Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

A knapped leaf-shaped bifacial knife; inked legend 'Arlit- Sud, Odette.1980'. 94 grams, 13.5 cm



Inked Arlit-Sud, Odette, 1980. Ex old German collection.

Discordial form, biconvex in section with intricate re-sharpening; old inked legend 'Pierrepont 14 3.8.93'. 55.2 grams, 65 mm



Found Pierrepont, Calvados, Normandy, France. Acquired on the UK art market in the 2020s. From a private collection.

Attributed to Neanderthal man.

Slender, tongue-shaped in plan, with a tapering end; inked legend 'Icklingham' on one side and the number '498' on the other. 26.2 grams, 85 mm



Found Icklingham, Suffolk, UK. From a private collection.

Leaf-shaped with finely worked edge, rounded butt. 18.3 grams, 80 mm



Found during the original official excavations in the Farnham area, Surrey, UK, which were conducted by Harold Falkner (1875-1963) and William Francis Rankine (c.1877-1962), who were instrumental in the excavation works and pit dwellings at sites including Six Bells, Frensham, Tilford, Thursley and Bagshot, and Waverley, amongst others, at and near Farnham in the 1930s and 1940s. Much of the material is now in the prestigious Farnham museum. The present part of the collection having been gifted to their good friend and Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham, who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Farnham district is one of the most interesting prehistoric regions in England, and has been visited by a succession of prehistoric peoples from Palaeolithic times onwards. Along the southern slope of the Farnham valley are three gravel terraces, which are famous prehistorically and have yielded large quantities of flint implements and bones of prehistoric animals, notably the mammoth. In prehistoric times, the chalk deposits played an important role in attracting settlers, as they contained rich layers of flint nodules used to make implements. The Farnham Gravels have been an abundant source of Palaeolithic finds, most prominent being hand axes. The axes differ in type, and each type is associated with a cultural phase of the Palaeolithic period. Types similar to these are found in similar deposits in the Somme valley and in many English valley gravels. Flint mining was also carried out by the Neolithic folk. Polished axes and leaf forms, arrowheads and knives, or possibly lance heads, are characteristic of the Neolithic flint work.

Trapezoidal in plan with worked step to both faces, rounded butt. 89 grams, 65 mm



Gifted to Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham; who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Comprising six implements, five with an inked collector's note. 52 grams total, 37-56 mm



Found Dialstone, Cumbria, UK. From the collection of Mr G.A. From a private collection.

Piriform in plan and biconvex in section with narrow point. 780 grams, 19.8 cm



Found Central Sahara. Ex old German collection of Dr J. Fehkhaber, formed in the 1970s.

Natural flint nodule with a long columnar spur, the lower end knapped to create a handle and blade; inked 'Broadness' legend. 74 grams, 10.8 cm



Found Broadness, Kent, UK. Gifted to Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham; who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Lentoid in section with narrow butt and broad curved edge; chipped. 265 grams, 11.3 cm



Found Yieusley, Hillingdon, London, UK. From the collection of Haselmere Parish Priest, Charles Borelli (c.1914-2000) of Farnham; who was part of the Borelli family from Italy who emigrated from Lake Como in 1828 to set up the Borelli family watch and jewellery business; thence by family descent to his nephew.

Leaf-shaped in plan and biconvex in section. 137 grams, 12.1 cm



From Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France. From a large French collection built up in the early 1900s. From a private collection.

Large group of small knapped blades and other implements 80 grams total, 30-54 mm



Found at a cave site in Yorkshire, UK. Ex R. G. Widowson, Scarborough, UK. Acquired on the UK art market in the 2020s. From a private collection.

Lozengiform in section with rough point and broad blade. 77.6 grams, 93.6 mm



From Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France. From a large French collection built up in the early 1900s. From a private collection.