Pipe tamper and seal matrix

pipe tamper and seal matrix
Photo: Birmingham Museums Trust CC By SA2.0
PAS Record: WMID-9AD220
Object type: Ampulla
Period: Anglo-Saxon
Primary material: Bronze
Date found: 08/09/2022
Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire

Description

A pipe tamper and seal matrix attached to a ring dating to about 1650 to 1750. Pipe tampers were often combined with rings so that they wouldn’t be lost, particularly when the owner was drunk. The addition of a seal matrix or signet bezel is more unusual.