The Lost Art of Spinning Tops

Peg tops It proves impossible to date a medieval top on the basis of its shape. The type of wood used, on the other hand, is a good indicator of age. The methods used here include dendrochronological research; this is a method where age is determined by means of tree rings. For a collector this type of research is too expensive. The type of wood used can be an indication of age, because in the Late Middle Ages the top was no longer made from leftover pieces. In the Middle Ages nothing was wasted, so any material could be used to make a top. There was no mass production, and so the local carpenter, or later the craftsman called ‘white maker’ would produce tops from spare materials. I would like to underline this because of the stories people tell about the top. It is claimed that smaller tops are much older than larger ones, because in the Middle Ages wood was really too expensive to be turned into toys or tops. This is nonsense! The fact that all these different wood types were used, was a result of this waste ‘recycling’. Makers often used different types of hardwood such as chestnut, oak, boxwood, fruit trees, roots and lignum vitea. A more accurate indication for dating is the iron point of the top. A hand-forged point was made square to the side placed at the bottom of the top, so that when the top spins the shaft will not rotate as well. Next, the bottom is filed or polished round and tapered. Peg top from the 15 th century with square discolouration of the shaft. Axis and stems of peg tops (16 th and 17 th century). 22