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LOT 1416
Viking Age Iron Key
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/8 in. (49 grams, 13 cm).
Latchlifter type with balustered shank, pierced lozengiform lug, square bit with intricate pierced design; traces of linear ornament to the shank. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Hammond, B., British Artefacts vol.3 - Late Saxon, Late Viking & Norman, Witham, 2013, item, 1.13-g, for type.
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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Pre-Viking Silver-Gilt Scabbard Mount
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Domed and with a ribbed basal rim, the sidewall with four small circular bosses each framed by a bilinear arch; surmounted by a slightly convex disc bearing an incised cross; transverse bar to the underside; Mortimer's type 4iii. 4.2 grams, 14 mm
Acquired early 1990s. From an East Anglian private collection.
The mount is an extremely early example of the so-called 'sword pyramid' mount which was used in the Vendel period as part of the sword-suspension system. It has a parallel in the find from Sandby Borg, Oland, Sweden where Style I masks also appear. -
Viking Age Bronze Disc Brooch with Beast Facing Back
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Composed of a flat-section discoid body with pelletted border, low-relief motif of an advancing beast in regardant pose, tail curled beneath the body, the mouth open; pin-lug and catchplate to the reverse; Baltic workmanship. 9.17 grams, 26.61 mm
Ex property of a Dutch collector before 2014. From the collection of a North American gentleman
The brooch is a later Scandinavian copy of a 9th century Anglo-Saxon brooch type with a regardant horse. The present example has a more dragon-like beast in similar pose with serpentine head and extended tongue. -
Viking Age Bronze Stamped Bracelet with Beast-Head Terminals
12th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £325
Slightly carinated in section with zones of punched pellets and triangles, opposed beast-head finials; Baltic workmanship. 35.1 grams, 69 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
In the Baltic workmanship, bracelets were mostly cast and polished. The metal could also be shaped into the desired form by hammering and/ or by twisting one piece of metal. The surface was often ornamented with stamped markings of lines and dots.
