https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/templates/general_wide/img/logo.png https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures.html https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/buzz-disc-or-whirligig-59035.html Sun, 23 Nov 2025 20:34:58 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A crude musical toy known as a 'buzz disc' or 'whirligig', possibly improvised from an unrelated object. It consists of a lead disc with a saw-tooth edge and five piercings. When attached to a cord, which is twisted and then pulled taut between two hands, the spinning of the disc produces a rhythmic humming (amplified by the toothed edges), which rises and falls with each pull of the cord. Such toys have also been home-made from buttons, and more recently - for safety reasons - from cardboard. The latter type were given as a free gift in comics as late as the 1950s-60s. With coloured panels printed on the cardboard, the spinning produced a visual, as well as audible, toy. Whirligigs have their origin in ancient times, when pig metacarpals and metatarsals were drilled and threaded to serve the same purpose. They have been found in Saxon to early post-medieval deposits in Britain. Lead examples of the present type have been found in late medieval to post-medieval deposits during surveys of the Thames foreshore in the City of London. The following extract was taken from the 'Historical Toy Website' (no longer online) in 2005: "Whirling toys made of hammered lead musket balls or coins too old or thin to be of value have been excavated from early American towns, plantations, and military campsites. The sound of the whirling disk lends this folk toy its common name of ’buzzer’, although it appears in English literature as early as 1686 under the general name for spinning toys, whirligig. The scalloped edge of our buzzer identifies it more particularly as a ’buzz saw’ toy. In past times the edge was often sharply cut into a sawtooth pattern, but a buzz saw with any shaped edge will produce an impressive loud, whizzing noise when it reaches full speed."
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/miniature-lion-58728.html Tue, 29 Jul 2025 17:14:58 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		An incomplete miniature, die-cast base metal lion. Possibly a gumball or Christmas cracker charm.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/gaming-top-57943.html Mon, 08 Apr 2024 16:55:15 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A copper-alloy gaming top. These were for a gambling game called 'put and take', in which the players took it in turn to spin the hexagonal sided top. The uppermost inscription determined whether they added money to the pool, or withdrew money from it. The units could be pence, or any other denomination the players agreed upon. The six faces are inscribed: ALL PUT, PUT ONE, TAKE ALL, TAKE TWO, TAKE ONE, PUT TWO.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/toy-battleship-56481.html Tue, 09 Nov 2021 12:37:40 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A lead-alloy, hollow cast Royal Navy toy battleship.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/toy-gun-56470.html Wed, 03 Nov 2021 15:14:54 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A toy cap gun in the form of a flintlock pistol. It has a brown plastic handle with a rounded butt and a slightly flared barrel stamped PIRATE on one side, the flintlock mechanism survives, the trigger and trigger guard are missing.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/toy-cannon-56145.html Fri, 09 Jul 2021 11:54:44 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A toy cannon, cast in one piece with pronounced base ring, slightly waisted and grooved cascabel button and integral trunnions. The barrel is only slightly tapered and terminates in a bevelled muzzle flange and pronounced muzzle ring. Miniature cannons of this nature were sold to children as working replicas of their full size counterpart. Probably originally mounted on a wooden carriage. A small charge of blackpowder would be placed in the barrel followed by a small piece of wadding and a lead shot or stone.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/baby-s-teething-rattle-26135.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A cast copper-alloy baby's teething rattle dating from the late medieval to early post-medieval period. The top of the rattle is incomplete, and originally would have had a narrow spoon-shaped projection for the baby to bite on. Below the break, four equally spaced lugs around the top of the handle are pierced for the attachment of bells to form the 'rattle' element. One of the lugs has an attachment wire still in situ. The central handle is ribbed and the terminal end is flat and incomplete. Near the base, a small integral side lobe is pierced so the rattle can be attached to the baby by a cord (see image 4 of a baby with attached rattle in a period Dutch painting). The rattle is unusual in that it is cast in copper-alloy, and pre-dates the more elaborate silver rattles manufactured onwards from the 17th century, usually adorned with coral teethers. Possibly made in the Netherlands. For a more complete example, see; UKDFD 55199.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/baby-s-teething-rattle-55199.html Tue, 14 Apr 2020 14:50:49 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A cast copper-alloy baby's teething rattle dating from the late medieval to early post-medieval period. The top of the rattle has a narrow, convexly moulded spoon-shaped projection for the baby to bite on, and below, four equally spaced lugs around the top of the handle that are pierced for the attachment of bells to form the 'rattle' element. One of the lugs has an attachment wire still in situ. The central handle is ribbed and the terminal end is flat and rounded. Near the base, a small integral side lobe is pierced so the rattle can be attached to the baby by a cord (see image 5 of a baby with attached rattle in a period Dutch painting). The rattle is unusual in that it is cast in copper-alloy, and pre-dates the more elaborate silver rattles manufactured onwards from the 17th century, usually adorned with coral teethers. Possibly made in the Netherlands. See also UKDFD 26135.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/mounted-toy-soldier-55115.html Sun, 22 Mar 2020 17:43:58 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		An incomplete die-cast mounted toy soldier, the soldier is missing his head, the horse has lost its tail and the lower parts of the back legs. Traces of red and blue paint survive.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

]]> https://www.ukdfd.co.uk/artefact/post-medieval-to-modern/toys-and-miniatures/toy-cannon-54736.html Mon, 21 Oct 2019 10:59:13 GMT Toys and miniatures  

Description:		A toy cannon cast in one piece with a knob-ended cascabel, slightly tapered reinforce, and integral trunnions on a very prominent ring. The chase reduces in diameter in two steps from the trunnion ring, but may be incomplete, as it is very short and lacks the usual muzzle ring. A closely similar toy cannon is recorded as UKDFD 54556.
Category:		Post-Medieval to Modern, Toys and miniatures
Category:		Toys and miniatures

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