Rights Holder: Kent County Council
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UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT
Unique ID: KENT-81E97F
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
A silver gauntleted hand. The thumb and first two fingers are slightly opened, possibly to hold something, while the third and fourth fingers are curled into the fist. The top side of the hand and fingers are etched with a series of parallel lines to imitate flexible, scaled armour. A line of punched dots runs from the wrist over the knuckle of the first finger to give an impression of where the "armour" would join. These dots form another row from the wrist upwards to the knuckle of the little finger, and on the underside a further short row of three dots runs next to this. The palm of the hand is decorated all over in even smaller small dots. Projecting out from the wrist socket is a short piece of silver rod, presumably a point of attachment with a larger object.
Dimensions:
Length: 18.77mm
Width: 7.41mm
Thickness: 4.90mm
Weight: 2.27g
Discussion: The style of armour represented is not dissimilar to that worn in the early Post-Medieval period, though there are for instance too many "scales" on the fingers for it to be an accurate copy. The hand probably formed part of a larger armoured figurine or heraldic crest, but it is not possible to say with confidence that it is more than 300 years old.
Notes:
Consequently, the object would appear to fall outside the definition of Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Submitted for consideration as Treasure
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2017T1108
Chronology
Broad period: MODERN
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: MODERN
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 18.77 mm
Width: 7.41 mm
Thickness: 4.9 mm
Weight: 2.27 g
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Treasure case number: 2017T1108
Materials and construction
Primary material: Silver
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Kent (County)
District: Dover (District)
To be known as: Staple
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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