Sartorial style from more than 1,000 years ago may soon be on show in York after a "missing link" was found on local farmland.

York Coroner Donald Coverdale has declared that a part of a decorated silver clothing strap, dating probably from the middle of the 9th century AD, is treasure.

The piece, found by a man with a metal detector on farmland west of York, is thought to be the vital last piece missing from silver straps found separately last year and already declared treasure trove.

The exciting new find will be sent to the British Museum to be valued, and the Yorkshire Museum in York will have the opportunity to acquire it.

Craig Barclay, adviser on treasure at the Yorkshire Museum, told the inquest that the item was the missing portion of part of a strap already held at the museum along with five other ones.

He said before the advent of modern fastenings, clothes were held together with brooches, or with belts and straps like this one.

But this was a high status item which would be worn by an important person, of a style called Trehiddle and made of 95 per cent pure silver. When new it would be shiny and decorated with black enamel called Niello.

"They are exceptionally skilfully decorated. They are very fine pieces," said Mr Barclay. Silver examples were "very special", and the only other one he knew of being found recently was in East Yorkshire.

He said this portion was a perfect fit with the part of a strap they already had, and it was hoped the museum would be able to display the full set of six in the near future.

The straps could have been part of a burial hoard or being kept by a silversmith for "recycling", though no one knew for sure. At the time of production the Kingdom of Northumbria was very important, and it was possible the straps were produced in York.

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