File:Medieval brooch or buckle pin (FindID 536238).jpg

A medieval silver-gilt brooch or buckle pin. The pin is rectangular in section with a wide, flat front and back and rounded edges. It tapers gradually in width from the loop to an old break at the other end, the original point is missing. At the loop end it widens slightly with small projecting flanges on each side before ending in the narrower loop. The loop is formed of a rectangular piece now bent over 180 degrees with a curved end nearly joining the point at which the loop begins. In profile the pin is mostly flat with a concave section before the loop.

The pin is decorated on both sides with panels within narrow plain borders. The panels are outlined with incised lines and have multiple, closely spaced fine parallel incised lines running across the width, down the entire length of the pin. The legend AVE MAR[...] // RACIA P[...] is picked out in capital letters running down both sides. The letters are outlined by incised lines and left raised and plain in contrast to the incised lines on the rest of the panels.

There are extensive traces of gilding on both sides.

The legend is a shortening of Ave Maria Gracia Plena. This phrase is seen on many other dress accessories such as rings, brooches and purse bars of later medieval date.

There are a number of brooches with similar lettering, in particular the style of the As and the Ls on the PAS database: LEIC-4F2C65, NMS-185F14 and LON-B0E896. These brooches have been dated to the 13th and 14th centuries, referring to the example illustrated in Egan and Pritchard (1991, 254; no.1337).

Consequently, in terms of age and as the object contains a minimum of 10% precious metal it qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.