File:Medieval Toilet Article (FindID 455912).jpg

English: TREASURE ITEM 2011 T442: Incomplete and bent, shaped & hammered silver sheet toilet implement of Medieval date. The implement is a combined ear scoop and toothpick/nail cleaner although only the toothpick/nail cleaner terminal and the fluted shank remain. The implement is broken at the point where it is flaring out to form the spoon bowl. The toothpick/nail cleaner terminal is flat and sub-triangular in shape with the sides tapering sharply towards the tip. The pointed tip of the terminal is missing. The terminal has rounded corners where it meets the shank and has bevelled edges creating a raised midline down the centre of both faces forming a lozenge-shaped cross-section. The shaft, between the two terminals, has simple Z-twisted decoration comprising of ten twists. The shaft has been bent to approximately 75 degrees and there is a slight surface crack at this point. Several similar scoops/picks feature in Egan and Pritchard's 'Dress Accessories' (1991), including in particular no. 1759 (pp. 378-9), although the London scoop/pick is executed in brass. A silver example from the City of York was reported as Treasure during 2002 (Treasure Annual Report for 2002, p. 97, no. 114, Treasure reference 2002 T268). A more complete example of a very similar item has been recorded by PAS as SOM-B38BA2 (Treasure case 2008 T240). Based on excavated examples this item has been dated to the fourteenth century, c.1300-1400. As this item is more than 300 years old and composed of more than 10% precious metal, it should therefore be considered as Treasure under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996.