Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

Formed as a stylised humanoid face with eyebrows formed as a pair of volutes, circular eyes, flat nose, full cheeks; with an inserted garnet at the top. 4.44 grams, 27.4 mm



Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.

Formed as a tapering stylised animal head pointing down with a short, blunt snout with wide nostrils and bulging eyes, a shallow concave depression behind the eyes with two further smaller depressions on the neck; the reverse with an evenly stamped hexagonal decoration. 1.97 grams, 26 mm



Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Wymondham, Norfolk, UK. Property of a Kent gentleman, a specialist medieval collector. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.KENT-947019.

Large discoid brooch with deep flange rim, tondo comprising a carinated outer panel with stamped pellet-in-triangle ornament, band of eleven running spirals inner carinated band and central voss; reverse with pin-lug and ferrous remains of the pin, hooked catch; incised concentric rings. 60.4 grams, 54 mm



Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Meysey Hampton, Gloucestershire, UK, on 19 July 2020.

It is rare to find a saucer brooch with eleven spirals in the tondo rather than the more usual five or seven, although the Brighthampton example in MacGregor and Bolick (p.42) provides a parallel. The present piece is in many respects similar to the Brighthampton examples, although it has an additional punched band inside the flange rim. The incised rings on the reverse would not normally have been seen in use, and may have been used by the maker to place the catch and lug symmetrically.

Comprising a flat discoid head with low-relief geometric design in four sections, a central knob; one face gilded, similar type to the Witham pins. 14.7 grams, 43.3 mm



Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.

Rectangular with raised border enclosing a low-relief design of entwined stylised animals; four bosses to the obverse. 7.86 grams, 21.9 mm



Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.

With raised border and chip-carved warrior mask motif; remains of pin-lug and catch to the reverse. 3.39 grams, 17.09 mm



Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.

Of Read's Class D, Type 1, piriform in plan with convex, rounded edges narrowing to a point at the integral hook, rectangular in cross-section and tapering to a recurved tip; at the shoulders, two pierced lugs forming attachment points and a central dome-headed rivet; obverse decorated with engraved Trewhiddle style motifs - a central hatched tribrach motif dividing the plate into three panels with pointed three-part knot above and lateral lenticular panels with Trewhiddle plant tendrils; peripheral hatched border running each side of the attachment loops and around the plate to the base of the hook; upper section of the hook with two engraved lateral arcs; the sharp tip of the integral hook absent. 3.8 grams, 38 mm



Found near Lewes, East Sussex, UK, on 7th September 2025; declared as potential Treasure under the Treasure Act with Treasure reference no.2025T1455, subsequently disclaimed and returned to the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SUSS-71D76C.

The engraved recesses of the decorative design would have contained black niello inlay, of which only one small triangular area survives on the left of the plate. The reverse of the plate is plain, with the flattened shank of the rivet projecting from the centre of the plate. The metal surfaces have a dark grey silvery patina. The 'hooked tag' fastener functioned by connecting with a matching eye section (see Read, 2008, no.108) or via a simple metal ring sewn into the fabric (ibid., fig.9). Examples of Class D hooked tags have been found in Birka, Sweden, in a 10th-century male burial, positioned at each knee with woollen twill textile remains on the reverses suggesting they were used to secure leg wrappings. The Bayeux tapestry also shows both Normans and Anglo-Saxons with horizontal banding on the legs, which have been interpreted as leg wrappings. (ibid.24). Other possible functions have been for securing purses or bags, suggested by a hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins found at Tetney, Lincs, which also contained a pair of single sharp, hooked clasps (ibid.24). This form of hooked tag fits Read (2008) Class D type 1 with two or more rounded knops for attachment at the end of the plate opposite to the hook (p.27). The hatched tribrach design with interstices filled with interlace is paralleled by a copper-alloy hooked tag in Read, no.113; and, for an example with a central boss/domed rivet, see: no. 12. Most hooked tags are copper-alloy, but silver examples of this form with niello decoration that have been submitted through the treasure process include: 2019T687 (SUR-19BC54), also with Trewhiddle style zoomorphic decoration separated by a tribach form and 2016T608 (KENT-076AE5), also with Trewhiddle style ornament in three fields. The Trewhiddle style decoration provides a date of the ninth to early tenth centuries for this object.