Gold, 2.06 grams, 24.81 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A high-status pendant in the form of a sheet gold disc with central boss, made to symbolise a shield. The outer rim of the disc is decorated with a fillet of beaded gold wire of very fine quality (about 3 beads per millimetre). On the reverse is the remainder of the attachment loop, which features three ribs. Scutiform pendants are among the most prestigious of the female pendants symbolising male weapons; the silver and tinned copper-alloy versions often feature stamped decoration while the rare gold ones usually have decoration only on the rim. Reference: cf. MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.162 item 25.3, 25.5. Very fine condition, some loss to the beaded wire. Provenance: from an old English collection, found continental Europe.