Anglo-Saxon Bronze Hooked Clothes Tag

Each with a suspension loop (one occluded) and decorative terminal, possibly formed as beast heads. 55 grams total, 13.2-13.5 cm



From a Norfolk excavation in the late 19th century. Ex property of a Nottingham gentleman by descent.

Of Hines's Group X with rectangular headplate featuring low-relief bird-heads and a raised piriform mask to each upper corner; shallow bow with raised ribs and a stud to the centre; triangular footplate with coiled horse-head lappets forming the shoulders, lateral lobes (one detached) with sheet-silver surface, inverted facing mask to the finial; remains of ferrous pin and catch to the reverse. 100 grams, 14.5 cm



Found near March, Cambridgeshire, UK, circa 2015.

A close match to the features of the March brooch is not recorded in Hines's corpus, but the very distinctive isosceles triangle footplate with sharp shoulders appears on the example from Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire (Hines's pl.33(b). The facing masks in the upper corners of the headplate also appear on an example from Driffield (Hines, 1997, pl.82(a).

Thomas Class A Type 1, broadly rectangular in plan with tapering arms; the decorative scheme is divided into three: the snout with pronounced ears; a central panel of Trewhiddle style interlaced beast with some remains of niello; the tail with two circular rivet holes. 4.5 grams, 36 mm



Found Berkshire, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.BERK-28A953.