Roman plate brooch

This Roman plate brooch was found by Glenn Lister, who said it turned up in the vicinity of York. Glenn thought it might be of interest to viewers of my website.

The brooch is most likely to date from the 2^nd century AD and is in the shape of a fly. It measures 25mm overall and the wings are inset with coloured enamel. I was told that on the reverse there are no signs of the usual pin mounts and catchplate.

A fly might seem like an unusual subject for a brooch. In actual fact, flies and many other creatures with wings appear on Roman brooches.   

Valuation

The enamel is a bit faded but overall this brooch is intact and still reasonably attractive. However, it isn’t particularly scarce so my price range would be no higher than £25 – £30.