File:Post-medieval mount, Sun and moon mount (FindID 457609).jpg

English: A cast copper-alloy mount of probable late medieval to post-medieval date. The mount depicts a crescent moon with face (the 'man in the moon'); the terminals of the crescent moon hold a six-pointed star. Projecting from the back of the crescent moon is an oval suspension or attachment loop: similar examples on this database suggest that a similar mount would have been attached at this point. The reverse of the mount is undecorated but retains the remains of two integrally cast prongs, probably used for attachment onto leather. Although no direct comparison could be found in the usual literature, this object does bear some similarity to pilgrim bages dating from the later 14th century. It is possible that this is a pilgrim badge as the sun and moon were emblems of Christ and the Virgin Mary respectively (Spencer 1990, 104). However it is hard to decide if the six-pointed object within the grasp of the moon is infact the sun and not a star. Of course the mount may also have been purely decorative with no religious meaning. It is likely that it dates from c. 1500 - 1700 AD. For a complete but worn example, see Read (2008) p.224 fig.805.