4th-5th century AD. A silver amphora-shaped strap end of a military belt with a fastening hole in the upper part, Latin inscription 'NRBPQD' incised vertically on the front of the plate, probably the initials of the owner and his unit; a possible interpretation is {(NR = Numerus? B = Brittonum P (ublius) Q (uintus) D (ecius) Publius Quintus Decius of the Numerus of the Britanni}. See Southern, P., 'The Numeri of the Roman Imperial Army' in Britannia, Vol. 20, (1989), pp.81-140; Bishop, M. C., Coulston, J.C.N., Roman military equipment, from the Punic wars to the fall of Rome, London, 2006, figs.137 n. 12, for style of strap ends; Appels A., Laycock S., Roman buckles and military fittings, Witham, 2007, esp. p.256, fig.SL13.26; Humer F., Kremer G., Pollhammer E., Pülz A., AD 313 Von Carnuntum zum Christentum, Bad Voslau, 2014, pp. 204-205 n.420. 5.7 grams, 40mm (1 1/2"). From the private collection of Antony John Scammell (1937-2019); acquired on the UK art market from 2013; accompanied by the original receipt. This type of strap end is conventionally called 'amphora-shaped' because of its shape; in reality the strap end hanging down at the front of the soldier is considered to be a symbol for the phallus. Antony John Scammell (1937-2019) was born, and lived his entire life, in the city of Bristol, England. Already from an early age he was enthralled by history and the heroes that it created. While serving overseas with the British Army, Antony began collecting coins and banknotes and this led to collecting a variety of different items throughout his life. From the early 1960s onward, Antony invested in acquiring ancient artefacts. Antony's vast collections started with Egyptian antiquities, but soon branched into Greek and Roman civilisations. The Roman civilisation fascinated him most and, when family commitments allowed, archaeological digs were coordinated in the west of England. These digs uncovered numerous artefacts, many of which were donated to local museums. In retirement, the collecting continued apace, branching into UK coins, British Empire banknotes and fossils.