Ancient Viking Jewellery for sale
Ancient Viking jewellery designs inherited the design traditions of the Germanic world under the influences of western European, Byzantine, Insular British and Irish, Anglo-Saxon and Slavonic taste. Viking taste often included bold geometric designs alongside knotwork and animal ornament. Various interpretations of the artistic motifs have been proposed, but any understanding of Viking designs must take into account the desire to impress the viewer. The best pieces of Viking age metalwork were intended to enhance the authority and prestige of the users and owners. Within these pages you will find some enchanting and impressive items produced in Scandinavian and Baltic workshops in the time of the Viking trade networks.
Customers and site-visitors may have noticed that the Anglo-Saxon site pages have been revised. As part of our ongoing programme of improving the quality and reliability of our site, the ‘Viking’ pages are been amended in the light of further detailed research. We aim to roll this out across the rest of the site in due course. Please check back for updates.
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| | Viking Baltic 'Birds of Prey' Bracelet 013607 | Rare Viking Baltic 'Birds of Prey' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 26.38 grams, 62.52 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A flat-section band with panels of decoration cast and chip-carved into the outer face. The square panels display a saltire with four birds of prey in profile, their heads converging on the centre. The longer panels are heavily ribbed wiith crescent detailing on the upper and lower margins. Bracelets of this form are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians, Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old english collection. | £350.00  |  |
| | Viking 'Geometric Designed' Bracelet 018693 | Viking 'Geometric Designed' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 38.43 grams, 57.44 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A flat-section bracelet formed from a copper-alloy billet with thinned and expanded terminals. The decorative layout consists of panels divided by heavy vertical incised lines; each panel contains a series of punched-dot geometric designs with a central row of more heavily punched roundels. Bracelets of this type are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians, Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Very fine condition. Provenance: ex old English collection. Lockdales Auction 76, lot 1132. | £145.00 |  |
| | | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant 018131 | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant Copper-alloy, 17.91 grams, 53.15 mm. 10th-12th century AD. A pendant in the form of a square-end axe-head with a discoid lobe on the inner face, embellished with an inner double border, a series of punched roundels and incised triangles, and pierced centrally through the blade. The thick neck is centrally pierced for suspension. Reference: cf. the later medieval example published in Griciuviene, E. Ziemgaliai - The Semigallians, Latvian National Museum, 2005, item 1114. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £650.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant 018132 | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant Copper-alloy, 7.63 grams, 35.76 mm. 10th-12th century AD. A pendant in the form of a gracefully curved axe-head with a long slicing blade and discoid lobe on the inner face. The thick neck is pierced for suspension. Reference: cf. the later medieval example published in Griciuviene, E. Ziemgaliai - The Semigallians, Latvian National Museum, 2005, item 1114. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £275.00 |  |
| | Viking 'Geometric' Bracelet 014585 | Viking 'Geometric' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 19.48 grams, 64.59 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A shallow c-sectioned band with two ornamental motifs: at each end and centrally is a rectangular panel with a design based on a central ellipse with arms extending to the corners of the panel, against a ribbed background; interspersed are two long vesica-shaped panels with opposed-scroll detailing. Bracelets of this type are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Very fine condition. | £175.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant 018130 | Baltic Viking 'Broad Axe-Head' Pendant Copper-alloy, 10.53 grams, 43.32 mm. 10th-12th century AD. A pendant in the form of a gracefully curved axe-head with a long slicing blade and discoid lobe on the inner face, embellished with an incomplete ring-and-dot motif close to the junction with the neck on both faces. The thick neck is centrally pierced for suspension. Reference: cf. the later medieval example published in Griciuviene, E. Ziemgaliai - The Semigallians, Latvian National Museum, 2005, item 1114. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £375.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Expanding Terminals' Bracelet 018094 | Baltic Viking 'Expanding Terminals' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 25.01 grams, 55.27 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A thin flat-sectioned band with a central discoid panel and expanding terminals. Ring-and-dot motifs are placed along the outer edges of the expanded sections and centrally on the rest of the band, and punched geometric designs are placed in panels around these. Bracelets of this type are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £125.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring 013586 | Rare Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring Silver, 1.78 grams, 30.94 mm.10th-13th century AD. A finely made silver earring of a type associated with Viking-period Finnic cultures of the eastern Baltic. The lower section is formed as an expanding semicircular plate with 'keyhole' cut-out on the upper edge, with punched pellet decoration, extending to a thin recurved bar forming the suspension loop. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.271 figs.6,8, p.330 fig.16. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd. | £350.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring 013585 | Rare Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring Silver, 2.53 grams, 40.54 mm.10th-13th century AD. A finely made silver earring of a type associated with Viking-period Finnic cultures of the eastern Baltic. The lower section is formed as an expanding semicircular plate with 'keyhole' cut-out on the upper edge, with punched pellet decoration, extending to a thin recurved bar forming the suspension loop. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.271 figs.6,8 p.330 fig.16. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd. | £250.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Scrolled' Bracelet 013613 | Baltic Viking 'Scrolled' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 27.44 grams, 51.05 mm ext.dia. 10th-13th century AD. A late Viking period female bracelet made from a cast longitudinally ribbed bar with the terminals formed by scrolling. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, Finnic p.291 figs.10,12 and Baltic p.440, fig.19, p.456 fig.21. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. | £125.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring 013584 | Rare Baltic Viking 'Lunulate' Earring Silver, 2.71 grams, 36.04 mm.10th-13th century AD. A finely made silver earring of a type associated with Viking-period Finnic cultures of the eastern Baltic. The lower section is formed as an expanding semicircular plate with 'keyhole' cut-out on the upper edge, with punched pellet decoration, extending to a thin recurved bar forming the suspension loop. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.271 figs.6,8 p.330 fig.16. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd. | £350.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Twisted' Bracelet 013629 | Baltic Viking 'Twisted' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 10.27 grams, 69.84 mm ext.dia. 10th-13th century AD. A late Viking period female bracelet made from a single length of round-scetion wire formed into a three-ply band and twisted to create an opposed pair of loops at the finials. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.340 fig.19. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. | £60.00 |  |
| | Viking Baltic 'Rockerwork' Bracelet 018096 | Viking Baltic 'Rockerwork' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 9.09 grams, 52.42 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A flat-sectiondc band with panels of geoetric decoration executed in 'rockerwork' whereby the blade is rocked back and forth across the surface to produce a continuous zigzag line. The central panel features a ring-and-dot with four petals radiating from the ring; flanking this are two panels with a central ring-and-dot and short radiating lines in a starburst motif; next are panels with double-line opposed lunate arcs, and the terminal panels share this design extended over a greater length. Bracelets of this form are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians, Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Extremely fine condition with a beautiful even light brown patination. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £225.00 |  |
| | Viking Baltic 'Latticework' Bracelet 018095 | Viking Baltic 'Latticework' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 17.96 grams, 52.95 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A shallow flat-sectioned band with punched and incised decoration: the central panel features a double-line saltire between punched lunate motifs; the outer panels both feature a median dividing line separating panels of incised latticework with punched lunate motifs on the outer margins and the median line. Bracelets of this form are associated with the eastern Baltic Selonians in the Viking period. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians, Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £225.00 |  |
| | Baltic Viking 'Stamped' Bracelet 017792 | Viking 'Stamped' Bracelet Copper-alloy, 41.44 grams, 64.83 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A lentoid-section band with stamped geometric decoration typical of eastern Baltic cultures of the Viking Period. The outer face is segmented with collars of transverse bands separating incised and stamped saltires and triangular punched rows; the central panel features four triangular features converging on a central point with punched roundel detailing. Reference: Griciuviene, E. Seliai - The Selonians Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2007, p.154-5. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. | £275.00 |  |
| | Viking 'Cross-Hatched' Bracelet 012630 | Viking 'Cross-Hatched' Bracelet Silver, 25.38 grams, 60.87 mm. 8th-11th century AD. A circular-section silver rod formed into a curved band. The ends are decoorated with two collars of cross-hatched banding with a plain panel between. Rings of this type were made by casting a thick rod and carefully bending it round a former. Similar rings were found in the Viking period Alvara silver hoard on Öland (Sweden). Reference: Härdh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional-Economic Study, Stockholm, 1996 fig.37. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Continental Europe. | £225.00 |  |
| | | Viking Selonian 'Lozengiform' Pendant 011720 | Viking Selonian 'Lozengiform' Pendant Copper-alloy, 1.73 grams, 29.04 mm. 10th-12th century AD. The Seliai or 'Selonians' were a people of the eastern Baltic in the region of modern Latvia. The pendant consists of a thin 0.5mm thick) copper-alloy sheet pierced to accept a suspension ring. The surface is provided with eight repoussé roundels: multiples of four were culturally important to the peoples of the Baltic region, whose mythology included, inter alia, Svantovit a god with four faces (looking in the four cardinal directions). The pendant may originally have formed part of a highly ornamental metal collar such as were worn by important females in medieval Selonian culture; the highest-status female graves could contain as many as four such adornments. Reference: Griciuviene, E. The Selonians- Baltic Archaeological Exhibition Catalogue, 2007, p.119ff and cf. p.144. Very fine condition. | £70.00 |  |
| | Viking 'Granulated' Openwork Pendant 013592 | Viking ‘Granulated’ Openwork Pendant Silver, 6.06 grams, 29.84 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A beautifully made pendant mount cast in silver, formed as a D-shaped upper loop containing a rectangular cabochon setting. The outer edges of the D-bow extend to small, lower loops below the cabochon setting. Beneath the setting is a rectangular panel with herringbone decoration and above it is a T-shaped bar. The loops are all beaded, with granular lobes on their outer edges. The suspension loop and insert are intact. Double-faced pendants of this style are associated with the complex arrangements of chains worn by high-status females in the eastern Baltic in the later Viking period. The symmetrical placement of rounded and rectangular piercings gives the piece a pleasing appearance. Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L., Luistari II - The Artefacts, Helsinki, 1982, p.113ff. Very fine condition. | £275.00 |  |
| | Viking ‘Serpent Heads’ Bracelet 015032 | Viking ‘Serpent Heads’ Bracelet Copper-alloy, 86.81 grams, 74.60 mm. Circa 10th century AD. A heavy cast bracelet with a slightly flattened D-shaped section. The terminals are formed as a thick, rectangular brow-ridge with saltire incisions developing into a thinner, upturned muzzle decorated with transverse banding. The design emulates the twisted construction of the standard Viking torc or neck-ring, and the serpent’s body with a head at each end is a symbol of protection used by Scandinavians, Franks, Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic cultures since the Late Roman Iron Age. Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari I, The Graves pl.67 and Luistari II, The Artefacts, Vammala, 1982. Very fine condition. | £225.00 |  |
| | | Viking Serpentine Spiral Arm Ring 014631 | Viking ‘Serpentine Spiral’ Arm Ring Copper-alloy, 80.94 grams, 131.36 mm. 10th-11th century. A substantial arm ring of Baltic Viking provenance. The expanded central portion is decorated with moulded spiral band decoration in imitation of the usual twisted-rectangular bar rings. The terminals are thinned and flattened; one is narrow and pointed and the other is spatulate. Reference: Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, Helsinki, 2000, p.118-21. Very fine condition. | £450.00 |  |
| | Viking ‘Double-Link’ Brooch-and-Chains Ensemble 011721 | Rare Viking 'Double-Link' Brooch-and-Chains Ensemble Copper-alloy, 170 grams, 715 mm. Brooches 61.58 mm & 61.18 mm. Circa 9th-10th century AD. A rare complete ensemble of two pierced plate brooches and their decorative chain attachments, complete and with both pins intact. The brooches are tinned, with a pierced rectangular headplate and pierced expanding triangular footplate. Behind each brooch is a spiral fitting to secure the ends of a pair of finely-wrought chains, each formed from double-links. The two chains are of unequal length in order to allow the outer one to hang below and parallel to the inner. Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, grave 1260; plate 57 item 7. Very fine condition; Ex European collection. | £850.00 |  |
| | Viking ‘Rotated Section’ Bracelet 001771 | Viking 'Rotated Section' Bracelet Silver, 3.47 grams, 51.47 mm. Circa 9th - 11th century AD. A silver square-section bar has been successively twisted in the central section to produce the characteristic ‘torc’ effect of Viking period arm-rings. The size of this piece implies that it formed part of a female’s personal adornments. Minor repairs have been made to one terminal. Reference: Härdh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional-Economic Study, Stockholm, 1996. Very fine condition. From an old European collection, not found in UK. | £375.00 |  |
| | Viking 'Two-Coil’ Torc 012249 | Extremely Rare Viking 'Two-Coil' Torc Copper-alloy, 115 grams, 172.98 mm. Circa 9th century AD. A large neck-ring or torc fabricated from two rods of copper-alloy coiled around a central core. The terminals are of ‘hook-and-eye’ type of which the looped ‘eye’ remains. Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, Helsinki, 2000, p.82, grave 765. Extremely fine condition. Ex old European collection. | £395.00 |  |
| | Viking Ropework’ Torc 011745 | Excessively Rare Viking 'Ropework' Torc Copper-alloy, 1.6 Kg, 192.60 mm. Circa 10th century AD. An excessively rare neck-ring or torc consisting of a pair of graduated coiled rods in seven circuits; the outer rod is wound about the inner to give a ropework surface effect. The outer band terminates in a loop while the inner tapers to a shallow point. The fact that both terminals are in proximity implies that the piece may have been intended to form a single, continuous coiled neck-ring although the weight and dimensions of the piece would form an unwieldy personal ornament; it may therefore have been used as a display piece recalling the monstrous serpent, , which in Scandinavian cosmology encircled Miðgarðr, the world of men. Reference: for coiled torcs, see Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, Helsinki, 2000. Very fine condition | £1,250.00 |  |
| | Viking ‘Domed Head’ Hair Pin 010998 | Viking 'Domed Head' Hair Pin Silver, 6.24 grams; 112.47 mm, 4.42 inches. Circa 10th-11th century AD. A finely-made hair pin with a tapering shaft connected to a ‘poppy’ terminal. The lower zone of the head is plain and the central zone is decorated with vertical billets; the upper zone bears punched roundels in linear formations. Pins with this form of head are found from the 7th century onwards. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British series 230, Oxford, 1993 item 31.6 and Härdh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional-Economic Study, Stockholm, 1996. Good very fine condition. Ex old English collection. | £195.00 |  |
| | Viking Period ‘Annular’ Decorative Neck-Plate 005931 | Rare Viking Period 'Annular' Neck Plate Copper-alloy, 240 grams, 231.95 mm. Circa 9th - 11th century AD. A rare example of an annular neck decoration in the form of an expanding annular plate. The ends taper to sharp points which are reversed to form interlocking hooks. The outer edge of the riveted plate bears perforations to accept suspension rings attached to decorative tubular pendants with zones of transverse ribbing towards the lower ends. Although not heavy, the piece is rather unwieldy and would presumably not have been worn on any but formal or ceremonial occasions. The role of leading females in Viking society included presiding in welcoming guests to the hall, in displaying family status and in overseeing funerals; it may be that such a piece as this was worn at these and other events. Reference: for Viking Age material culture in the eastern Baltic, see Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari (Finland), A History of Weapons and Ornaments, Helsinki, 2000. Very fine condition. | £850.00 |  |
| | Viking 'Cloisonné' Ring-Headed Pin 006655 | Viking 'Cloisonne' Ring-Headed Pin Enamelled copper-alloy, 6.46 grams, 91.42 grams. Circa 9th – 11th century AD. A graceful, tapering pin with a hinged annular head. The flanking cloisons contain white and yellow enamel fill. Similar finds have been made in the Viking Age levels at Dublin and elsewhere, although the presence of the enamel is unusual. Reference: Fanning, T. Viking Age Ringed Pins From Dublin, Medieval Dublin Excavations 1962-81, Series B, vol. 4, Dublin, 1994 p.113, item DRP263. Very fine condition. | £245.00 |  |
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