before 1925, elementary school teacher ernst bornhöf, from nearby schiphorst, found two paddles which he incorporated in his school's prehistoric collection. both paddles were transferred to the helms-museum in 1925. one is a large-leafed paddle of oak, with a weight of . it was c-dated in 2008 to 1121 ± 22 before present (around 829 ad ± 22 years), the period of transition from the early- to high middle ages. the second paddle is now lost, and only a few written records and a photo of the object exist. it was probably made from pine wood having an incised decoration on the shaft, which is not recognizable in the photo. both paddles were recovered by bornhöft without documenting any further detail of the archaeological context.