Buried treasure.

I've started contouring the land beside the pond.  This isn't a scientific process using theodolites, lasers and JCBs, it just takes loads of grunt, some blasphemy and lots of tea and Blue Riband biscuits.  In the process I've dug up all sorts of rubbish.  A couple of dozen 6" bolts, horse grooming implements, lots of broken pottery but nothing exotic, this was obviously a farm worker's cottage tip at one time.  Yesterday I found a couple of more interesting pieces, a 125 year old tea token and a 60 year old advertising key ring - I think.



TEA TOKENS. Established in 1875, the London and Newcastle Tea Company's offices were in Charlotte Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Early branches were in New Bridge Street, Sandhill, Scotswood Road, Shields Road, Westgate Road and Clayton Street but the firm later expanded to outlying parts of the city.The firm had a loyalty scheme in operation as early as 1875. The network of groceries stores, which sold the company's tea, gave a brass check with each purchase. Customers were invited to save the checks until they had acquired enough to claim a prize such as a toy, an item of crockery or a household gadget. The checks are now collectors’ items.  It went out of business between 1959 and 1962.  Wikipedia




I'm not sure the Wikipedia explanation is accurate, like so many things on their website but gives a guide.


The metal Land Rover stamping is probably off a key ring.  I remember BMC dealer, Central Garage in Low Fell, Gateshead in the 1970s and they didn't sell Land Rovers then so it's possibly 1960s. The type faces and logo would suggest that.