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

With curved back and tapering pointed ends. 41 grams, 12.2 cm



Acquired as part of a collection of Danish Neolithic flint artefacts from a Swedish auction house. From the private collection of a S.W. London, UK, gentleman.

Rectangular-section shank flaring to broad cutting edge, square butt. 539 grams, 18.1 cm



Acquired from an auction in the UK. From the private collection of a S.W. London, UK, gentleman.

Rectangular-section thick-butted axe with a polished surface to the blade, square butt. 875 grams, 23.4 cm



Ex Martin Doyle collection, Leverstock, UK, 1980s-2000s.

Leaf-shaped in plan and triangular in section, with a thick oval section butt. 104 grams, 12.8 cm



From the famed and desired region of Gran Pressigny, France. Ex Chauvais collection, formed in the early 1900s. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector.

Six D-section edge scrapers mounted on an old collector's card with notations 'nulbous end', 'protective blunting' and others, headed 'Excavated Bourne Mill Spring'. 36 grams total, 40-61 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.

Round-section shank flaring to a broad cutting edge, rounded butt. 775 grams, 18.2 cm



Found Libya, North Africa. From an old Dutch collection, acquired before 2000 A.D. Acquired from an auction in the Netherlands. From the private collection of a S.W. London, UK, gentleman.

Discordial form, biconvex with intricate re-sharpening; inked legend 'Pierrepont 14 22.12.93'. 142 grams, 69 mm



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

Attributed to Neanderthal man.

Including triangular-section microlith side-scrapers and a larger blade with cortex to one face; inked findspots 'Crooksbury', 'Farnham', 'Swallow-hole' and other notations. 21.1 grams total, 23-62 mm



Found Swallow-Hole and Crooksbury, near Farnham, Surrey, UK, circa 1938. 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.

Rectangular in plan with expanding cutting edge and rounded butt, leaf-shaped in profile. 31.9 grams, 38 mm



Ex Vincenzo Pappalardo (1895-1984), Lausanne; thence by descent.

Comprising one flat ovate type with inked legend '142'; one edge scraper with scooped end and lateral nicks. 49.9 grams total, 45-57 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.

Triangular in plan with delicate re-sharpening, rounded butt. 25.5 grams, 55.8 mm



From Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France. From a large French collection built up in the early 1900s. Acquired on the European art market in the 2020s. From a private collection.

Made by Neanderthal man.

Formed as a slightly curved, slender triangular blade with a rounded butt. 1.65 grams, 42.8 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.