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Description: | A complete lead trade weight of medieval to post-medieval date. The weight is shield shaped with a worn moulded relief design on the upper surface. The design cannot be determined due to wear. The reverse is stamped with the initials AD.The metal has a light white patina and is worn. The weight is 40.9mm long, 35mm wide, 14.1mm thick and weighs 125g. With a mass of 125g (4.4 oz imperial) this was probably intended to be a 4oz weight in the avoirdupois system with 16oz in the pound.Lead weights have been used in trade since the Roman period and were used for weighing quantities of coin as well as goods. Shield-shaped weights are a distinctive group of trade weights which are used from c.AD 1380 and continue into the 15th century. Biggs & Withers (2000, p.34) discuss the difficulties in dating shield weights as links between documentary evidence and artefactual evidence are difficult to establish. Their longevity coupled with various qualities of workmanship and numerous designs employed over a long period of time also make dating difficult. It is likely however that some belong to the period following the conversion of the trade pound under the averdepois system and as such it is likely that these weights represent a desire to standardize the trade weight system.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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