can see, that this type was still in usage in the early 20th century.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legcuffs#/media/File:Chain_Gang_Street_Sweepers,_1909.jpg

With best regards,
Georg

Thank you Georg, you have been very efficient and helpful.

You are very welcome!!