POST MEDIEVAL TOY

1600

An incomplete Post Medieval copper alloy toy musket, dating AD 1600-1640. This is a type 1, design 2 toy musket (Forsyth and Egan, 2005, 91). It is solidly cast, consisting of a fishtail butt, cylindrical barrel with three facets on the top, an open circular pan and a rectangular trigger guard. On the upper side of the musket, there is a ridge at the breech, curving around the open pan. Along the side of the barrel, next to the pan, is a pronounced semi-circular ridge. Half-way along the upper barrel are two pairs of transverse grooves, leaving a gap in the decoration. There is a muzzle ring formed of an engraved line. On the underside, there is another transverse groove near the muzzle, with a further two at the end of the stock. The two sets of engraving underneath are located next to ridges that mark the main body of the barrel. Forsyth and Egan note that these lower engravings may represent ramrod pipes (ibid.).The stock is decorated with punched ring and dot motifs; three on either side of the butt, three along the stock and one underneath, just before the trigger guard. The top of the barrel is decorated with a wavy line running down the centre and scrolling decoration on the facets either side. The section between the sets of engraved lines is blank. The decoration has been formed using a circular stamp. The identical decoration is found in Egan and Forsyth (ibid.), dating the object to AD 1600-1640.Dimensions: length: 93.37 mm; width: 30.02 mm; thickness at stock: 10.94 mm; diameter of muzzle: 8.01 mm; weight: 34g.Reference: Forsyth, H. and Egan, G. 2005. Toys, Trifles and Trinkets. Base Metal Miniatures from London 1200 to 1800. Unicorn Press, London.