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INGOT
Unique ID: SUSS-66EEF6
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
Rod shaped gold ingot with a circular section. One end is complete, flat and has a very slightly splayed rim. The other has been broken by hammering a dent and then breaking across the thinnest place. The break is rough and shows there are numerous air pockets within the ingot. Metal content 'surface': 81% gold, 16% silver, the remainder being copper.
Discussion: Ingots approximating this form have been discovered dating to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Non-destructive analysis of the surface metal content of the bar shows the gold content of the ingot is 81%. This roughly approximates to 19 or 20 carats. This gold content is a little high for Bronze Age ingots but is not unknown for the Iron Age. This form of ingot was not used in the Roman period and the gold content is too low.
It is therefore possible that this ingot dates to the Iron Age but we cannot be certain.
Conclusion: The bar is over 80% gold so qualifies as treasure in this respect. Based on the form of the ingot and the gold content it could date to the Iron Age but it is impossible to be certain as there were no associated finds. It is therefore impossible to be certain that this object is over 300 years old and as such it falls outside the provisions of the Treasure Act 1996.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being declared not Treasure
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2008 T329
Chronology
Broad period: IRON AGE
Period from: IRON AGE
Date from: 800 BC
Date to: AD 43
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 42 mm
Weight: 16.37 g
Diameter: 7 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 18th May 2007
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Treasure case number: 2008 T329
Materials and construction
Primary material: Gold
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Fragment
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: West Sussex (County)
District: Horsham (District)
To be known as: Near Steyning
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From a paper map
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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