Loading, please wait...
LOT 1174
Viking Age Silver Ring with Filigree Decoration
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.36 grams, 20.63 mm overall, 16.97 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)).
With flat-section hoop and tiered rims of applied beaded wire, applied granules to the median field. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.111(8), 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Viking Age Bronze Trefoil Strap Junction
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Composed of a slightly domed openwork body, the central arms with simple incised geometric detailing and central boss, free-running attachment bars above. 15.5 grams, 89 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Pendant with Beast Facing Back
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
With beast facing right, head turned back left; tail curled above to meet the head; within an annulet border with suspension loop above. 5.59 grams, 28 mm high
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Viking Age or Earlier Hacked Gold Trade Ingot
Circa 10th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
A slightly bent irregular bar of hacked gold with rectangular cross-section, showing evidence of compression and fracture to each end, some subtle transverse lines on both of the main surfaces. 14.43 grams, 51 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector on 1st May 2022 on a Romano-British site in Cambridgeshire, UK, by Trevor Singleton. Accompanied by a handwritten letter from the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.CAM-D819F0 and workflow review page where it states: 'There is evidence that the bar fragment has been cut from both ends, suggesting Early Medieval (Viking Period) parallels.'
This ingot was declared under the Treasure Act and subsequently determined by the British Museum to be of 'undiagnostic' date and therefore returned to the finder. Trevor Singleton maintains that it was recovered from a known Romano-British site, while in neighbouring fields Early Medieval (Late Saxon & Viking) items have been recovered and logged with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Ingots of gold and silver were regularly produced in the Early Medieval period when trade took place between monetised economies (Anglo-Saxon England, Francia, Frisia) and their non-monetised neighbours in southern Scandinavia (West, 1998; Blackburn, 2011). Ingots were a convenient means of storing wealth which could be converted into display items (weapon fittings, clothing fasteners, tableware) or used to gild silver and bronze items (Hårdh, 1996).