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From Brian

5th March 09

 

 

I have dug up a lead artefact in a wood in Oxfordshire, could be a counterweight for a sword or tool. It is a tube shape with a rounded end, 5.5 cm long, 3cm diameter, hollow, with a single thread around the lip and traces of iron inside and outside.

 

 




 From Cedric

5th march 09

Are there traces of wood inside?

Could it be the end of a walking stick?

 

From Bob

Since you say it's made of lead, I doubt that it's the tip of a walking stick.  Lead would be much too soft to last any length of time.  From the picture, it seems to have a crude "thread" or spiral twist going from opening to bottom.  Is that right?  If so, it seems to have been a cap of some sort... but for what?  As to the traces of iron being both inside and out-- that might be a soil residue with high iron content. 

 

 From Brian again

I think it could be a pommel for a sword or dagger, which would have been covered.  I found a (possibly tin) tip for a sword or dagger sheath nearby, but I hadn't cleaned it until today.

 

From David

I see sword or dagger pommels have been suggested and while those are awfully romantic I suspect this lead object may have had more prosaic origins. Perhaps the lead cap for a Victorian cast iron pipe used in a farm building or
machinery? A 3 cm diameter cap sounds as if it might fit a standard 1" diameter
cast iron pipe?

How it ended up in a wood I have no idea but it is amazing what gets scattered
around the countryside - and much of it is not terribly romantic.

 

 

 

 

Some more UK finds.

 

 

From John

8th March 09

 

 

Roman Brooch?????  13/4" Diameter. x 7/8" High.

 

Tip of Hollow Axe Head????  2" across the blade.

 

Roman solid bronze & Iron strap.??????  5/8" wide   x   31/2" Long. 

 






 

From Bob

9th March 09

The floral patterned  "brooch" seems to be concave. What does the inside of it look like?  That may provide the biggest clue.  Are there any prongs inside to indicate what it might attach to?

 

From John

Answer to Bobs question: it is flat on the back and has a male connection like the Roman Strap.The brooch seems to be built up of tiers of Petals,the bottom tier has lost most of its rim.The strap and the brooch came from the same farm, but different fields.

 

Back side of brooch,metal is really strong, bent petals can not be straightened by hand. Any comments on the Roman strap?????

 

 

 



 

From Bob.

11th March 09

I might go with the brooch idea (or perhaps a necklace piece) since its far too ornate to have been utilitarian.  From the rear, I see what appears to be a crescent shaped loop (folded in against the backplate) so my preferred guess is that it adorned a woman's necklace chain which passed through the crescent loop.

MORE mystery artifacts>>>>.