Can this forum finally identify this strange disc with religious figure and text?

[Sand87]

I found this in a field (in Scotland) a number of years ago and it remains unidentified. Museums, collectors, multiple different forums...plenty of guesses but not a single solid I.D.

It seems to be made of lead or something similar (anyone know for sure?) , it weighs 350 grams and seems to be a handmade disc with the figure of a lady scratched in to it. The lady appears to be wearing a religious headscarf or veil of some sort.

There is lettering running around the edge but is badly faded but some of the letters that are visible are in one of my photos. It could be SAxxx WEDICES or SAxxx MEDICES or something like that and people have pointed out that MEDICES is a latin word meaning doctor?

It also appears to be a mould of some sort because when I hold it up in a mirror the image and text reverse and seem to be a little more 'right'. For example the backward looking 'S' or Z thing becomes a normal shaped S.


This is a video I made to give a good idea of the disc:




Somebody on another forum took exception to me linking to a monetised youtube video so here are some pictures (which highlight the words better):

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

https://imgur.com/a/3YiFY (the last two pictures here are in the mirror so the image is reversed)

If you need any other information just ask. I would LOVE to finally get this resolved.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Cry Of The Eagle: History And Legends Of The Cherokee Indians And Their Buried Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[DCMatt]

half of a mould or matrix for a medal

Not half of a mold - it was made by pressing the softer lead-alloy material against a bronze medal. That's why the letters are faint and mirror-image.

the woman’s costume might be that of a nurse

Not necessarily true. It was common for women of the renaissance era to wear veils in everyday life.

Also, if this was made by pressing against another medal, it is not a 'one-off'. There must be an original.

I still think this is a more modern effort to copy a renaissance era medal. How much more modern is very hard to say. Maybe a scientific analysis of the metal would provide a clue.

DCMatt

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[Sand87]

Somebody on another forum suggested analysing the metal to get a clearer picture of what it is made of but I wonder where you go to get that done and more importantly how much it would cost.

If they were trying to copy an old style medal why would they create it in 'reverse' ?

 

[Sand87]

Somebody on another forum suggested analysing the metal to get a clearer picture of what it is made of but I wonder where you go to get that done and more importantly how much it would cost.

If they were trying to copy an old style medal why would they create it in 'reverse' ?

 

[DCMatt]

If they were trying to copy an old style medal why would they create it in 'reverse' ?

Because it's easier.

And if it is from the 16th or 17th C, most people couldn't read or write back then so the orientation of the letters wouldn't matter. They knew who was pictured on the medal and that was enough.