British Celtic Y-strap junction

British Celtic Y-strap junction of unpublished (?) type,  Bronze, H: 21mm W: 20mm.  Mid 1st cent  AD
(click to enlarge)

This pretty little Y-strap junction in my collection appears to have no precedent for its form. There is no similar object in Jope (Britain), Jacobsthal (continent) or Raftery (Ireland). It is not listed as a type in R. J. Taylor and J. W. Brailsford, British Iron Age Strap Unions, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 51, 1985, pp. 247 - 272.

For its design features, however, we are on firmer ground and the same "overlaid" decoration on the bottom of the ring can be seen on the handle of the Birdlip Mirror.

Seemingly too small for a horse or chariot fitting, it might be an item for personal dress or perhaps it served as a strap-junction for some sort of satchel flap.