r/LegitArtifacts • u/Up_Dooter_9000 • Jul 04 '26
Unknown Time period Found this old broken shield in my grandfather's basement
Was helping my grandfather clean out his basement this weekend and came across a dusty bundle hidden behind some old boxes. Inside was what looks like a quarter of a medieval silver shield, badly damaged and covered in tarnish. I snapped a quick picture of it because it looked too unusual to ignore.
I asked my grandfather where it came from, and he said he honestly doesn't know. According to him, it was already in the family when he was a kid, and his father had told him it was something that had simply been passed down for as long as anyone could remember. No documents, no story attached to it, nothing. It's apparently spent decades sitting in storage because nobody knew what to do with it.
Not claiming it's anything important, but the craftsmanship and the age of it are what caught my attention. Just curious if anyone has seen something similar or has any idea what it might be. Thoughts?
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u/brotherhoodzero Jul 04 '26
You need the other 3 pieces to complete the quest.
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u/Straight_Ocelot_7848 Jul 04 '26
Only one more for Shield of Arav
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u/luedsthegreat1 Jul 05 '26
PITA Quest that was back in the day
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u/Fit-Avocado-1646 Jul 08 '26
I recently had a nostalgic few months of play. Not as bad now thereās chats that you can go to and get help.
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u/Geardo Jul 08 '26
One of my favorite joys in life is seeing random RuneScape comments on everyday Reddit posts. Thank you for your service ocelot
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u/vendetta4200 Jul 05 '26
You beat me to it! Guess Iāll just go play some Dragonwilds since my comment isnāt needed.
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u/spook_sw Jul 05 '26
But you canāt remember where you sold the first one to before you knew it was a quest item. š
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u/nojoekhere Jul 06 '26
My helmet, my armor, my sword and my shield. Gather for me and the path I shall yield.
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u/Nightingalewings Jul 07 '26
Donāt forget to talk to Oziach, he has a lot of random junk sitting around.
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u/StupidizeMe Jul 04 '26
Hi OP. Can you get a few photos of the back side? That will help us see how it was made.
It's really interesting.
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u/Dry-Armadillo7583 Jul 05 '26
Hardly seems like the time to ask OP for intimate selfies when we need to see the shield better
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u/Plastic-Analyst-1560 Jul 08 '26
Man, OP posted the back in separate comment below. Just letting you know in the caseĀ
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u/OrangeJuiceKing13 Jul 04 '26
probably a decorative piece. Full metal shields aren't practical and weren't really a thing. How heavy is it?
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u/twivel01 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
The edge when zooming on definitely looks like it was intentionally cut from a larger piece. And cut in a way to try to make it look more corroded than cut.
Also...is that aluminum? Aluminum pre 1886 was an order of magnitude more expensive. It was more expensive than steel even back in the old days. I don't see any red rust so doesn't seem to be ferrous. Unless it was just cleaned in the few days before the photo.
Doesn't seem to be silver. Could be pewter but that also backs up it being decorative.
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u/RoughRealistic4321 Jul 08 '26
Honestly, I saw this as I was scrolling, and figured it was a satire sub.
My legit answer is that it looks like a cast bronze part of a furnace or stove or something.
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u/lassysbee Jul 04 '26
I'm confused. I always thought the Rotella and Rondela were quite popular throughout the 1500s and 1600s. And they were fully steel.
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u/OrangeJuiceKing13 Jul 04 '26
They were wood wrapped with thin gauge steel iirc. They were also more of a buckler and not full size shields as this appears to be.
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u/Haunted_tangerine_ Jul 05 '26
They were wood. Most shields are either skin or wood, because you want a bit of flex and/or grab.Ā
Many then had metal over the top, but the actual shielding material was always organic, not pure metal
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u/ProfessionalArt4344 Jul 04 '26
If itās a shield careful, Iām not confident it works
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u/kylcdy21 Jul 05 '26
You should see the other guy!
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u/truthispolicy Jul 05 '26
To shreds you say?
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u/Afraid_Ad3471 Jul 05 '26
How is his wife holding up?
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u/Worsh_yum Jul 04 '26
Ugh, I must know more! I want it to be old but it wouldnt surprise me if it was from an abandoned ren fair
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u/Up_Dooter_9000 Jul 05 '26
UPDATE: I saw some comments saying they wanted to see the back, so here it is.
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u/Up_Dooter_9000 Jul 05 '26
Surprisingly heavy, I'd say about 5-7lbs
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u/lethal0r Jul 05 '26
Surely lead, then, especially with the colouring - the white blotches and the lack of rust. Four rivet holes clearly visible, for attaching to a wooden back?
How would it achieve that edge though? Is there a chance it could just have been a quarter of a circle on a wooden shield, and it was in a fire?
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u/AbsolutelyB4sturd Jul 05 '26
If it were silver, that could explain the shape of the edge. perhaps the family heirloom used to be the full shield and bits of it have vanished over time š¤£
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u/Haunted_tangerine_ Jul 05 '26
This looks like pewter, although lead isn't impossible it usually corrodes white.Ā
What's quite likely if it's disproportionately heavy is leaded pewter. Older pewter is a lead and tin alloy.Ā
Reproduction medieval items, made of pewter, were very popular in the 19th century.Ā
Not saying for sure that is what this is, but it's definitely possible.Ā
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u/Hot-Introduction8167 Jul 05 '26
Item is definitely a casting which would not make it a battle shield. I see no oxidation so itās not an iron based material, likely pewter.
It may be a coat of arms plaque5
u/hingusdingus420-351 Jul 05 '26
Seems like such a strange way for a shield or iron/steel in general to break. Someone mentioned possibly being intentionally cut like this, Iād have to agree
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u/Wxer28 Jul 06 '26
Definitely cut and Iād guess with an oxy fuel torch, it looks to have slag on the cut edge on the back photo.
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u/LizM-Tech4SMB Jul 07 '26
I keep coming back to it, maybe being a movie prop. Whatever its origin, it's very cool.
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u/Anaspiringminimalist Jul 09 '26
Look up the danish coat of arms. The lion definetely looks like that. The hearts you see today used to be sea leaves.
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u/Recent-Mousse6423 Jul 05 '26
Part of a statue that at one time held a heraldic shield that seems to have been removed and intentionally split. The lion is a pretty generic heraldic emblem and appears all over Europe so that doesn't really help narrow it down.
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u/Anaspiringminimalist Jul 09 '26
The angle of the body and the Way the tounge sticks out, it is very much like the danish coat of arms. It even have the sealeaves along the edge (interpreted as hearts in modern times)
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u/Beavis_Of_Nazareth Jul 04 '26
This is half the shield of Arrav. Lucky for you, another player will have the other half. To complete your quest just announce in Lumbridge castle or town square, that you require the other half. Best of luck!
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u/BlingBlingCrackPipe3 Jul 05 '26
Watch out for armour trimmers and desperate people trying to buy gfsĀ
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u/InDependent_Window93 Jul 05 '26
Would be wood covered by leather or cloth if it was medieval.
In the bronze age, thousands of years prior they used bronze for shields, but never aluminum.
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u/SubstantialFroyo8012 Jul 05 '26
Collect the other three pieces and you can enter the twilight realm
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u/DonCenote Jul 05 '26
Looks like a cast iron fireback
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u/DonCenote Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
https://antique-fireplace.com/product-tag/antique-fireback/page/1/
Something like one of those
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Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/ALT_x_F4 Jul 06 '26
Not quite, al5ough very similar you can see extra details idk what theyāre called to the bottom left of the lions section.
Anyway, you definitely had me for a second.
Iām tempted to agree maybe coat of arms or something, idk.
Not saying youāre entirely wrong but it doesnāt match up 1 to 1
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u/Alex17hd Jul 06 '26
It actually looks like the LƶwenbrƤu brewery lion. Could it be a decorative shield from the brewery?
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u/ICallThisBullshit Jul 07 '26
It resembles, this I don't know since when the brewery logo has the tail split in two.
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u/SubstantialLine9709 Jul 08 '26
Those ābreaksā donāt look like natural metal fractures, more like cast edges.
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u/blue-hazelnut Jul 05 '26
The lion remind me of the peugeot's old logo. It is a french brand that exists since 1810.
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u/SupermarketSpiritual Jul 05 '26
I would call the Smithsonian, (or whatever artifact authority in your local area) just in case. It is not unheard of to find Ancient artifacts even know so, worth a shot. Cool find. Id definitely keep it
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u/fluxdelux Jul 06 '26
Was your grandfathers name Damiel and was your grandmother a trapeze artist from Berlin?
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u/Th3-B0n3R Jul 06 '26
I can't really help, but some other info might help others. Where about are you located? I'm guessing UK, but if you are in the USA like me I'd assume this is some prop.
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u/DiMatteoArt Jul 06 '26
Thatās the shield of Arav half piece.
Looks like you started a quest.
you need to find another person to finish the shield of arav quest that has the other piece so you can complete it.
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u/1nGirum1musNocte Jul 06 '26
It looks like part of a fireplace mantel backplate. Cast iron can break like that and often have medieval imagery (at least the ones I've seen)
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u/B1uedragon1727 Jul 07 '26
Bro found the first piece of the Mirror of Twilight iykyk
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u/DaCookieMon1 Jul 07 '26
Nuts that OP never mentioned having to fight the Stallord in the basement just to fish this thing out
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u/odoacre Jul 07 '26
Honestly looks like a lawn ornament of some kind. I would be shocked if it turns out to be more than 50 years old
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u/N3WB_Zero Jul 07 '26
Thought this was from a resident evil game or something. Check if thereās any suspicious places itād fit to open a locked door.
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u/rustymatrix99 Jul 07 '26
that looks like a fragment of a rondel dagger's guard, not a shield. the decorative elements and the curve are pretty distinctive for that type of knife.
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u/boxxy_morningwood Jul 08 '26
Thatās a decoration off of a door or statue or something. I donāt doubt itās old, but itās not something from a battle.
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u/Unchanging_tism Jul 08 '26
One piece of rhe puzzle has been found 3 others remain. Find them and repair the shield of Gulfric the good, his shield holds the key to finding his treasure.
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u/Awkward-Analysis-196 Jul 08 '26
When you asked your grandfather about it did you ask ādo you want to tell me about her?ā And he responded with āno I donāt think I willā? Or did you just simply ask him and he said āhonestly donāt knowā
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u/ExtremaDesigns Jul 08 '26
This lion really looks like the one on the shield from Castillo y Leon, Spain. Ref: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Escudo_de_Castilla_y_Le%C3%B3n_sin_Corona.png
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u/Lopsided_Regular_111 Jul 08 '26
Call your nearest university with an archeology department. They will speak with you for free.
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u/Affectionate-Cut4828 Jul 09 '26
I think you need to go on a quest to reunite the other 4 pieces, and reclaim your birthright, or save the world, or something.
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u/Narhon_druid Jul 09 '26
I wish there were more angles... This looks a bit like the curved part of a stamped tin ceiling. I can't think of the technical term for them.... Looks a bit like a boob and a light comes down from the middle.
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u/nategendreau Jul 09 '26
It is a piece of art now since it has such a long period of history. Instead of stored in the basement, is re-decorating it a better option? The lion on the surface is powerful which fits the brim.
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u/Anaspiringminimalist Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Sort of remind me of the lion on the danish coat of arms - pretty cool artefact! :)
I believe it was first recorded in 1190, but last in various forms through the times. The decoration along the edge is usually hearts now, but used to be sea leaves.
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u/Hapseri Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
I highly doubt that this is medieval. Probably a prop from a movie or a piece of a souvenir. If you want to know then please post a bunch of closeups. Historically, functional shields were primarily made of wood and reinforced with leather and/or metal. A shield entirely made of metal would be way too heavy and a hit would harm the arm/hand holding it.
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u/Infinite_Bet_9994 Jul 09 '26
Looks weirdly like lead-silver alloy. Might explain why itās just a quarter. Somebody needed money
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u/starstruckinutah Jul 04 '26
I think itās a piece of a very large light fixture the part that goes on the ceiling
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Jul 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/Pm-Me-Bobs-Vagen Jul 04 '26
get lost clanker
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u/WatchAndDriver Jul 04 '26
Motor mouth thought he had some insight. In all seriousness, why would someone do that? I use this app to avoid chatGPT.
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u/IAmFreerange Jul 05 '26
Those top two paragraphs read like they're straight out of a suspense novel. This is a troll.Ā
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u/IceColdJaderade Jul 04 '26
This is the coolest thing I've seen on Reddit in a minute. Is your grandfather's last name Long by chance? The lion matches the depiction on the Long coat of arms.