Corbridge A Breastplates - to cross or not cross diagonally?

[Matt Lukes]

Here's a photograph from the Corbridge Hoard section of Mike Bishop's ARMAMENTARIVM website showing the back plates and mid-collar plate from Cuirass 4- an A- showing that the original form of the mid collar plate was a nice, normal human shoulder angle. Doubtless someone will argue that it might be deformed, but look at the hinge- intact, not bent- and look at the collar flare- the same shape as the flare on the upper back plate is- and the seam between the back plates- horizontal as it would be in wear (so the artifact isn't at some odd angle in the photo), all of which show me anyway, that it's intact and in original shape. If you picture the breastplate at the end of the collar plate, the only way to make it vertical is to twist the collar plate outwards and then the breastplates would be even further apart...