PIN

Treasure Case: 2017 T896

Description: An incomplete gold and silver post-medieval pin dating to the 16th century, consisting of just the pin head. The rest of the pin is missing. The pin head is spherical. It is decorated with silver-coloured spherical knobs arranged in two rings of 6, one ring around the upper hemisphere, the other ring around the lower. A single larger knob sits at the centre of the top. The rest of the surface is decorated with four rings of filigree crescents. Each crescent forms an almost complete circle but the ends become tight spirals. Overall, the pin head measures 10.2 mm long (from the broken stem to the knop on the top) and 8.6 mm in diameter. It weighs 0.89 g.

See attached Analysis Report by British Museum Department of Scientific Research.

Conclusion: The object fulfils the Treasure Act (1996) in that it is more than 300 years old and has a precious metal content exceeding 10%.

Author: Alastair Willis, Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

Report for the Coroner on the scientific analysis of the pin head

(submitted via Portable Antiquities and Treasure)

Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis was carried out on a number of components of a pin head from Shelton, Nottinghamshire. The combined gold and silver contents of all the components analysed were found to be high (i.e. greater than 10%), and therefore the pin head fulfils the criteria of the Treasure Act in terms of its precious metal content.

The broken end of the pin shank appears grey in colour, and was found to have the highest silver content of the components analysed (also containing moderate amounts of gold and copper, with detectable chlorine and bromine which are often present in the corrosion products of silver).

It is also possible that the surfaces of other components of the pin head have higher gold contents than their underlying metal, although examination of them under a microscope was inconclusive and it is difficult to be certain without sampling. Gold could have been applied to the pin head using a variety of methods. However, no evidence for leaf-gilding was observed. It also seems unlikely that mercury- or fire-gilding was used, as no mercury was detected in any of the analyses (although it is possible that prolonged heating at high temperatures could have driven off any mercury that may have been originally present). Alternatively, a surface enriched in gold could have been produced by the removal of copper and/or silver from a base gold alloy by a number of chemical means.

The pin head weighs 0.89 grams.

Department of Scientific Research

The British Museum

File No. 7651-30

7th December 2017