Gold, 1.82 grams, 10.52 mm, 5th-7th century AD. Gold in early Anglo-Saxon England was mostly derived by recycling and refining Roman coinage. For convenience it was cast into billets which could be handled and stored comfortably, and which allowed large amounts of wealth to be transported easily. Small gold billets formed part of the royal treasure found in the purse in the ship-burial in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. The present piece is a portion of a cast billet, with a maximum thickness of about 4 mm tapering to about 2.3 mm at the end where it has been clipped from the billet; perhaps from the same casting as item 016738 (?). Reference: Carver, M. Sutton Hoo: A Seventh Century Princely Burial Ground and its Context, Society of Antiquaries Report no.69, London, 2005, p.186. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Isle of Wight, disclaimed.