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SPOON
Unique ID: WMID-E076D4
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A cast copper alloy spoon finial (length: 34mm; width at shoulders of blade: 13mm; thickness at shoulders of blade: 3mm; weight: 3.03g). Intregrally cast with the blade, the small handle/ end knob (length: 7mm) has bead, reel and spool mouldings. The blade tapers fairly gently from shoulders to the blade where the forked tip has been broken off to form a jagged edge. The front of the blade has been engraved/ incised with possible animal motifs. This decoration, however, is fairly crude and mostly consists of unidentifiable linear markings.
The overall condition of the artefact is fair with a smooth dark brown patina. Other than the forked tip being broken and a number of scratch marks an slight wear on the back, the object is complete.
Notes:
At the time of recording, this artefact was originally identified as a nail cleaner, of Roman dating. More recently it has been determined, through comparison with complete spoons in the Museum of London collections (A10625 & A3934), and thus a Post Medieval date for these objects seems certain. It is interesting they have mostly broken in almost the same place and it maybe the twisting of the stem made them more fragile in that area.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: AD 1600
Date to: AD 1800
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 34 mm
Width: 13 mm
Thickness: 3 mm
Weight: 3.03 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st December 2003
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: West Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Staffordshire (County)
District: Lichfield (District)
Parish or ward: Lichfield (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SK1107
Four figure Latitude: 52.660611
Four figure longitude: -1.838804
1:25K map: SK1107
1:10K map: SK10NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cracknell, S. and Mahany, C. | 1994 | Roman Alcester: Southern Extramural Area. Part 2: Finds and Discussion | Halifax | Council for British Archaeology | pages 180 & 187 | Ref no 91, fig 85 | |
| Crummy, N. | 1983 | Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester, 1971-9 | Colchester | Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd | pages 57-62 | Ref no 1872, fig 62 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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