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Description: | Carved sub-rectangular open stone mould for the production of lead tokens of probable post-medieval date (1500-1700). The stone has been carved into a roughly sub-rectangular block with slightly angular sides. It measures 76.4mm in length, 69.5mm width, and is 33.9mm thick. It weighs 378 grams. The stone used to make the mould is 'a very fine sandstone with large quantities of mica within it'. Similar types of sandstone are found locally across both Herefordshire and Shropshire (pers. comm. Daniel Lockett). All the faces, apart from the top, are roughly chiseled flat. The upper face has been ground or filed flat and has slightly beveled edges. Around the outer edge of each side is a single incised carved line. This line overlaps at each corner forming a cross. This carving forms a boarder and is set in from the edge by approximately 4mm. Set slightly off centre on the upper surface is a carved sub-circular hole with slightly conical sides. The diameter of this hole measures 31.3mm at the top, 26.2mm at the base and is 3.1mm deep. The base of the hollow is flat. On this flat surface is carved a crude cross, which divides the circle unevenly. In each of these divided uneven quarters is a small incised dot (which would form a pellet in the cast). The mould is undamaged with no indicators of wear or fracture. However, a number of the faces are slightly discolored due to heating or warming the mould in a fire. Further evidence of this is a considerable amount of soot on one face of the mould. There is also some evidence of mineralisation build up on some areas; specifically a large amount of iron staining. This could come either form the natural (wet) depositional environment or from iron artefacts whose corrosion (rust) has discoloured the mould. It is likely that this mould was used to produce lead tokens or counters. A number of these were found with the mould (HESH-E5ECA0, HESH-E61942, HESH-E639B8, HESH-E651C8, HESH-E65DF2, HESH-E67611), as well as a large lead cannon ball (HESH-0A8EC3), and a number of miscast tokens and metal working debris (HESH-0A0041). A token which fitted the mould exactly was also found in close association (HESH-E5ECA0). This group could be interpreted as a metalworkers or token makers assemblage with both used (and recycled) tokens as well as a large amount of lead awaiting to be melted down. Similar tokens are often found and are dated to the late medieval and early post-medieval periods (1500 - 1700 AD).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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