TOY 576670

Description: A fragment of Post-Medieval (c.1650-1750) lead-alloy toy watch, consisting of roughly one third of the original surface area and measuring 26.31x20.17x1.49mm. Weighs 2.66g. One face is plain while the other has moulded decoration in low relief. To one side, within the remains of a raised concentric rib, are the Roman numerals VI to XII (the others missing due to an old break) with pellet half-hour marks. The single hand with counterpoise and arrowhead pointer is at 6 o'clock. Flanking the original outside edge is moulded low-relief foliate design. Geoff Egan writes in the Finds Research Group Datasheet 10 "Base Metal Toys", that such watches are about the same size as the original on which they were based, and were therefore probably instructional playthings rather than accessories to go with other toys. Most of the late 17th and early 18th century toy watches have a single hand set to six o'clock (Egan, 1988).

Date: 1650 - 1750

Object type: TOY

Last import: August 15, 2017