#OTD in AD 1455, the Wars of the Roses began with the First Battle of St Albans. Richard, 3rd Duke of York, defeated and captured King Henry VI of England. This is a groat of Henry VI minted between AD 1422 -1427. #Findsfriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 392, Roman Emperor Valentinian II was assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. This is a silver siliqua of Valentinian II minted in Constantinople between AD 383-388. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is an incomplete Leontomorphe type brooch which dates to the late Iron Age to early Roman period, c.25 BC - AD 60. Leontomorphe (lion bow) brooches are described as having a Gallic origin and are named for the lion motifs seen on their bows. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 205, Roman Emperor Maximian reluctantly retired alongside his co-emperor Diocletian. Maximian's retirement was short-lived. He repeatedly re-emerged to reclaim the throne before being killed in 310. This is a nummus of Maximian. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman penannular brooch dating to c.25 BC - AD 60. This type are most commonly found on Roman military sites and towns with examples less frequently found at hillforts and villas. Humped pins are concentrated in the north of Britain. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is an Iron Age stater attributed to Volisios Dummnocoveros of the Corieltavi and dating to c. AD 35-40. It is likely that Volisios and Dummnocoveros were two separate individuals who collaborated in the striking of the coinage. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This girdle hanger dates to c. AD 410-600. Girdle hangers, often found in the graves of 6th century Anglian women, appear to be non-functional keys which symbolised the domestic and marital roles of women in their grave dress, and likely also in daily life. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 1625, King James VI and I died. He ruled Scotland from 1567 and was crowned King of England and Ireland as James I in 1603. He was succeeded by his son Charles I. This is a sixpence of James minted in 1605. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a commemorative medal made in c.AD 1810 to support Sir Francis Burdett. He was an MP and a leading voice for the radical cause as an early supporter of voting rights for all men, equal electoral districts, secret ballots and annual parliaments. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 222, Roman emperor Elagabalus was murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He was replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. This denarius of Alexander was minted between AD 222-228. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#FindsFriday This morning I published a new blog post. It discusses this medieval seal matrix which bares the legend S' ISEBEL DE NICOL. The design and inscription on the matrix matches a seal attached to a document dating to the early 1300s. finds.org.uk/counties/yor...

This is a Roman headstud brooch dating to c.AD 75-200. Headstud brooches are named after the stud located on the bow. Decoration on these brooches can range from simple moulded designs to complex cells filled with enamel. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman Cochleare or Cochlear spoon. These were common in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, though their popularity declined in the second century. Some have concluded that they were designed to extract snails or cockles out of the shell. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Wrist-clasps were used to fasten the cuffs of women’s clothing in the early Anglo-Saxon period. They are found almost exclusively in the Anglian culture-province (East Anglia, Cambridgeshire, the East Midlands, North and East Yorkshire). #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Happy Birthday Queen Anne, born #OTD in 1665. This is a shilling of Queen Anne minted in 1711. Anne succeeded to the throne in 1702 after the death of her brother-in-law King William III, who had reigned alone after the death of Anne's sister Queen Mary II. finds.org.uk/database/art... #FindsFriday

#OTD in AD 1649, Charles I of England was publicly executed outside the Banqueting House on Whitehall, London. This sixpence of Charles was minted when he still controlled the country and the Tower of London mint, roughly 10 years prior. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman denarius of Trajan dating to the period c. AD 114-117. Trajan was responsible for the building of 'Trajan's Market' in Rome. It housed administrative offices, shops and apartments built in a multi-level structure. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in 27 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus was granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. This denarius of Augustus was minted in c.19 BC. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is an early medieval Jellinge style disc brooch. Jellinge is a Viking-age art style featuring symmetrical, S-shaped intertwined animals. This example depicts a single animal in profile, looking to the left with its body forming a reversed S shape. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a souvenir medallion celebrating the coronation of George III. George III succeeded to the throne on the death of his grandfather in 1760. The coronation ceremony was performed in Westminster Abbey the following year, and lasted six hours. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a medieval Venetian soldino of Doge Michael Steno who died #OTD in AD 1413. The Doge was the highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice. They were elected for life through a complex voting process. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a penny of Henry II who was crowned at Westminster Abbey #OTD in AD 1154. The coin was produced by the moneyer Davi at the London mint. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman denarius of Septimius Severus dating to AD 202-210. It depicts Dea Caelestis, Carthage's principal deity, and was minted to commemorate imperial generosity towards the rebuilt city. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This Roman nummus of Theodora was minted in AD 337-340 after the death of her stepson Constantine and the massacre of most of her descendants, possibly as an attempt by Constantine's successors to distance themselves from the massacre. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman cart fitting dating to c. AD 43-100. The distribution and date of similar pieces suggests a military connection. They tend to be identified as Roman cart fittings to which the reins were tied when the vehicle was stationary. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a half crown of Charles I minted in AD 1644-1645. It was produced during the English Civil War after Charles had fled London. During this period the mint at the Tower of London was controlled by Parliament. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a medieval papal bulla of Pope Nicholas III dating to AD 1277-1280. Papal bullae are seals that were attached to papal documents to guarantee their authenticity. A new obverse die was made for each new pope. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman mount possibly depicting the god Attis. It is one of seven finds highlighted in a new blog post spotlighting some of the most interesting artefacts I've had the pleasure of recording over the last 3 years as an FLA. Read more at - finds.org.uk/counties/yor...

This is a continental sterling imitation produced between AD 1305-1322 for Robert of Bethune, Count of Flanders. It was minted in Aalst, Belgium. Robert was nicknamed The Lion of Flanders and led resistance against the French crown. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a silver Roman radiate of Herennia Etruscilla dating to c.AD 249-251. Etruscilla was empress as the wife of Emperor Decius. As with most third-century Roman empresses, very little is known about her. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is an incomplete whistle in the form of a pipe bowl dating to between c. AD 1850-1925. It is one of many cheap, mass produced toys imported from Germany during the late 19th to early 20th century. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a copper-alloy medieval figurine of the Madonna and Child. It depicts the sedes sapientiae (Seat of Wisdom), one of many devotional titles for Mary in Roman Catholic tradition. These figurines are typically dated to the fourteenth century. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is an early-medieval ‘Witham Type’ disc pin head dating to between c. AD 700-800. These disc-headed pins are generally decorated with knot-like designs or interlaced animal ornament. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a modern ceramic gaming piece dating to c. AD 1800-1950. It would be one of a set used for a game known as Jacks, Knucklebones or Fivestones. The game involved throwing the cubes into the air and trying to catch them on the back of your hand. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Happy Birthday Antoninus Pius! Born #OTD in AD 86. This is a denarius of Antoninus with a reverse depicting Annona, the divine personification of the grain supply to the city of Rome. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman strap slide or looped strap mount. Nearly 250 similar examples have been recorded on the PAS database. Despite this, little scholarly work appears to have been carried out to better understand these often highly decorative objects. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a medieval ampulla. These were an important pilgrim souvenir which were designed to contain thaumaturgic water, which would have been given out at holy shrines and wells. The water would be taken as a cure or worn as a talisman. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Birdlip brooch, dating to the late Iron Age to early Roman period. This form is named after a village near Gloucester, where a silver gilt brooch of this type was found in a Late Iron Age burial. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in 1485, the final significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Bosworth took place. Henry Tudor was crowned following his defeat of Plantagenet King Richard III at this battle. This is a halfgroat of Henry minted years later. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a fragment from a late post-medieval to modern set of nut crackers. They might also have be used to crack shellfish or crab claws. There are roughly 180 records of nut crackers on the PAS database, many of which are broken or fragmentary. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in 1714 - George, Elector of Hanover, was crowned King George I of Great Britain, marking the beginning of the Georgian era of British history. This is a very worn farthing of George I depicting Britannia on the reverse. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 306, Constantine the Great was proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops in York after his father Constantius Chlorus died there during a military campaign. This coin depicts Constantine holding a sceptre, a symbol of imperial authority and power. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman dragonesque dating to between c.75-175AD. This type of brooch were produced in Roman Britain with most being found in northern England. Many examples, such as this one, were decorated with brightly coloured enamel. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a medieval rotary key dating to c.AD1200-1500. The function of this type of key is uncertain. The hollow-ended stem is not appropriate for a door that needs to be locked from either side, and so is more likely to be for a large cupboard or chest. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This token was produced to commemorate King George III's visit to Worcester in August 1788. It was made by Wilmore, Alston and Co; who produced buttons, toys and novelty tokens and medals. Between 1779-1790, they operated from Newmarket, Birmingham. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Check out this new blog post on a medieval badge depicting the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Surprisingly, this is a uncommon subject for medieval religious badges with only a small handful of parallels. finds.org.uk/counties/yor... #FindsFriday

This is a silver-plated copy of a Roman denarius combining an obverse of Caracalla with a reverse type of Septimius Severus, Caracalla's father. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Bronze Age spearhead which dates to c. 1550-1250 BC. No crushed loops are present on the side of the socket. These would have helped keep the spearhead attached to a shaft. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a Roman bow and fantail brooch, dating to c. AD 50 - 150. The bow of this brooch has been decorated with striking red and yellow enamel. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

This is a medieval seal matrix depicting the head of John the Baptist on a platter. It would have been purchased already inscribed, and represents a seal of somebody unable to commission their own personal seal. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...