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

One triangular in plan and the other cordate; marked 'Edge[..]' and '7 [???]' obscured by old gum residue from a label. 198 grams total, 81-97 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.

Comprising a mixed group of side-scrapers, end-scrapers and other microliths, each with an inked findspot 'Frensham G(reat) Pond', 'Woolpit', 'Truxford', 'Moor Park', 'The Warren' (Oakhanger), many with old typed labels noting the year of discovery. 42 grams total, 18-64 mm



Found Truxford, Moor Park, Frensham Great Pond, Woolpit, The Warren, Surrey, UK, circa 1950. 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.

Mixed group of irregular blade cores and one forming a neat prolate spheroid. 185 grams total, 35-63 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.

Slender curved blade, triangular in section; an old label reading 'La Croze de Tayac, Dordogne'. 16.2 grams, 11.6 cm



Found in Le Croze de Tayac, Dordogne, France. Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collection of the famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023). Acquired on the UK art market at auction after being sold by Mr Brox’s family. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector.

Lozengiform in section with narrow butt and angled point; old inked legend 'Farnham Pits 1934' '82'. 75.2 grams, 97 mm



Found Farnham Pits, Surrey, UK, circa 1934. 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.

Round-section shank flaring to a broad cutting edge, rounded butt. 394 grams, 10.8 cm



Found El Golea, Algeria. Ex old German collection of Dr J. Fehkhaber, formed in the 1970s.

Ovate in profile and lentoid in section with broad butt and rounded point; some cortex to one face. 1.23 kg, 16 cm



Found close to the Palaeolithic Neanderthal site of Lynford Quarry, Norfolk. Private collection, London, UK.

Lynford Quarry, a famous and well-documented site, sits on the edge of an ancient channel of water where Neanderthals thrived and hunted. When excavated many years back, hundreds of flint tools were unearthed alongside thousands of butchered bones and teeth of mammoths, woolly rhinos and deer. This axe may have been used for crushing bones to extract the nutritious marrow.

Biconvex in section with parallel edges and rounded ends. 57 grams, 12 cm



Found El Golea, Algeria. Ex old German collection of Dr J. Fehkhaber, formed in the 1970s.

A substantial flint core 'Livre de Beurre' with vertical traces of blows on the work side, slightly rounded blade. 778 grams, 11.5 cm



Found Gran Pressigny, France. Acquired on the UK art market in the 2020’s. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector.

With a flat and polished underside, and a raised facetted face. 8.27 grams, 50 mm



Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, collector.

Libyan desert glass formed approximately 29 million years ago when an intense, high-energy cosmic event instantly melted quartz-rich desert sand in the Sahara, which then rapidly cooled into high-purity silica glass.

D-shaped in section with parallel sides, one rounded end and one faceted; old label 'La Groze du Tayac'. 54 grams, 11.1 cm



Found Le Groze du Tayac, France. Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collection of the famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023). Acquired on the UK art market at auction after being sold by Mr Brox’s family. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector.

Tongue-shaped with a tapering blade and a flat butt, hadwritten label reading 'Coll. Rev. E.R.Buick, LL.D., FRSAI, MRIA, 9 Culleybackey, (1905)' and 'Gortfad, near Portglenone, Co., Antrim, Ireland'. 165 grams, 68 mm



Found Gortfad, near Portglenone, Co Antrim, Ireland. From the collection of Rev.G.R.Buick LL.D., FRSAI, MRIA of Culley Backey, 1905. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.