The perfect condition Late Bronze Age shield found in a bog near Moel Hebog in 1784. So many circles.
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According to Coflein (and other sources) this shield was actually found upon the even more mighty Moel Siabod about 10 miles to approx the east - not Moel Hebog - at SH71005520
themodernantiquarian.com/site/12185/carnedd_moel_siabod.html
Interesting discrepancy. I see that Coflein are taking it (albeit from a footnote with a spelling mistake) in this 1829 letter in the admittedly esteemed journal of Archaeologia.
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101076451515;view=1up;seq=137
I can't read the Coles article unfortunately - maybe he has a better source.
But in defence of Moel Hebog, lots of the books published earlier than that name it, eg this from 1806:
books.google.co.uk/books?id=EaRfAAAAcAAJ&lpg=PA25&ots=Xo8jUl8mkX&dq=1784%20shield%20hebog&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=1784%20shield%20hebog&f=false
And this from 1821 says 'near Meillionen' (which is near Moel Hebog)
archive.org/details/touristsguidethr00will/page/150
Perhaps Coflein and the British Museum will have to fight it out.
Either way, it's pretty bloody pristine for a shield ("It's my best shield, I'm not using it") and whoever left it there was either very careless or wanted a good deal from the gods, don't you think.
It is curious because The British Museum are now contradicting themselves... the British Museum A-Z Companion (1999) clearly states the shield is from Moel Siabod, near Capel Curig. And by providing an 8 digit OS reference Coflein are being rather unequivocal and exact, are they not? But there you are. Key point is the piece still survives intact and in a safe place... not in the hands of some bloody private collector moron. The craft work is truly stunning.
Funnily I have a photo of what I thought was that shield that I took in the British Museum in 2010. The label says "Rhyd-y-Gors, Dyfed".
Which is a very long way from either Moel Hebog or Moel Siabod :)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyd-y-gors
[Edit - it's probably a different shield. I imagine they were the iPhone 7 of the day, everyone queued up when they went on sale.]
[Edit 2 - actually I'm not sure now, the Wiki entry for Rhyd-y-Gors says it was part of the Meyrick collection, many of the items of which were acquired by Augustus Wollaston Franks and then went to the British Museum. So it actually might be the same shield. Conclusion, it's a Bronze Age shield, found in a Welsh bog.]
It is very nice. And goes to show how easily something can get adrift of its origin and you might never be quite sure of what happened. I'm glad its being looked after for the public, as you say.
There's a drawing of the Rhyd-y-Gors one in that first link btw, that's why he puts a little footnote about the similar Moel whatever-it-was shield, because it's so similar.
The rest of the footnote unfortunately says "The only other one I have heard of was exhumated near Newcastle on Tyne, when the owner, wishing to gratify all his friends, cut it up like a cake and sent to each a slice." Sigh.