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LOT 2116
Very Large Post Medieval Iron Key
CIRCA 18TH CENTURY A.D.
7 7/8 in. (116 grams, 20 cm).
With slender shank, loop bow, bit with cruciform ward; possibly from a church or other large door. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a Buckinghamshire, UK, collection established from the earlier 1960s.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Tudor Bronze Clothes Hook Fastener Collection
16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
A mixed group of hooked fasteners, including an oval with a low-relief female profile, an openwork rosette, rectangular with a low-relief of double-headed serpent, an openwork interlaced design, and some with suspension lug. 13.4 grams total, 28-37 mm
From the private collection of the late Graham Slater (1927-2024), Cambridge, UK, acquired 1980s-1990s. -
Smoky Quartz Desk Seal in the form of a Plumed Helmet
French, 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Modelled in the round as a plumed helmet with a barred visor and a chin strap, resting on a low pedestal. 182 grams, 71 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Post Medieval Silver Love Token Collection
18th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Each coin worn flat and bent into a double-curved 's' profile, for use as a token of love. 17.55 grams total, 18-20 mm
Found Tyne and Wear, UK. This lot is for UK buyers only, not for export.
The custom of giving a bent coin as a love-token is known from the 17th century in England. The coins were usually smoothed to obliterate the monarch’s head and then bent twice; sometimes they were engraved with initials or symbols such as hearts or knots. If the sweetheart accepted the youth's advances, she kept the token; if not, she disposed of it. The tradition is referred to in the children's rhyme 'There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile, and found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.'
