Wirral's Hidden History Revealed
Bridle Bit
Finds From Wirral Bridle Bit An interesting little recent find is this small piece of Bridle Bit dated by the experts to AD 1000 to AD1100. It is broken but enough remains that the Portable Antiquities Scheme have been able to date it and also describe it as Anglo Scandinavian. PAS Report https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1144406
Copper Coin
Finds From Wirral 8 Maravedi Copper Alloy Coin Spanish Coin from 1841 wouldn’t be high on the list of expected finds from Wirral but it just goes to show that you never know what will turn up. This is an 8 Maravedi Copper Alloy Coin of Queen Isabella II of Spain. interested in finding out more about what we do then…
Trade Token
Finds From Wirral Trade Token Trade tokens are coin like objects that were issued by private companies. There was a coin shortage in the late 18th century as the Royal Mint reduced coin production so tokens like these became almost currency. They were redeemable at company offices or stores. This one is a half penny token which features John of Gaunt…
US Half Dollar
Finds from Wirral US Half Dollar Sometimes when metal detecting something unusual turns up. We definitely wouldn’t put a 1920 US half dollar high on the list of things that as we might expect to find on Wirral.
James 1 Coin
Finds from Wirral James 1 Coin Here we have a silver half groat of James I who was king from 1603-1625. This coin dates from the earliest part of his reign 1603-1604. He became James I of England upon the death of his cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Found on Wirral this is properly recorded on the Portable Antiquities database under the below…
Roman Coin
Finds from Wirral Roman Coin Currently submitted to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and awaiting validation and identification this tiny Roman coin which has been recently recovered has little or no monetary value. It is in a poor state but you can make out a head in the top photograph. Its true value however is in potentially identifying a previously unknown Roman…
Early Medieval Strap End
Finds From Wirral Early Medieval Strap End Although finds from the Wirral are quite rare from the period. A collection from Meols and a few more from around the area. Most are from the everyday life of the local inhabitants. We have strap ends like the one below, buckles, spindle whorls and gaming pieces. Unfortunately there are NO finds like posh brooches…
Charles II Coin
Finds from Wirral Charles II Coin Here we have another unusual find. This is a poor condition copper Irish halfpenny coin dating from the reign of Charles II. He reigned from 1645-1684. This coin dates to the end of his reign and was from 1680-1684. On the second image you can see the harp with the crown above. We always get our…
Medieval Coin
Finds from Wirral Medieval Coin Here we have a coin of Edward IV. His reign was unusual as it was split into two separate periods during mthe Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. As such Edward reigned from 4th March 1461 to 3 October 1470 and then again from 11th April 1471 until…
Modern – Bag ties
Finds from Wirral Bag Ties While nowhere near as old as some of our finds this is still interesting. It is a lead seal for a bag of bone manure fertiliser. Procter and Ryland were a manufacturer of bone meal fertiliser situated on the edge of the River Dee at Saltney just outside Chester. A chemical works had been operating on the…
Buckles
Finds from Wirral Buckles Here is a selection of the groups recent finds of buckles. They date from as early as AD500 through to around AD1650. All are copper alloy and all are recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) with the British Museum. All were recovered from Wirral. From top left we have an unusual find. A small d-shaped copper…
ROMAN Coin
Finds from Wirral LVPL-257DE2 – ROMAN Coin Look into the, sadly rather battered, face of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Puis AD 138-161. The coin is one of our recent finds from Wirral and dates from AD143-144. It has been verified and recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme with the below reference https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1103158. The reverse of the coin shows Victory holding…
ROMAN Steelyard Weights
Finds from Wirral LVPL-391B06 – ROMAN Steelyard Weights Recent Finds. Steelyard Weights These are a couple of our recent finds that have been placed onto the Portable Antiquities Scheme. (www.finds.org.uk) On the left is a Roman (AD43-410) bi-conical steelyard weight. It weighs 131.8 grams PAS reference. LVPL-391B06 https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1099363 A steelyard is a portable scale with beam arms of unequal length…
Early Medieval – Weight
Finds from Wirral LVPL-257DE2 – EARLY MEDIEVAL weight A lovely little weight or gaming piece dated AD850-1100. Portable Antiquities Scheme statement: A lead weight or gaming piece dating from the early medieval period onwards (c.AD 850-1100).The object is domed with a flat base, flat sides and a domed top. It is undecorated and has a dark grey patina.Dimensions: Length 13.48mm; diameter 16.96mm; weight…
MEDIEVAL – Edward I Coin
MEDIEVAL – Edward I Coin A recent find of the groups that has just been verified by the Portable Antiquities Scheme is this coin of Edward I. It is listed on finds.org.uk under reference LVPL-361C79 The coin is a rather worn long cross silver penny dating from May to December 1279. It was minted at the Canterbury mint. The National Archives on nationalarchives.gov.uk…