A post-Medieval, cast, copper-alloy pipe tamper. The object consists of a circular sectioned shaft with an axe-head terminal. The axe-head is pelta-shaped at one end and hammer-shaped at the other. The shaft expands outwards towards the base and is decorated with three transverse ridges. Both the hammer-head and the base of the shaft could be used to tamp the tobacco. As the diameter of the bowls of clay pipes increased with time, so the diameter of the pipe tampers increased. On this tamper, the diameter of the hammer-head is 6.1mm and the base of the shaft is 6.4mm which would indicate an early date of between 1640 and 1720 and most likely the earlier part of this date range in the 17th century.
http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/520977
