LOT 0322

'The Alresford' Gold Bronze Age Cordon Adornment

CIRCA 2350-800 B.C.

3 in. (4.73 grams, 73.56 mm).

Rectangular sheet-gold ribbon, plaque or cordon with reeded outer face and plain reverse, mounting hole to each end.

Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Alresford, Essex, UK, on Thursday 2nd June 2022 by Peter Wilson.

Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.ESS-71837F.
Accompanied by a copy of the Treasure Act 1996 DCMS object receipt.
Accompanied by a copy of the Report on find of Potential Treasure for H M Coroner from Alresford, Essex.
Accompanied by a copy of the letter from the British Museum disclaiming the Crown's interest in this find with Treasure case reference no.2022T575.
Accompanied by a typed and signed letter from the finder explaining the circumstances of discovery.

Cf. similar items in the British Museum under accession nos. 1906,1224.1, 1906,1224.2; see Eogan, G., The Accomplished Art. Gold and Gold-Wrkingin Britain and Ireland During the Bronze Age, Oxford, 1994.

The exact purpose of these gold ribbons is unclear although it is very likely that they were used to adorn either personal adornments or tableware. The Rillaton Cup (Royal Collection accession no. RCIN 69742) is one such item made of gold with a corrugated appearance. The strip is rather more substantial than the majority of Bronze Age finds and resembles those found in the Staffordshire Hoard (Fern, C., Dickinson, T. & Webster, L., The Staffordshire Hoard: an Anglo-Saxon Treasure, London, 2019).