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BOOK FITTING
Unique ID: SF5386
Object type certainty: Probably
Workflow
status: Published 
Copper-alloy book fastener made up of two plates, each with a central circular perforation. Each sheet is sub-rectangular with all edges slightly incurved. A copper-alloy rivet survives at each of three corners, but the fourth corner is damaged. The upper plate is decorated with an engraved border, and a double-strand engraved lozenge with incurved sides around the central perforation. Along each long side there are also two short curved lines extending from the border. The lines have been made by rocking the engraver slightly from side to side. There are traces of gilding and the mount measures 36 x 16 mm. It has been suggested that the circular hole on this type of mount served to reinforce a belt hole, but at 4 mm diameter the hole in this one looks too small for such a function and was probably decorative. Similar mounts come from contexts of 1350-1450 in London (Egan and Pritchard 1991, 123).
Class:
clasp
Sub class: Howsam type A.7
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1350
Date to: Circa AD 1450
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 36 mm
Width: 16 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight: 7.71 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 1st March 2001
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: Forest Heath (District)
To be known as: SUFFOLK FRECKENHAM
Spatial coordinates
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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