INGOT

A gold alloy 'finger shaped' ingot. The ingot is broadly rectangular in plan with a facetted oval / plano-convex shaped cross section. The ingot tapers in width from a bulbous terminal to a slender section which is broken; the break is recent, fresh and unabraded. The bulbous end has a slightly faceted section. There is no evidence of hammer marks or small striations, the surface is slightly pitted through corrosion and abrasion. The ingot is a yellow colour with a smooth surface.

Dimensions:
The ingot measures: 35.6mm length, 10.7mm maximum width, 7.9mm maximum thickness; and it weighs 22.8 grams

Metal content:
Analysis using surface XRF undertaken at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery / Birmingham Museums Trust shows the ingot is composed of
Gold (Au) 79.8%, Silver (Ag) 14.6%, Copper (Cu) 5.7%. The analysis of the ingot was undertaken on a clean and unabraded section of the break - giving analysis from the core of the ingot

Discussion:
Ingots of this size, shape and composition are notoriously difficult to date / identify to specific archaeological periods. The lack of hammer marks and other decorative features also make this task additionally problematic. The gold composition (above) does not preclude a Bronze Age date but it is unlikely to be of Early Bronze Age date. The copper content suggests it was added as an alloying ingredient and the gold/silver ratio could be natural alluvial gold. A similar planeo-convex ingot was discovered within a hoard of gold bracelets from Llanarmon-yn-ial, Denbighshire. (NGMW accession number: 82.93H/1-5/ Green 1982). As such it is possible to suggest that this example dates from the later Bronze Age c. 1500 - 750 BC)