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...

This is a coin weight for an English gold half ryal, roughly dating to between 1464 - 1470. Coin weights were used to verify the weight of coins, ensuring they were not underweight or clipped. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Moneyers In the Roman Republic oversaw the production of coinage. They were not mint workers but officials who controlled the process, including the design on the coins themselves. This coin was issued by C. Egnatius Maximus in 75 BC. #FindsFriday buff.ly/bClLTtp

This is a halfpenny trade token produced in 1667 for Peter Hodgson, a salter in Scarborough. Salters traded salt, were experts in the dry salting of fish and meat, dealt with flax, hemp, logwood, cochineal, potashes and chemical preparations. #FindsFriday buff.ly/sYMx7AJ

Happy Birthday Oliver Cromwell! Following the execution of Charles I, the Commonwealth of England was established and Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. finds.org.uk/database/art... #FindsFriday

This is a Birdlip brooch, dating to the late Iron Age to Roman period. One of the most characteristic features of these brooches is the turned-up ‘beak’ below a bold transverse moulding on the bow, giving the impression of a bird’s head. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Happy Birthday Septimius Severus! He was born in what is now Libya and became Roman emperor in AD 193 after a ruthless campaign against his rivals. Unfortunately his life was cut short when he died in York of an infectious disease in early 211. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Happy Birthday Caracalla! Roman emperor from AD 198 to 217. His reign was dominated by domestic instability and external invasions by the Germanic peoples. He is remembered as one of the most tyrannical of all Roman emperors. #FindsFriday buff.ly/WBrZjty

I've written a blogpost on 17th century trade tokens! If you'd like to find out more about these interesting paranumismatic treasures, check out buff.ly/dNKNveW

Discovered after 2,000 years, the Melsonby Hoard is a significant Iron Age find including over 900 items, including chariot wheels, ornate horse-harness fittings, cauldrons, and weapons. Support the Yorkshire Museum's fundraising effort here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-m... #FindsFriday

The Battle of York was fought between the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army and the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria on 21 March 867 in the city of York. Deposed Northumbrian kings Ælla and Osberht united to try to push the Vikings out of the city but without success. #FindsFriday buff.ly/gtK8RID

This is a medieval London Type VI key. The function of this type is uncertain as the hollow-ended stem is unsuitable for a door that needs to be locked from either side, and so is more likely to have been used for a cupboard or chest. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

#OTD in AD 161, Emperor Antoninus Pius died. He was an effective administrator; leaving a large treasury surplus, expanding access to drinking water throughout the Empire, and facilitating the enfranchisement of freed slaves. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Edward the Confessor is considered to be the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066. Edward died without an heir, leading to a crisis of succession which culminated in the Battle of Hastings later that year. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

Steelyards are portable scales with unequal beam arms, functioning by moving a counterweight along the longer arm's scale. This incomplete Roman steelyard and a weight were recently discovered in North Yorkshire. #FindsFriday https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1202867