Copper-alloy, 10.96 grams, 28.84 mm. 1st-4th century AD. A substantial key for a tumbler lock, with a wide shank and finger loop. The bit is formed from a thick flat plate with teeth on the leading to fit the tumblers in the lock. Reference: Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, Langport, 2001, p.61. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Glass, 42.04 grams as strung, diameter from 4.96 to 26.51 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A group of Anglian beads normally worn on the chest strung between penannular or small-long brooches. The group comprises: one very large dark spherical with irregular combed trails in white, yellow, red, pale blue, brown; twelve small, dark blue irregular globular; four yellow square-section cylindrical; one green globular with trails i dark blue, yellow and orange; one pale blue barrel-shaped with trails in dark blue, yellow and brown. The beads were recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. the glass bead forms in Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, North Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 3.08 grams, 20.44 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A delicate buckle formed as a dished D-shaped loop with thickened disc terminals and a thin rear bar. The tongue is a broad, flat triangle looped around the bar. The outer edge of the loop is decorated with cast linear ornament in a Scandinavian-influenced style. Reference: cf. the earlier Anglo-Saxon buckle from Barrington A, Cambridgeshire in MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.206 item 34.66. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 22.53 grams, 54.83 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A buckle with loop and plate cast in one. The rectangular loop features a broad front edge with a deep couch for the tongue. From the back edge of the loop develops a waisted panel with transverse rib detailing which is pierced to accept the curved tongue; behind this is the D-shaped plate with scroll- and pelta-shaped piercings. There are lobed projections on the upper, lower and rear edges of the plate, on the reverse of which are three D-shaped lugs (all complete) with transverse piercings to accept a securing pin or wire. The style of the buckle is heavily influenced by contemporary Byzantine fashion, especially in the use of scrolled decoration. Reference: cf. the Lombard buckle from Brianza and the Alemannic example from Gutensteinin Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Munich, 2007 p.413 item VI.3.8.2 and p.554 item VIII.11.1. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 16.40 grams, 38.0 mm diameter. Circa 6th-7th century AD. A convex disc with geometric ornament in champ levee technique, forming the central motif of a hanging bowl mount (the frame and hook missing). The motif is a repeated ellipsis forming six-petalled flowers across the surface. The background texture suggests a red or pink enamel field, with the design reserved against this. Reference: cf. similar plate (but with La Tène design) in West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.122 item 59. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Thetford, Norfolk, 1991.

Gilt copper-alloy, 12.18 grams, 31.19 mm. Circa 7th century AD. A cast disc mount formed with a broad thickened rim, flat field and central boss. The inner face of the rim and outer face of the boss are beaded. The field bears a three-line knotwork design. On the reverse are soldering scars indicating that the mount had been re-used as a disc brooch. The gilding is heavy and mostly present. Reference: cf. Hammond, B. British Artefacts vol.2 - Middle Saxon and Viking, Witham, 2010 item 1.6-c (ungilded). Very fine condition. Provenance: found Suffolk, England.

Copper-alloy, 7.33 grams, 39.61 mm. 8th-9th century AD. The ansate brooch was the Middle Saxon development of the Germanic equal-arm brooch, consisting of a bow joining two end plates with similar decoration. The present example comprises two lobed discs bearing three ring-and-dot designs flanking a shallow bow with ring-and-dot on the outer ends and ribbed detailing in the middle. On the reverse the catchplate and pin-lugs are intact with ferrous residue from the pin still in place. Reference: Hattatt, R. Ancient Brooches and Other Artefacts, Oxford, 1989, item 1684 and West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.216 fig.3. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Wiltshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 11.76 grams, 39.51 mm. Circa 5th-6th century AD. A cast disc brooch with rectangular extensions at the quarters, crescent voids around the centre and five ring-and-dot motifs. The catchplate and pin-lug are partly present on the reverse. Anglian openwork disc brooches were normally worn in pairs at the shoulder to secure the peplos-style garment. Reference: cf. very similar brooches found at Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire, in MacGregor, A. and Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993 item 5.3. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Norfolk, England.

Gold, 1.32 grams, 11.59 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A hollow fabricated pendant comprising a discoid plate with central knop within an annulet. The edge is decorated with granulation. On the other face the discoid plate bears three arcs and a central knop, also with granulation round the edge. The two plates are supported by a rim, also bearing a line of granulation, from which develops the filigree wire suspension loop. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.162 item 25.3 (pendant) and cf. West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.127 fig.3. Very fine condition. Provenance: found continental Europe.

Copper-alloy, 5.77 grams, 29.42 mm. Circa 5th century AD. A cast facing mount from the chape of an early Anglo-Saxon sword, in the form of a male face with staring eyes, triangular cap, T-shaped nose-and-brow element, full beard developing into an opposed pair of bird heads which flank the face. Below the beard is a column which originally closed around the lower edge of the chape forming a protective plate. This class of fittings is found around the North Sea rim in Germany (e.g. Krefeld-Gellep), Belgium (e.g. Namur) and England (e.g. Abingdon); it is known as the 'Samson Type' after an early findspot (Samson, Namur, Belgium). The symbolism of the bearded head flanked by birds is reminiscent of the god Woden, whose Scandinavian counterpart Odin is associated with two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who whisper news into his ears. Reference: Menghin, W. Das Schwert im Frühen Mittelalter, Stuttgart. 1983, p.351. Good very fine condition. Provenance: Found Sproxton, Leicestershire, England and recorded with the PAS under reference LEIC-7F2E18, published in the 2006 Annual Treasure Report and supplied with full documentation.

Copper-alloy, 2.26 grams, 19.12 mm. Late 6th-7th century AD. This piece is an interesting example of a fragment of a high-status buckle-loop. The bar for the hinge is present, as well as part of the couched recess for the tongue. The loop is bordered by a raised rim, containing chip-carved zoomorphic decoration is Style I. While decorated plates are a fairly common Anglo-Saxon feature, decoration on the loop (other than geometric segmentation) is very rare and confined to the very highest quality pieces such as the examples from Taplow, Alton and Sutton Hoo. Reference: Marzinzik, S. Early Anglo-Saxon Belt Buckles (Late 5th to Early 8th Centuries A.D.). Their Classification and Context BAR British Series 357, Oxford, 2003. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Extremely Rare. Provenance: found Norfolk.

Gold, 5.15 grams, 22.31 mm ext.dia. (British size P, USA 7¾, Europe 16.45). 6th-8th century AD. A plain, flat-section hoop of about 1.5 mm thickness, the pointed ends looped over the hoop to close it. Reference: cf. rings from Eriswell, Suffolk, in West S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.148 items 8,9. Extremely fine condition, some restoration. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 3.84 grams, 43.90 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A cast dress pin with round-section shaft and polyhedral head, the broader faces with four ring-and-dot motifs and the narrower ones with just one. Reference: Webster, L. and Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, item 66j,k. Fine condition. Provenance: found Derbyshire, England.

Iron, 370 grams, 115 mm diameter. Circa 6th century AD. A forged shield boss of Group 1.2 with a low, flat cone and very sharp carination onto the sidewall. Shieldbosses of this type are a notable feature of the Upper Thames and Wessex regions, where it was in use over many generations. Reference: Dickinson, T. and Härke, Early Anglo-Saxon Shields, Archaeologia vol.110, London, 1992 p.10-13. Fair condition, sidewall and flange missing. Provenance: found Wiltshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 8.68 grams, 22.56 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A cast mount of ovoid section comprising a penannular bar with beast-head terminals; from each mouth extends a small lug. The heads are formed with ears laid flat on the neck, ovoid eyes and scalloped muzzle; stylistically they resemble the animal-heads on the sword-chapes from St. Ninian's Isle, Scotland, of early 8th century date. The small lugs suggest that the piece was mounted to swing freely, perhaps as a strap attachment loop. Reference: Webster, L. and Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, items 178a, b. Very fine condition, complete. Provenance: found near Glossop, Derbyshire, England.

Silver-gilt, 1.07 grams, 12.86 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A delicate and finely-made fitting, intended to slide on a strap, thong or textile band securing a sword. The piece is hollow-cast in silver, with a flat-section bar across the void. The sides are decorated with reserved V-shaped elements against the chip-carved gilded triangles. The apex is a flat cloison panel into which has been set a square garnet, with a 'chequered' foil behind to give additional reflectivity and sparkle. Sword pyramids are a short-lived fashion of the later 6th and early 7th century where they functioned as 'sliders' in the suspension of the sword, perhaps for the 'peace-bands' which later sources mention in connection with the rituals of military power. The small size is not uncommon on certain classes of sword pyramid, perhaps reflecting use on a narrow textile strap rather than a leather thong. The fracture offers an excellent opportunity to study the construction of these items. Reference: cf. the similarly decorated but larger example from Barham, Suffolk in West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.121 fig.48. Very fine condition, crisp and almost complete. Provenance: from an old English collection formed in the 1960's.

Copper-alloy, 15.54 grams, 59.07 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A heavy cast caterpillar brooch of unusually large size and robustness. The body of the brooch is a carinated D-section bar with five sets of transverse collars, that on the apex of the bow being doubled. The terminals are wedge-shaped and suggest animals heads. The pin-lugs and catchplate are in place on the reverse. A similar brooch was found at Bromeswell (Suffolk). To be published in the forthcoming title British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, due mid-2010. Reference: West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.13 and fig 12(1). Very fine condition. Provenance: found Norfolk, England.

Copper-alloy, 5.50 grams, 46.14 mm. 8th-9th century AD. The ansate brooch was a Middle Saxon development of the Germanic equal-arm brooch, consisting of a bow joining two symmetrical end plates with similar decoration. The present example comprises two rhomboid plates with dagged outer edges joined by a shallow bow. The decoration comprises a cluster of ring-and-dot designs next to the bow with a further central pair extending to the outer edge and a single example on the bow. On the reverse the catchplate is complete and in place; the pin lug was broken in antiquity. Reference: cf. West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.119 fig.3, p.128 fig.3and p.216. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Hampshire, England.

Silver-gilt, 1.38 grams, 9.82 mm. 9th-10th century AD. A hollow-cast mount, pierced on the top surface. Each trapezoidal side face bears a zoomorph: sides (1) and (3) display a round-headed beast with its tail in its mouth, side (2) shows a beast with its mouth agape and rounded chest, side (4) shows a beast inverted with a simple knot pattern for its body. The piece is richly decorated on such a small scale and must have been part of a very high-status object, perhaps an item of liturgical silverware. Reference: cf. Trewhiddle Style beast on the Selkirk finger ring in Webster, L. and Backhouse, J. The Making of England: Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991 item 203. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.30 grams, 66.03 mm. 5th-7th century AD. A decorative dress pin comprising a pointed cylindrical shaft with a slight bulb above the point. At the top a narrow collar supports the spherical head, decorated with incised ring-and-dot motifs. Reference: Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.85 fig.66j. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found North Essex, England.

Silver, 7.30 grams, 31.34 mm. 9th century AD. A silver plate with cast pelleted border, its main surface divided into two panels with a pelleted border between. The decorative motifs are segmented zoomorphs in Trewhiddle Style with interlaced tendrils. The upper edge of the piece shows the pelleted border design and evidence for two circular piercings, one in the corner and another centrally near the upper edge; two circular holes are placed near the lower corners. Reference: cf. Trewhiddle hoard in Wilson, D.M. Anglo-Saxon Ornamental Metalwork 700-1100 in the British Museum, London, 1964 p.184ff. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection formed in the 1980's.

Copper-alloy, 9.43 grams, 34.36 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A cast disc brooch with incised concentric circle decoration containing punched pellet details: four in the central ring, sixteen in the middle and seven visible (previously eight?) in the outer ring. There are traces of gilding and enamel within the pellets. There is a central perforation; the pin lug and catchplate are present on the reverse. Disc brooches are a unique Anglo-Saxon fastener type without continental parallels, occurring mostly in the southern part of England and especially the upper Thames Valley. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.63 item 4.32. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Kent, England.

Copper-alloy, 33.99 grams, 64.66 mm. 5th-7th century AD. A substantial cast bracelet, its surface divided into decorative zones by panels of transverse ribbing. Three larger panels are facetted and decorated with three roes of fine ring-and-dot punchmarks; four smaller panels are almost circular and similarly decorated, the outer ones extending to terminals with longitudinal ribbing. Reference: cf. segmented bracelet with punched-dot decoration from Ixworth in West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology, Ipswich, 1998, p.220 item 5. Good fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire.

Ceramic, 620 grams, 110 mm. 5th-7th century. A wheel-thrown biconical bowl or jar in a dark brown fabric with micaceous temper and some burnishing. The vessel lacks the decorative rouletting which is most commonly found on wheel-thrown bowls from Anglo-Saxon grave contexts, but it does feature horizontal scoring on the shoulder. A very similar vessel was recovered from Sarre, Kent and published by Evison. The high-status cemetery at Prittlewell had close links with the area of Canterbury and eastern Kent. Reference: Evison, V.I. Wheel-Thrown Pottery in Anglo-Saxon Graves, Royal Archaeological Institute, London, 1979 p.77 and 14(b). Good condition, some fractures repaired; almost complete. Provenance: found Prittlewell, Essex, England.

Gilt copper-alloy, 4.72 grams, 29.17 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A cast plate from a three-part wrist-clasp set, attached at the apex of the triangular slit and intended to prevent the fabric tearing in constant use. Gusset plates are found in some numbers across eastern England (and in Norway) but are rare elsewhere. The plate comprises an upper disc with a reserved dot at the centre; from either side of this extend two bars which form bird-head terminals whose beaks recurve to meet the bars. A small curved bar is placed between the rear of the heads. The present example is the lower portion of a larger piece formed with an elongated triangle above the circular feature. The paired bird-heads are a traditional feature of Migration Period art which reflects aspects of the religious climate of the age: a pair of birds later came to be associated with Oðinn (Odin) the Norse god of war and magic. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.73. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Essex, England.

Silver, total weight 24.88 grams, typical length of studs: 17.30 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A decorative belt-set comprising nine studs and a pentagonal plate. The studs are heart-shaped and bear a raised cast design comprising two outer loops joining to enclose a central heart on a beaded background; a vertical ridge splits at each end to complete the outer border. A short mounting rivet is in place on the reverse of five of the studs. The plate is decorated with a raised T-shaped panel extending to the edges at the top, bottom and two points on the sides; between these are beaded panels. The central section features an ovoid recess with central beaded detailing. Two attachment pins are in place on the reverse. The set comprises most of the fittings from a wealthy male's belt (missing the buckle and strap end). The workmanship is of good quality and the design is typical of the Avar passion for scrolled linear decoration. Reference: cf. Avar belt fittings published in Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, p.339. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection, found Continental Europe.

Copper-alloy, 12.37 grams, 38.12 mm. 6th-8th century AD. An unusual form of Anglo-Saxon cross brooch formed as a central lobe with ring-and-dot motif surrounded by four lobed arms, each bearing a ring-and-dot motif. The pin-lugs and catchplate are present on the reverse. Cross brooches were in use in the pre-Christian period where they probably represent a simplified form of the brooch-type comprising four animal-heads; they appear to have continued in use into the Christian Middle Saxon period. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.153 item 20.2. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Dorset, England.

Copper-alloy and enamel, 4.91 grams, 24.18 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A classic form of Late Saxon or Anglo-Scandinavian disc brooch comprising a central enamel panel surrounded by radiating knops (two remaining) filled with enamel cabochons (one remaining). The central panel is a dark blue enamel background with an inset cross formed from four elongated lobes in pale blue enamel. The pin-lug and attachment point for the catchplate are in place on the reverse. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.121 fig.48. Good fine condition. Provenance: found Lincolnshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 12.28 grams, 62.07 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A good example of the small-long brooch type. The rectangular headplate is pierced at each stepped corner to form three T-shaped components similar to the trefoil pattern of some cruciform brooches. The carinated bow is facetted at both ends and develops into a narrow footplate with expanding terminal. A transverse collar is formed from two ribbed transverse bands. The finial is a thickened band with segmented decoration. The spring-lug bears remains of the iron pin; the catchplate is complete. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.135 item 15.43. Good fine condition. Provenance: found Winchester, England.

Copper-alloy, 10.28 grams, 50.47 mm. Circa 6th century AD. A bow brooch with square heaplate bearing an incised saltire, with a trapezoidal extension above and crimped discoid lobes to each side. The bow is carinated, bisected horizontally by a groove, very flat on the underside. The footplate is triangular with an incised saltire below the bow, crimped discoid lobes flanking, transverse ribbing and a crimped discoid finial. The pin-lug is in place on the reverse and the catchplate is in a block of ferrous accretion, the remains of the pin. The small-long group is very amorphous, characterised by its small size, shallow bow and simple decoration. Reference: Hattatt, R. Iron Age and Roman Brooches, Oxford, 1985 items 672-7. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Harston, Cambridgeshire, England.

Glass, amber and crystal, 39.67 grams as strung, diameter from 5.65 to 16.32 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A group of Anglian beads normally worn on the chest strung between penannular or small-long brooches. The group comprises: one large, dark blue barrel-shaped with orange trail; two dark blue annular with yellow, white, red and pale blue trails; one dark brown asymmetrical barrel-shaped 11-ribbed melon; one crystal discoid; one dark blue ribbed discoid; one dark brown ribbed discoid; two dark blue globular with irregular pale blue dots; four dark blue asymmetrical globular; one pale blue translucent globular with attachment point for an applied knop; two translucent green discoid; two small dark blue ribbed globular; one barrel shaped amber globular; four small irregular amber; one dark green annular with attachment point for an applied knop; one translucent pale green annular; one dark blue globular with attachment points for two knops; one translucent brown ribbed annular; one black and brown asymmetrical globular. The beads were recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. the glass bead forms in Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, North Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 6.86 grams, 99.75 mm. 5th-7th century AD. An unusual set of early Anglo-Saxon toilet implements, complete with their suspension ring. The first implement is a pointed rod about 82 mm long with a slight thickening above the point. The second is a rod of about 62mm length with a small dished section at the lower end. The third is a longer pointed rod of about 89 mm. Sets such as these were often used for keeping the body clean and well-appointed, for cleaning the nails and ears, and the spoon could be used for measuring tiny amounts of cosmetic substances. However, the lack of tweezers may indicate that this particular set was intended for medical rather than cosmetic purposes, the pointed rods heated and used for lancing boils and as picks while the spoon was used to control the quantities of active substances such as belladonna (called in Old English solsece) or foxglove (foxes clife). The twisted wire suspension ring is breached but otherwise complete. Reference: cf. the silver set in Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.52 item 33(g) and Pollington, S. Leechcraft - Early English Charms, Plantlore and Healing, Swaffham, 2008. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Norfolk.

Copper-alloy, 11.07 grams, 35.62 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A hollow scaphoid mount, the elliptical body pierced with a rivet-hole. The lower body is square and featureless; from the upper end emerges the thin, curved neck of a zoomorph whose subtriangular, bulbous head is attached to its chest. The snout is provided with bulbous nostrils and the ears are concave discs on the sides of the head. The eyes are formed as spherical silver granules. Stylistically, the beast-head is similar to several Middle Saxon examples such as those on the gold finger ring from Dorset (again with inset eyes). The shape of the mount suggests that it may have been a pommel cap, but the delicate neck of the beast would be unsuitable for any kind of weapon or utilitarian knife. Reference: Hinton, D.A. Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Ornamental Metalwork 700-1100 in the Department of Antiquities, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1974, p.16-7 item 8 and plateVI. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 11.22 grams, 47.20 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A neat cast key comprising a discoid bow with integral suspension loop developing into a circular shaft with a locating hole in the forward end, and a toothed left edge to the bit. The key is made for right-handed operation with clockwise rotation. reference: cf. voided-bow key from Barham in West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 pl.6 no.58. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Saxmundham, Suffolk, England.

Silvered copper-alloy, 2.86 grams, 24.28 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A cast buckle with integral plate of Marzinzik's Type II.19b, with its tongue inserted through a circular hole in the forward edge of the plate. A single rivet pierces the plate, and the rear edge has fragmented where two holes were placed. The buckle was recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. example from Catterick racecourse in Marzinzik, S. Early Anglo-Saxon Belt Buckles (Late 5th to Early 8th Centuries AD). Their Classification and Context, BAR British Series 357, Oxford, 2003 pl.110 item 2 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Catterick, Yorkshire.

Copper-alloy, 5.14 grams, 34.17 mm. 6th century AD. A cast D-shaped buckle of dished profile, with heavy ribbed detailing. The tongue is flat in section and curved over the front edge of the buckle loop. The fold rectangular plate has a double border of punched-dot decoration surrounding the central rivet hole. Similar to a pair of buckles from the Barrington (Cambridge) cemetery. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, pp.203 item 34.41. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 4.76 grams, 33.67 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B20, its plate bears five lugs, the outer two pierced for attachment to the cuff of a female's shift. The plate has a vertical bar, stepped and with delicate punched decoration on the lower edge, and two rectangular panels are decorated with transverse banding. The outer edges of the lugs are decorated with very fine punched roundel decoration. The catchplate attachment points are visible but the cast plate was lost in antiquity. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.64-5. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.99 grams, 37.85 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B20, its plate bears four lugs on the back edge, all pierced for attachment to the cuff of a female's shift. The plate has a vertical bar with two rectangular panels decorated with transverse banding. The hook is still in place on the reverse. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.64-5. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.22 grams, 35.01 mm. 8th century AD. A finely-made strap-end of split-end construction. The upper edge is formed as three lobes, the central one being pierced for the attachment rivet. The upper zone consists of three triangular fields, two bearing substantial remains of filigree and niello inlay in a complex spiral pattern; the third has vestigial remains of a similar infill. Beneath this is a pair of spiral-filled sub-circular motifs representing the beast’s ears, and below this is a sub-triangular nasal panel with flanking roundels (the eyes). The nasal is decorated with a panel of s-scroll filigree. The decoration is typical of the 8th c. Anglo-Saxon Insular Style, found for example on the Coppergate helmet. Reference: Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities, London, 1923, p.107, fig.131 and Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.60-2 fig.47 (detail). Very fine condition.

Glass, amber and crystal, 12.05 grams as strung, diameter from 7.40 to 16.22 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A group of Anglian beads normally worn on the chest strung between penannular or small-long brooches. The group comprises: one large red spherical with white crossing waves; two crystal discoids; one pale blue barrel-shaped with circumferential dots; one pale blue globular; one small red annular; one small amber annular. The beads were recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. the glass bead forms in Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, North Yorkshire, England.

Glass, 3.83 grams, 16.27 mm. 5th-7th century AD. A heavy bead in dark blue glass, biconical in profile with a light blue circumferential zigzag trail. The use of larger sizes and darker glass is associated with Germanic rather than Roman production (Brugmann, p.28). Reference: Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004. Very fine condition, some chipping to the surface. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Wigan, Lancashire.

Silver-gilt, 11.48 grams, 69.45 mm. 6th century AD. A traditional Frankish bow-brooch comprising a D-shaped headpate with a border bearing punched triangles with niello inlay. The inner field comprises a reserved triangle flanked by scrolls. Around the outer edge is a series of five lobes formed as a tongue-shaped plate with a thick collar. The bow is decorated with five longitudinal ribs, the middle one broader and decorated with offset, opposed punched triangles. The lozengiform footplate features a border decorated with punched triangles surrounding an inner field of four opposed scrolls above a triangle with a median bar. The footplate is formed as a stylized animal-head with a thick brow developing into a nasal bar, almond-shaped eyes and plain lower face. On the reverse, the pieced pin-lug and catchplate are in situ and complete; the pin was lost in antiquity. The brooch is similar in shape and most details of decoration to a pair of radiate-headed bow-brooches from Grave 57 in the Thuringian cemetery at Weimar, Germany, published by Menghin. The finial resembles the human masks found on contemporary Scandinavian brooches more than the normal beast-heads of Merovingian Frankish bow-brooches. Reference: Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, p.388 item V.3.5.1. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 12.92 grams, 58.42 mm. 5th century AD. A good example of one of the earliest types of cruciform brooch, the Group I is distinguished by its single knop which is cast in the round. The headplate is flat and rectangular, the bow deep with a longitudinal incised line, the footplate facetted and the finial in the form of a horse-head with protruding eyes, chevron muzzle and rounded nostril-lobes. The catchplate is in place on the reverse; the spring lug is buried in a ferrous accretion, the remains of the pin. This form of brooch dates from the middle decades of the 5th century, and gave rise to the elaborate cruciform types of the 6th and 7th century. Reference: Hattatt, R. Brooches of Antiquity, Oxford, 1987 item 1297-9. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Harston, Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 1.95 grams, 26.10 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A miniature version of the classic Merovingian three-boss buckle seen at high-status sites such as Sutton Hoo, Taplow and Prittlewell. The dished elliptical loop is integral with the curved triangular plate which is pierced to accept a thin wire tongue. A pierced attachment lug is in place on the reverse, and the narrow end is pierced by a small rivet. Miniature buckles of this kind were used to fasten shoes and leg-bindings. Reference: West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.185 item 8. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy and enamel, 5.65 grams, 36.47 mm, 8th-9th century AD. A classic form of Middle Saxon strap end, its rounded upper end with two circular piercings to accept attachment rivets (lost in antiquity). The plain convex sides converge to form an animal-head finial with c-shaped ears, prominent brow and eyes. The central field of the strap end is decorated with a curved zoomorphic design reserved against a recessed field filled with enamel. The upper end is split across its width to accept the end of a strap or narrow belt. Reference: Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 fig.69n. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Yorkshire, England.

Iron, 9.77 grams, 112.13 mm. 7th-10th century AD. A hand-tool comprising a round-section pointed shaft rising to a square-section body, with remains of the wooden haft surviving. The sturdy manufacture suggests that the tool was an awl, used for piercing holes in leather and hide. Reference: see the discussion of Middle and Late Anglo-Saxon metalworking technology in Ottaway, P. The Products of the Blacksmith in Mid-Late Anglo-Saxon England, published at www.pjoarchaeology.co.uk/docs/13/anglosaxon-ironwork-part-1.pdf. Fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 8.12 grams, 47.51 mm. 5th-8th century AD. A dress pin of a common Anglo-Saxon type. The head is formed a sub-spherical bulb decorated with a ring-and-dot motif on the summit and four rows of these proceeding down the sides. Below this is a short collar from which emerges the shaft of the pin, tip missing. Pins of this kind were used to fasten cloaks, shawls and outer garments for moderately wealthy females in the Middle Saxon period (circa 650-900 AD). Reference: cf. Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.84 fig.66k. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Ongar, Essex, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.02 grams, 47.06 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A dress pin with a characteristic slight bulb or 'hip' towards the end of the shaft. The head is globular, consisting of four vertical facets with interstitial facets below and above, all bearing a deeply-carved ring-and-dot motif. The top facet is plain. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.214 fig.96(12) and Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 item 69(m) . Very fine condition. Provenance: found Wiltshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 5.55 grams, 36.83 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A slender D-section mount with heavy decoration. The upper face comprises an animal-head terminal below an opposed pair of similar animal-masks executed in fleshy bands. There is a slight waist where the opposed masks meet and at the lower terminal a slight bifurcation. The attachment peg on the reverse is rounded over, reminiscent of a raven's head in profile. These features in combination give the piece the appearance of a bird with its wings folded along its flanks and its tail spread. The design - animal masks and fleshy foliage - is similar to later examples of the 10th century Winchester Style. Reference: see Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H., Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.128 item 133. Very fine condition. Found Burnham Market, Norfolk, England.

Copper-alloy and garnet, 4.22 grams, 11.42 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A flat-sided, cast sword pyramid of unusual design - its sides are plain and flat, and rise at a steep angle from the base. The interior is hollow, and the securing bar is intact. The upper surface is decorated with a square, flat garnet set into a shallow cell. Sword pyramids are a short-lived fashion of the later 6th and early 7th century where they functioned as 'sliders' in the suspension of the sword, perhaps for the 'peace-bands' which later sources mention in connection with the rituals of military power. Reference: cf. the example from Barham, Suffolk in West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.121 fig.48. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Gilt copper-alloy, 1.78 grams, 20.52 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A hollow-back cast mount of elliptical form, its decorative panel showing an addorsed pair of Style I animals whose bodies form a stern male face with moustache and beard. To the upper left side one large and one small granule are attached to the border; at the corresponding position on the right the border is damaged. Towards the lower edge the mount has a rectangular extension, with a single granule on the right side. The use of addorsed and opposed animals to create a human face is typical of the 'visual riddling' tradition of Anglo-Saxon art, discussed in Pollington, Kerr & Hammond, 2010. Reference: Pollington, S., Kerr, L. & Hammond, B. Wayland's Work: Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth & Material Culture from the 4th to the 7th Century, Ely, 2010. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Lead, 3.20 grams, 22.66 mm. 5th-6th century AD. The more complex forms of Anglo-Saxon brooch were created by working on the design elements individually in wax, then casting soft lead versions from which the mould could be made for the whole brooch. The lead castings rarely survive, presumably because they were periodically melted down as fashions changed and new design elements were required. The present piece is a rare example of such a lead casting, probably intended for a great square-headed brooch, with the casting channel on the reverse. Reference: the present piece resembles the side extension of the footplate on plate 33(a) Little Wilbraham (Cambridgeshire) in Hines, J. A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, Woodbridge, 1997 and Pollington. S., Kerr, L. and Hammond, B. Wayland's Work - Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth and Material Culture from the 4th to the 7th Century, Swaffham, 2010. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 1.60 grams, 17.96 mm. 5th-7th century AD. A cast buckle with elliptical loop and integral plate, pierced to accept a round-section wire tongue. The plate is pierced at the rear edge to accept two small rivets, still in place, which were flattened over a copper-alloy rove on the reverse. Such a small buckle may have been used to fasten a shoe or purse. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, item 34.66. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 11.23 grams, 54.21 mm. 5th-7th century AD. A triangular buckle with elliptical loop and integral triangular plate, the outer edges with incised borders, pierced in three places to accept attachment rivets. The tongue is D-section and passes through a hole in the forward edge of the plate. Openwork buckles are not common in Anglo-Saxon England but occasional examples have been found: e.g. a shield-on-tongue buckle from Faversham, Kent. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, item 34.18. Fine condition. Provenance: found Essex.

Gold, 5.24 grams; 22.39 mm. Internal 21.17 mm, US size 12; UK size X. Circa 6th/7th century AD. A large deep yellow gold band of a very crude style decorated with a single line of punched dots, the ends of the band taper to rounded points and overlap to give a coiled effect. This ring was made from a piece of hack gold intended to be traded or spent, due to its crudeness it can be suggested that the decoration was applied in an attempt at making a temporary wearable piece that would slide onto a belt or finger to ensure it was not lost. Reference: published, Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. A rare and very interesting piece in very fine condition. Provenance: found continental Europe in the 1930's, from an old English collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Copper-alloy, 8.40 grams, 29.36 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An interesting test casting in copper-alloy. The object was designed to become an Anglian wrist-clasp of Hines's B16 with shaped rear edge. The outline of the clasp has been created in the casting but never cleaned up ready for use: the attachment points have not been pierced, the catchplate has not been slotted and the casting has several rough areas of sprue and flash (spillage). The piece is also almost flat, lacking the characteristic curvature of the finished objects. A fascinating insight into the production process for this artefact type. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, pp.56, 83-9. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 5.89 grams, 32.25 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A cast strap end with snub-nosed beast-head terminal. The main decorative zone comprises two ribbed panels beneath a segmented palmette, the upper edges of which respect the two rivet holes. Reference: Thomas, G. Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age Strap-ends 750-1100, Finds Research Group Datasheet 32, Stoke-on-Trent, 2003. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England.

Copper-alloy gilt, 19.94 grams, 56.28 mm. 6th century AD. A cast fixed-plate buckle with hollowed reverse. The dished D-shaped loop features a couch for the tongue flanked by incised trefoils. The tongue bears a rectangular shield at the base, and the shaft of the tongue curves over the forward edge of the loop. The integral plate is formed from opposed and addorsed scrolls and volutes, creating a pair of birds with symmetrically opposed bodies. The lower ends of two pierced fixing lugs are in place on the reverse. Reference: cf. the buckle from Molain (France) in Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period - Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007 item VII.23.6 and an Anglo-Saxon example from Icklingham in MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, item 32.23. Very fine condition, some gilding remaining. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 6.05 grams, 25.78 mm ext.dia. 18.01 mm. int.dia. (British size P½, European 16.55, USA 7¾). 9th-11th century AD. A sturdy finger ring of Viking or Anglo-Scandinavian type comprising an expanding cast band with modelled spiral detailing, imitating the classic form of twisted wire rings from Scandinavia. Reference: cf. expanding twisted silver wire rings in the Norwegian Malvik hoard in Hårdh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional-Economic Study, Acta Archaeologica Lundensia 25, Stockholm, 1996 p.148. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection.

Copper-alloy, 4.40 grams, 22.07 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A Class A2 convex-sided strap end with two domed silver rivets. The surface bears inlaid fine silver filigree s-scroll decoration in two symmetrical panels. The piece is broken above the animal-head finial. Reference: Thomas, G. Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age Strap-ends 750-1100: Part I, The Finds Research Group AD700-1700, Datasheet 32, Sleaford, 2008. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 17.43 grams, 50.97 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A buckle with loop and plate cast in one. The rectangular loop features a broad front edge with a couch for the tongue. From the back edge of the loop develops a waisted panel which is pierced to accept the triangular tongue; behind this is the D-shaped plate with scroll- and pelta-shaped piercings. There are lobed projections on the upper, lower and rear edges of the plate, on the reverse of which are three D-shaped lugs (two complete) with transverse piercings to accept a securing pin or wire. The style of the buckle is heavily influenced by contemporary Byzantine fashion, especially in the use of scrolled decoration. Reference: cf. the Lombard buckle from Brianza and the Alemannic example from Gutenstein in Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Munich, 2007 p.413 item VI.3.8.2 and p.554 item VIII.11.1. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy and garnet, 4.92 grams, 37.32 mm. 6th century AD. An unusual cast bird-brooch modelled as a D-section head and body with a flat, trapezoidal tail. The neck is marked by a zone of transverse banding, and the wing is separated from the rest of the body by a similar feature. The bird's eye is created from an inset garnet cloison. The pin-lug in place on the reverse, within the iron corrosion products from the pin; the catchplate is mostly present. Bird brooches are a Frankish fashion, adopted across northern Europe in the Merovingian period. Reference: cf. MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.154. Very fine condition. Provenance: found at Thetford, Norfolk, England.

Glass, 16.04 grams as strung, diameter from 4.13 to 14.81 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A group of Anglian beads normally worn on the chest strung between penannular or small-long brooches. The group comprises: one white globular with median blue trail and irregular red dots; one translucent green annular; one green globular with red, yellow and white trails; ten small blue globular; five small blue biconical; one small green ribbed globular; three small yellow globular; one small yellow cylindrical. The beads were recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. the glass bead forms in Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, North Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy and iron, 35.22 grams, 43.63 mm. 10th-11th century AD. An openwork cast 'looped' handle for a firesteel in the form of a long, triangular serpentine head with punched-dot eyes and nostrils, and extended tongue in late Anglo- Scandinavian style. The reverse edge of the firesteel is decorated with three parallel incised lines. There is ferrous incrustation from the steel striking plate on the side surfaces. Reference: cf. firesteels illustrated in Lehtosalo-Hillander, P-L. Luistari II, Helsinki, 1982 p.74. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 4.68 grams, 37.38 mm. Circa 8th-10th century AD. A barrel key of Type III cast in copper-alloy. The bit is a simple bar with a right-angled tooth on the leading edge. The key has a thick shaft with hollow fore-end, solid circular bow and retaining knop. Reference: cf. simple openwork key from Barham in West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.122 item 58. Very fine condition. Provenance: found in the English Midlands.

Copper-alloy, 2.81 grams, 16.92 mm. 7th-9th century AD. A thin (1.8 mm) flan seal matrix bearing the impression of a bell-shaped male bust with the legend HIA to the left and MOH to the right. The layout of the design is reminiscent of the 'Woden Head' series of sceatt coins. The reverse is plain apart from a slight incised border. This type of seal matrix would have been attached into a metal or wooden handle. Reference: cf. coin designs in Abramson, T. Sceattas: An Illustrated Guide, King's Lynn, 2006 p.74-5. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Bishop's Stortford, Essex, England.

Gilt copper-alloy, 5.17 grams, 33.05 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A cast mount in the form of a stem with a pelta-shaped terminal. The central column bears a pattern of three-strand knotwork within a border, from the outer edges of which emerge two bird-heads. The upper end of the column was broken in antiquity, and shows a similar knotwork design placed at rightangles. Most pelta mounts are separate panels, meant to be attached to horse harness; the presence of the transverse design on this example suggests that the mount was cast in a single piece rather than as a central roundel with radiating pelta-shaped plates (as seen, for example, on the bridle from Sutton Hoo Mound 17). The beaks on the bird-head terminals are cast rather thick, with a u-shaped indentation indicating the opening. Reference: cf. Carver, M. Sutton Hoo. A Seventh Century Princely Burial Ground and its Context, Society of Antiquaries Report no.69, London, 2005 p.229 and examples in Pollington, S., Kerr, L. & Hammond, B. Wayland's Work - Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth and Material Culture from the 4th to the 7th century, Swaffham, 2010 p.380. Very fine condition. Provenance: found near Rendlesham, Suffolk, England.

Silver, 1.56 grams, 13.55 mm. 4th-5th century AD. A finely made openwork fitting in the form of a human bust between confronted beasts - possibly bears or wolves. This motif played some part in late Roman iconography and was later given the Christian interpretation of 'Daniel in the Lion's Den'. Reference: cf. openwork mounts in Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, vol.1, Langport, 2001. Very fine condition. Provenance: found continental Europe.

Copper-alloy, gilded, 3.10 grams, 25.55 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A cast tongue-shaped mount bearing raised Style I decoration in the form of a three-band beast-man with ribbon body, rear leg curled beneath and his head curled over so that his jaw closes on his midriff. The heavy gilding remains on most of the surface. There are two attachment pegs on the reverse, the taller of about 5mm in length. It is likely that the mount comes from the decorative metal rim of a drinking horn. Reference: cf. fitting from Barham, Suffolk, iWest. Sussex. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.123 fig.71. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Dorset, England.

Copper-alloy, 3.24 grams, 44.71 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A Middle Saxon strap end with convex sides tapering to a beast-head terminal. The upper edge is 'scalloped' where the two rivet-holes are placed. The main decorative panel is a series of four vesica-shaped elements placed to form a central reserved lozenge, all textured with punched dot detailing. A transverse ribbed collar extends to the triangular beast-head terminal. The strap end is too light to have been used on a leather strap and may have been used on a fabric braid. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.132 item 2 and p.162 item 9. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Silver, 4.66 grams, 42.97 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A cast strap end of the classic convex-sided format comprising a palmette motif below the attachment holes. The central panel features a single Trewhiddle Style beast enmeshed within an interlace design. The finial is a blunt-muzzled beast-head with a palmette on its brow. The execution of the animal design is unusually crisp and carefully made, and the animal's double outline is reminiscent of earlier Style II beasts. The silver rivets are still present within the holes. Reference: Thomas, G. Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age Strap-ends 750-1100: Part I, The Finds Research Group AD700-1700, Datasheet 32, Sleaford, 2008. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection formed in the 1980's.

Lead, 22.80 grams, 39.74 mm. 10th century AD. Nummular brooches feature designs drawn from contemporary coins. The plate features a central design of a broad saltire emanating from a central boss, with narrow bands between, on a field of pellets, with a beaded border. Around this is a border of three concentric bands. On the reverse the catchplate and spring lug are still present. Reference: for a similar coin design of a saltire with interstitial lines, see Abramson, T. Sceattas - An Illustrated Guide, Kings Lynn, 2006, p.110. Very fine condition. Ex an old American collection.

Copper-alloy and enamel, 7.10 grams, 27.66 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A rare form of Late Saxon or Anglo-Scandinavian disc brooch comprising a central enamel panel surrounded by four radiating knops filled with enamel cabochons (two remaining). The central panel is a light blue enamel background with an inset dark blue panel, with a white enamel centre. The pin-lug and attachment point for the catchplate are in place on the reverse. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.121 fig.48. Fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 21.99 grams, 73.10 mm. 6th century. A fine early Anglo-Saxon buckle and plate complete with its iron pin. This excellently preserved piece has most of its heavy silver plating still intact. The design is visible on the centre panel of the buckle plate: a rectilinear knotwork design. The iron pin and hinge between the buckle and plate are intact and stable. Reference: Marzinzik, S. Early Anglo-Saxon Belt Buckles (Late 5th to Early 8th Centuries A.D.). Their Classification and Context BAR British Series 357, Oxford, 2003, pl.87. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Very fine condition. Found Lincolnshire.

Copper-alloy, 5.01 grams, 37.95 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A miniature version of the classic Merovingian three-boss buckle seen at high-status sites such as Sutton Hoo, Taplow and Prittlewell. The dished elliptical loop is integral with the triangular plate with semicircular lobes at the forward end and a pelta-shaped finial. The lobes feature ring-and-dot detailing within an incised double border; the finial bears a third ring-and-dot motif. There are traces of silvering on the plate; the pin was lost in antiquity. The pierced attachment lugs are in place on the reverse. Miniature buckles of this kind were used to fasten shoes and leg-bindings. Reference: West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.185 item 8. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Suffolk, England.

Copper-alloy, 3.82 grams, 30.61 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B17, its plate bears three scooped lugs, the outer two pierced for attachment to the cuff of a female's shift. The plate has a thin vertical bar, stepped and with two rectangular panels decorated with transverse banding. The catchplate attachment points are visible but the cast plate was lost in antiquity. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.57. Fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 2.72 grams, 17.08 mm. 7th-9th century AD. A hollow spherical bulb with three sets of heart-shaped double-scroll filigree in the upper and lower hemispheres. A narrow pierced collar enclosed the pin, which was lost in antiquity. Similar to the find from Bredfield, Suffolk. Reference: West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology, Ipswich, 1998, p.127 fig.3. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection, found Bishops Stortford, Essex, England.

Glass, 5.15 grams as strung, diameter from 6.92 to 13.02 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A group of Anglian beads normally worn on the chest strung between penannular or small-long brooches. The group comprises: one large, dark blue barrel-shaped with twist trails in turquoise and yellow; two turquoise globulars; one pale blue globular; one pale blue discoid. The beads were recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. the glass bead forms in Brugmann, B. Glass Beads from Early Anglo-Saxon Graves, Oxford, 2004 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, North Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 6.88 grams, 37.40 mm. 8th century AD. A finely modelled hooked fastener of Mid-Saxon date. The lozengiform plate features a central rosette composed from four chip-carved elliptical panels with interstitial triangles. The ropework border is edged by a frame which develops into three pierced loops (two remaining). From the lower point a short shank emerges, with animal-head detailing. The hooked portion emerges below the animal's mouth. The purpose of the item is probably as a book-mount, belt-mount or fastener rather than as a hooked tag for textile clothing: the end of the hook is thick and rounded whereas clothes tags are normally sharply pointed. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.244 fig.1 (Shottisham). Cleaned, conserved and in very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy and gilding, 4.57 grams, 33.02 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A wrist clasp of Hines's Form B2 which is most strongly associated with eastern Scandinavia and the shores of the Baltic Sea; no Anglo-Saxon examples are published in the standard reference works. The hooked clasp comprises a front beaded panel with a rear section made up from conjoined c-shaped domed roundels. Beneath the upper end on the reverse is a pierced lug; in use, the lug was pushed through the cloth of the cuff and a backplate was sewn into place to trap the fabric. The lower end below the short hook was lost in antiquity. The heavy gilding is still present in the recesses. Wrist clasps were used on the cuffs of female dresses; the connection to Scandinavia implies that the Anglian settlements were still strengthening their marriage-ties to the Scandinavian homelands. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.34. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.65 grams, 73.29 mm. 5th-8th century AD. A cast dress pin with a square-section head moulded as a series of facetted blocks. The shaft of the pin has a slight bulb or 'hip' to prevent it falling out of the cloth it secured, a feature of many early Anglo-Saxon garment pins. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, item 31.7, 31.11. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 7.17 grams 41.36 mm. 8th century AD. The strap end is of the split-end type with two rivet-holes, one of which is still present. The upper field is divided into three triangular panels, the outer two of which develop from looped beast’s ears. Below these the central nasal extends down to a bulbous terminal, with two lateral elliptical panels bearings roundels for the eyes. On the three upper panels and the nasal there are remains of very delicate silver filigree and niello panels in complex scrolled patterns. Reference: Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities, London, 1923, p.107, fig.131 and compare the beast motif atop the nasal of the Coppergate helmet in Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.60-2 fig.47 (detail). Good very fine condition.

Silver, 3.87 grams, 35.39 mm. Circa 9th century AD. The lower edge of this piece bears the standard zoomorphic head design, executed as a v-shaped incision to emphasise the snout below a brow-ridge and two stylized ears. The outer edges are decorated with billeted zones enclosing a field of foliate vinescroll detail. Two rounded lobes on the upper edge are pierced by rivet-holes. The piece is complete with good definition to the surface details. Reference: Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities, Trustees of the British Museum, 1923 p.107, fig.131(3). Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Very fine condition. Ex old American collection.

Copper-alloy, 9.18 grams, 46.41 mm. Circa 10th century AD. A narrow copper-alloy strap end of a type influenced by Scandinavian design, the split end plain with a single piercing, and with the rivet still in place; the plate developing into an animal head in plan in the form of a serpent with lentoid eyes and powerful jaws gripping a dragon-head executed in profile with its prominent lower jaw, fangs and snout forming the terminal of the piece; the profile head executed in Ringerike Style and pierced in two places; the whole piece modelled in the round with detail on the reverse. Reference: cf. less elaborate strap end in Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 fig.85. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy and silver, 3.78 grams, 36.60 mm. 8th-9th century AD. An unusual strap end featuring a scrolled upper edge with two piercings to accept rivets, with a pelta-shaped panel between. The main panel features four elliptical panels with silver inlay, with two triangular panels between. the beast-head terminal has spiral ears and a silver-inlaid panel on the brow above a stubby, square muzzle. The piece is divided lengthwise to accept a belt or strap. Reference: Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 fig.69n. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 4.21 grams, 20.12 mm. An unusual and rare type: within a border of three concentric circles, a ‘tonsured’ bust is depicted. Such busts are confined to the issues of leading churchmen, such as Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury (fl.805-32). Full-face male busts on disc are associated with Saxon button brooches. However, while the motif could be viewed as a simplified form of the standard male face (e.g. Avent & Evison, pl.XVII 26.2, 26.3), button brooches are a 5th to 6th century fastener type, and the lack of an everted rim suggests that this is a later disc brooch, probably a nummular type with a central motif based on a coin design. Nummular brooches are a 9th century fashion, which strengthens the connection to Wulfred or one of his contemporaries. Reference: Avent, R. & Evison, V.I. Anglo-Saxon Button Brooches in Archaeologia, vol.CVII, 1982 ; Abramson, T. Sceattas: An Illustrated Guide p.75, Series Q1G, item Q1X800. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Very fine condition. Found Norfolk.

Copper-alloy, 12.57 grams, 27.20 mm. West Saxon, early 6th century AD. The outer rim of this brooch is shallow in comparison with other examples, rising to a pronounced annular ridge enclosing a further, inner ridge from which five running spirals depend; the spirals are inverted at the ends. The central pentagon contains an annulet. The surface has a fine patination. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.45 item 2.16. Found Oxfordshire, 2002.

Copper-alloy, 13.60 grams, 35.90 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A belt or strap fitting in the form of a triangular mount with pierced lobe terminal and a second piercing in the centre; the main design is a knotwork panel. Below this is a transverse slot to accept a strap, belt or bridle. The findspot is close to the site of a battle in 991 AD between the local Essex ealdormann, Byrhtnoþ, and a Viking army commanded by Ólaf Tryggvason, commemorated in the Old English poem The Battle of Maldon. Reference: cf. design on cast strap-end in Wilson, D.M. Anglo-Saxon Metalwork 700-1100 in the British Museum, London, 1964, item 135. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Maldon, Essex, England.

Copper-alloy, 3.57 grams, 28.82 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B14a, formed as a vertical bar with three lugs on the back edge, with perforations for attachment to the cuff of a female's shift. The bar features three raised panels with transverse banded decoration and two D-section rectangular panels between. The catchplate is still substantially in place on the front plate. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.54. Good fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.57 grams, 33.02 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B12, comprising three rectangular panels with pierced lobe extensions on the rear edge; between the panels are narrower ribbed collars. The clasp's hook is present on the reverse of the central rectangle. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts, sewn through the pierced lobes on the rear edges. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.47. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy and silver, 5.94 grams, 45.33 mm. 8th-9th century AD. The strap end features a stylized head at the tip with a rounded muzzle and inverted chevron brow ridge, with a lozengiform silver panel with inlaid spiral ornament. The vesica-shaped eyes flank the muzzle. Above the brow are two oval panels with triangular inserts. Above these are two rectangular silver panels with inlaid spiral detailing. Above this is a semi-circular field, its upper edge scalloped to respect the two rivet holes above, with a reserved triangular panel inside. The piece is divided lengthwise to accept a belt or strap. Reference: Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 fig.69n. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Very fine condition.

Silvered copper-alloy, 11.75 grams, 47.11 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A sturdy strap end of the classic convex-sided format comprising a panel of knotwork within billeted borders, above a beast-head finial. Above the main panel is a semicircle with foliate palmette motif. It is split at the upper end and provided with two rivet holes. Reference: Thomas, G. Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age Strap-ends 750-1100: Part I, The Finds Research Group AD700-1700, Datasheet 32, Sleaford, 2008. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 5.11 grams, 34.07 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A well-modelled caterpillar brooch with its spring lugs and catchplate intact. The surface is decorated with a series of vertical slashes or incised lines which add glitter. Caterpillar brooches are a small, multi-purpose dress fastener from the Middle Saxon period. Reference: Hattatt, R. Brooches of Antiquity, Oxford, 1987, item 1329. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Very fine condition.

Copper-alloy, 19.25 grams 71.76 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A developed early form of cruciform brooch in which the lateral wings have expanded to surround the headplate on three sides. The bow is facetted at each end and the footplate has almost lost its animal characteristics – the brow is represented by the transverse rectangular band and the muzzle has become a simple, flat trapezoid. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, pp.97,104 items 12.3, 24. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Very fine condition. Found Cambridgeshire.

Copper-alloy, 8.77 grams, 55.97 mm. 5th-6th century AD. The small-long brooch is a standard Anglo-Saxon form of garment closure, mainly used in pairs to fasten peplos-style dresses at the shoulders. This example has a pierced rectangular headplate, a feature which echoes the form of contemporary cruciform brooches. The bow is decorated with transverse banding. The footplate terminates in a ribbed collar detail. The spring-attachment lug was damaged in antiquity and replaced by a new fitting, attached to a rivet inserted from the front of the brooch. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.145 item 15.78. Very fine condition. Ex property of a gentleman, found Hertfordshire.

Copper-alloy and gilt, 1.28 grams, 15.32 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A fragment from an Anglian brooch, probably a lappet from a square-headed bow brooch or great square-headed brooch in the form of a stylized animal with eye, brow-ridge developing into a spiral within a band of billeted decoration. The heavy gilding is present across much of the surface. Reference: cf. the details on the shoulders of the brooch from Mitcham, Surrey, grave 225 in Hines, J. A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, Woodbridge, 1997 plate 1(a). Very fine condition, stabilized and conserved. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, garnet, gold, 3.30 grams, 14.62 mm. 6th-7th century AD. Sword pyramids were a short-lived fashion in slider-mounts, used for suspending high-class scabbards from the belt. The present example is contructed as four conjoined rhomboids with a flat rectangular top. Each face originally featured a sub-triangular setting in each lower corner and a quadrangular setting along the upper edge; two quadrangular arcs pass from the sides to the lower edge, framing a triangular void. The settings were originally filled with garnets, apart from the central triangle which featured blue glass. The apex was also filled with blue glass (still present). The garnet settings were backed with gold foil with a stamped design to add glitter to the jewels. The pyramid is cast hollow and the suspension/slider bar on the reverse is complete. While sword pyramids are not uncommon, examples with foil-backed garnets are rare and indicate that the owner was of very high status. This example is of particular interest in that the missing garnets reveal the backing foils, the construction of the cells and remains of the calcified adhesive. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, pp.216 item 36.26. Some components absent but overall in very fine condition. Provenance: found Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 17.20 grams, 76.93 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A classic Anglian form of girdle hanger comprising a broad median bar, about 2mm thick, ending in a rectangular plate with two rectangular voids and vertical extensions on the upper corners. C-shaped punched decorations are present in a double-line on the bars except the narrower upper struts. Girdle hangers were a form of key, worn prominently by Anglian women as a symbol of their responsibility for the locks in the household. The girdle hanger was recovered from the Catterick area (Yorkshire) which is usually identified as the site of the late 6th or early 7th century battle of Catraeth immortalized in the Old Welsh poem Y Gododdin in which a troop of three hundred horsemen from the fortress of Din Eidyn attacked an unnamed but overwhelming enemy force and was wiped out. The case has been made for the British horsemen having set off from the area of modern Edinburgh to attack an Anglian (English) stronghold, although the poem does not mention either the location of the battle or the name of the enemy. Reference: cf. examples from Barrington (Cambridgeshire) and Ixworth (Suffolk) in MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.231 and discussion of the poem in Cessford, C. Where are the Anglo-Saxons in the Gododdin poem? in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 8, Oxford, 1995. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Catterick, England.

Silver gilt, 11.37 grams, 61.26 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A rare form of radiate-headed bow brooch. The D-shaped headplate bears a smaller D-shaped repoussé panel centrally, and five plain discoid lobes. The shallow bow is ribbed with a vesica-shaped design. The footplate is formed as a cruciform (cross cercelée) panel with a central lozenge. The finial is formed as a discoid lobe similar to those on the headplate. The spring-lug and catchplate are in place on the reverse. The unusual footplate, made from four C-shaped elements placed back-to-back, is occasionally found on the headplates of Thuringian bow brooches of this period. Reference: cf. Musées Raoyaux d'Art et d'Histoire Art Merovingien, Bruzelles, 1954 p.55 (vitrine XV) and plate 29. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Silver-gilt, 8.16 grams, 73.17 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A delicate radiate-headed bow brooch. The D-shaped headplate bears three lobed extensions, each with a distinct waist.The headplate is decorated with a double-contoured inverted chevron flanked by spirals. The plain bow extends to a lozengiform footplate with lobed extensions at the widest points, decorated with three concentric lozenges. The finial is a wasited lobe. On the reverse the catchplate and spring-lug are intact. Reference: Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities, Trustees of the British Museum, 1923 p.143 and plate XIV (2); Reynal, R. La Vida a Egara durant el segle VI - Els Visigots a Catalunya, Barcelona, 1993. Extremely fine condition. This antiquity is accompanied by an XRF metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Copper-alloy, 3.78 grams, 24.57 mm. 5th-6th century AD. Disc brooches are a simple form of female dress fastener, usually worn in pairs. The cast disc has a flat obverse surface with punched decoration: an outer series of radial lines surrounding a series of crescents, a blank field, another series of radial lines and a central roundel. The cast catchplate is still present on the reverse; the iron pin is mineralized around the cast attachment lug. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.44 items 2.7,8. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Cambridgeshire.

Gold and garnet, 1.03 grams, 10.38 mm. 6th-7th century AD. The use of garnet cabochons and cloisonné in fine gold settings is typical of the later 6th and early 7th century, the age of the Sutton Hoo finds and of St. Cuthbert. The fashion originated in western Europe with the Merovingian Franks, who adopted it as part of the polychrome jewellery tradition from the Huns. This example is a beautifully polished garnet cut en cabochon and mounted in a sub-triangular gold cloison with a billeted collar. The broken ends of the suspension loop are still visible. Reference: Arrhenius, B. Merovingian Garnet Jewellery, Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akadamien, Stockholm, 1985 and cf.Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.28. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Suspension loop lost in antiquity otherwise extremely fine condition. Found in the 1980's, ex Crawford collection. This antiquity is accompanied by an XRF metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Lead and gilt copper-alloy, 105 grams, 32.81 mm. Circa 9th-11th century AD. An elliptical Anglo-Scandinavian lead weight into the upper surface of which has been impressed a rectangular fragment of chip-carved Anglo-Saxon metalwork. The weight was probably produced in England, re-using a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon metalwork, perhaps a book-mount, bearing a complex knotwork design and with much of the gilding still intact. Knotwork of a closely similar layout with offset knots occurs in ecclesiastical contexts, e.g. on the 10th century cross-shaft from Bishops Waltham now in the Winchester Museum. The present piece is an excellent example of the 'embedded-metalwork' form of weight and is equivalent to four øre in the later Viking scale devised by Brøgger. Reference: Kruse, S. Trade and Exchange Across Frontiers in Graham-Campbell, J. & Williams, G. (eds.) Silver Economy in the Viking Age, Walnut Creek, 2007 and Tweddle, D., Biddle, M. & Kjølbye-Biddle, B. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Sculpture, vol. IV: South-East England, Oxford, 1995, p.250 and pl.422. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found North East England.

Silver, 4.61 grams, 9.31 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A scaphoid dished pommel cap from a Middle Saxon knife. The decoration comprises raised borders delimiting the quadrants, within which sit reserved bilinear knotwork designs, similar to those on the nasal of the Coppergate helmet. Reference: Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.61. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found continental Europe.

Copper-alloy, 8.32 grams, 38.94 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form C1, formed as two scrolled elements developing from the front edge of the plate, each segmented, and with cast segmented decoration between. Four pierced lugs were provided for attachment to the cuff of a female's sleeve, of one is complete and two are mostly present. The integral catchplate develops from the front edge between the scrolls. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.68. Fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 5.39 grams, 34.49 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian wrist clasp of Hines's Form B12, comprising a single rectangular panel on the leading edge, subdivided into three plain rectangles with two panels of transverse ribbing between. The rear edge is formed as four conjoined lobes with punched roundel decoration on the outer borders. The transition between the front and rear panels is marked with two heavy incised lines. The clasp's hook is present on the reverse of the central rectangle. Wrist clasps were a long-lived fashion among Anglian women, used in pairs to close the cuffs of their long-sleeved shifts, sewn through the pierced lobes on the rear edges. Reference: Hines, J. Clasps-Hektespenner-Agraffen: Anglo-Scandinavian Clasps of the Third to Sixth Centuries AD. Typology, Diffusion and Function. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, 1993, p.47. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 14.69 grams, 69.76 mm. 5th-6th century AD. The small-long brooch is a standard Anglo-Saxon form of garment closure, mainly used in pairs to fasten peplos-style dresses at the shoulders. This example has a rectangular headplate, with annular punchmark detailing around the perimeter. The bow is decorated with facetted zones at the upper and lower edges. The footplate features bands of transverse banding. The terminal is a flared, flat trapezoid with annular punchmark decoration. The iron spring-attachment is corroded but in situ; the catchplate is also present. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.129 item 15.19. Good very fine condition. Ex property of a gentleman, found Hertfordshire.

Copper-alloy, 12.41 grams, 63.37 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A good example of a small-long bow-brooch. The headplate is formed with a rectangular raised panel with punched semicircle decoration around the edges; outside this is a broad border decorated with a series of punched triangles. The deep, carinated and rather short bow is provided with facetted ends and develops into a narrow footplate with expanding terminal. A collar is formed from three ribbed transverse bands. The finial is a pelta-shaped plate with punched triangle decoration. The pin-lug and catchplate base are present on the reverse. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.137 item 15.48. Good fine condition. Provenance: found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 8.48 grams, 34.92 mm. 2nd-3rd century AD. A cast disc brooch with cogged profile to the annular outer feature. Within, a pair of w-shaped features, possible four heads their necks converging on the central point to form a lozenge. Ring-and-dot motifs are placed centrally and on the rim probably to highlight the bird-head features hidden within the design. The pin-lug and catchplate are in place on the reverse. Reference: cf. Hattatt, R., Ancient Brooches and Other Artefacts, Oxford, 1989 item 1622. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 6.36 grams, 24.59 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A late Anglo-Saxon disc brooch comprising a central enamel disc within a copper-alloy collet, surrounded by seven satellite lobes each with a domed cabochon insert. The enamel panel is constructed as a dark blue saltire with corrugated edges against quadrants of navy blue and turquoise. The attachment points for the pin lug and catchplate are present on the reverse. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.126 fig.10(13) and 135 fig.117(6). Extremely fine condition and beautiful. Provenance: found Wiltshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.80 grams, 25.97 mm. Circa 10th century AD. A flat disc brooch bearing a central field with a zoomorphic motif: a beast with three feet displayed, its open-jawed head arcing over its back to meet its tongue-shaped tail. The beast’s eye is formed with a ring-and-dot motif; two further examples are placed on its chest and flank. The outer zone is segmented. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.163 fig.46(2) and 8 and compare the coin motif at Abramson, T. Sceattas: An Illustrated Guide p.74, Series X, item X800. Good fine condition. Found Suffolk.

Copper-alloy, 8.24 grams, 27.29 mm. Circa 10th century AD. A flat disc brooch bearing a central field with a zoomorphic motif: a beast with three feet displayed, its open-jawed head arcing over its back to meet its tongue-shaped tail. The beast’s eye is formed with a ring-and-dot motif; two further examples are placed on its chest and flank. The outer zone is segmented. The cast detailing is crisp and well-defined; the pin-lug and catchplate are in place on the reverse. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.163 fig.46(2) and 8 and compare the coin motif at Abramson, T. Sceattas: An Illustrated Guide, Lings Lynn, 2006, p.74, Series X, item X800. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Aspley, Nottinghamshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 6.48 grams, 27.53 mm. Circa 9th-10th century AD. A flat disc brooch bearing a central field with a zoomorphic motif: a beast with three feet displayed, its open-jawed head arching over its back to meet its straight, bifurcated tail. The beast’s eye is formed with a ring-and-dot motif; two further examples are placed on its chest and flank. The outer zone is segmented. The cast detailing is crisp and well-defined; the catchplate and part of the pin-lug are in place on the reverse. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.163 fig.46(2). Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy gilt, 4.11 grams, 25.50 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A flat cast plate with decoration in Salin's Style I, probably from a disc brooch. The inner reserved area is an expanding-arm cross terminating in a coiled limb; in the keystone voids between the arms are male faces with a prominent nose, c-shaped hair, pellet eyes and cheeks and triangular chin. Outside this is a field of ring-chain ornamentation executed in bilinear style. The border is plain; on the reverse is an attachment point. The male face with animal-body is an expression of the classic Style I design, the beast-man or 'Tiermensch' which symbolises the spiritual transformation of the human form into an animal form. Reference: cf. the designs on applied disc brooches from Cambridgeshire in Hines, J. The Anglo-Saxon Archaeology pf the Cambridge Region and the Middle Anglian Kingdom in Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, vol. 10, Oxford, 1999 p.139. Very fine condition, much gilding remaining. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 115 grams, 146 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A good example of the larger form of cruciform broooch. The rectangular headplate is decorated with punched decoration in the form of a triangle with a roundel at the apex. The top-knob consists of a short shank surmounted by a collar and upturned animal face with prominent brow and eyes. Two trapezoidal expanding wings flank the headplate which extends to a deep, carinated bow with facetted ends. The footplate is flanked by two spiral lappets and evolves from a transverse banded collar to a stylized horse-head with flared nostrils and pelta-shaped finial. The catchplate and spring-lug are still present. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, pp.101 item 12.16. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. Good very fine condition.

Copper-alloy, 38.53 grams, 122.54 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An Anglian cruciform brooch with two unusual features. The square headplate with central motif is flanked by expanding lateral wings; a single D-section collared knop is placed above. The deep, carinated bow with facetted ends displays a pair of medial ribs. The footplate evolves from a transverse banded collar to a stylized horse-head with bulbous eyes, flared nostrils and pelta-shaped finial. The catchplate and spring-lug are still mostly present. Between the eyes of the horse is a bilinear inverted chevron. On the headplate is a raised central motif of a hooked cross with anti-clockwise spiralling arms; decoration on the headplate is usually confined to a stamped border or a ring-and-dot motif. The presence of the spiral hooked cross in this prominent position must be presumed to have had symbolic or religious content: the hooked cross is often associated with Þunor, the thunder-god whose hammer protected and blessed mankind and was sometimes worn as an amulet. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.101 item 12.14 and cf. the ring-and-dot motifs on item 12.15. Good very fine condition, some loss to one wing. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 3.19 grams, 33.92 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A standard form of Middle Saxon strap end with bowed billeted sides, with two rivets in the upper end which is contoured to respect the circular piercings. The main panel is a finely executed beast in Trewhiddle Style, with triangular body and regardant head. The terminal comprises two spiral ears above a lozenge with a short snout below. One of the attachment rivets is still in place. The strap end is cleft to accept the narrow strap to which it was attached. Reference: Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.98 fig.69o. Very fine condition. Provenance: from Bedfordshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 4.11 grams, 46.04 mm. 8th-9th century AD. A single-piece strap-end split across its length to accommodate a strap or narrow belt. The cast D-section pelta-shaped plate extends to a series of baluster mouldings ending in a stylized animal-head finial. Reference: cf. baluster detailing on Anglo-Saxon pins in Webster, L & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.86. Very fine condition. Provenance: found East Anglia, England.

Copper-alloy, gilt, 43.92 grams, 106.51 mm. 5th-6th century AD. An elaborate great square-headed brooch of Hines's Group I, closely related to Mitcham grave 225 and Dartford. The trapezoidal headplate is divided into three fields: at the centre above the bow is a plain rectangular raised panel with bevelled edges surrounded by a narrow border; outside this is a field of symmetrically arranged Style I beast-man decoration within a simple raised border; around this is a plain border panel. The shallow bow features substantial median and lateral ribs extending to two curved Style I animal lappets above a lozengiform footplate. The plain frame elements comprise a vertical median rib with curved lateral brackets, within which are two panels of Style I animal ornament. The lateral lobes are decorated with raised central bosses with incised crosses; the lower bulbous lobe bears a similar boss. The original heavy gilding is largely absent but remains in a few recesses. The catchplate is part of a strengthening rib on the reverse, and the spring-lugs are present with the partial remains of the iron pin and fabric still in place. References: cf. Mitcham 225 brooch in Hines, J. A New Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Great Square-Headed Brooches, London, 1997 p.24ff and pl.1. Very fine condition, with some traces of gilding and a fragment of the original cloth still attached to the pin-hinge. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Suffolk, England.

Gold and garnet, 1.94 grams, 17.20 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A gold pendant with flat back and beaded rim. The outer face is fitted with a large cabochon garnet. The suspension loop is formed as an extension of the back, rolled over to form a hoop. Reference: cf. pendant from Desborough in Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.28-9. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection formed in the 1970's.

Silver-gilt, garnets, crystal, 50.99 grams, 74.78 mm. 5th century AD. A Gothic belt set with several very unusual features: the serpent-head tongue, crystal loop and fabricated plate. The loop is carved from rock crystal, a feature found on a very few such buckles in the 5th-6th centuries such as the British Museum’s example from Marne (France); it is slightly asymmetrical due to the carving process, and is provided with a couch for the tongue. The tongue is silver-gilt, hollow-cast and D-sectioned; its rear edge is a panel of transverse ribs, above which is a narrowing section worked to imitate the scales of a snake or fish; above the junction with the loop, the tongue becomes the head of a serpent, with snub-nosed end and inset cabochon garnet eyes. A buckle with animal-head tongue and garnet cloisonné was found near Kerch (Ukraine) and published in Menghin (2007, item I.17.6). Behind these elements is the plate formed as a thick (about 9mm) hollow reliquary box with a sturdy border and securing pin at each corner, the upper surface decorated with more scales and a grid of nine square garnet cloisons (of which two were lost in antiquity). The box-plate resembles in some respects the belt-reliquaries of early mediaeval Ireland. From its leading edge a tab passes over the loop and beneath the plate to be secured with a fifth pin on the rear edge of the plate. Reference: Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Anglo-Saxon Antiquities 1923, reprinted Ipswich, 1993 and Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period – Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007. Marzinzik, S. Early Anglo-Saxon Belt Buckles, BAR British Series 357, Oxford, 2003. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Silver-gilt, 14.55 grams, 60.79 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A finely decorated example of an evolved radiate-headed bow brooch. The D-shaped headplate features a stylized beast-head with elliptical eyes and bilinear muzzle within a raised border with punched zigzag decoration filled with niello. Surrounding the headplate is a series of ten discoid lobes fused into a single feature. The shallow bow comprises two outer plain ridges and a central ridge with punched zigzag decoration; this feature continues along both sides of the convex footplate, enclosing a panel of three-band Style I decoration. The finial is a beast-head in plan with raised brow and prominent eyes. The pin lugs and catchplate are in place on the rear. Reference: cf. the similar brooches from grave 57 at Elstertrebnitz (Saxony) in Menghin, W. The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007 p.388 item V.3.5. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Silver, 3.99 grams, 27.91 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A finely made mount with cast decoration consisting of a central roundel within a cross, between the arms of which are four decorative panels. The two upper panels each feature a rounded triquetra motif, while the lower ones have plant designs; all are textured with a speckled finish typical of Trewhiddle Style metalwork. The wide border is billeted; there are two pierced lobes on the upper corners for attachment. Reference: West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.250 fig.7. Published: Hammond, B. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon and Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Romney Marsh, Kent, England in 1980's, recorded with the local museum services by Roger Sinclair, ex deceased estate.

Copper-alloy and enamel, 3.10 grams, 27.68 mm. 6th-8th century AD. A quadrangular mount with slightly flared ends and lobed extensions to both sides. The central panel features a pleasing Insular Style knotwork design executed in cream-yellow enamel; the lobes are filled with similar material. The lateral lobes are both pierced for attachment; at some point the object was re-mounted with a single central rivet (still in place). The slight convex curvature of the mount suggests that it may have been attached to the curved rim of a bowl or other vessel. Reference: cf. enamelled champlevé mount from Liddington, Wiltshire, in MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.242 item 47.20. Good very fine condition, some loss to one lobe. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Lincolnshire, England.

Copper-alloy, gilt, 4.83 grams, 17.43 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A crisply cast button brooch with the helmetted face, cast and chip-carved, and the surrounding flange reduced to a flat border. The triangular helmet bowl and eye-surround, nasal and moustached mouth are deeply moulded. The catchplate and pin-lug are present on the reverse. Similar to a find from Bifrons, Kent. Reference: Avent, R. & Evison, V.I. Anglo-Saxon Button Brooches in Archaeologia, vol.CVII, 1982, plate XIV item 6.2. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Isle of Wight.

Copper-alloy, 6.58 grams, 26.91 mm. 5th-6th century AD. During the 6th century, the fashion evolved for decorating high-status items with pressed foil panels (known by the German term Pressblech). These foil panels were not sturdy and were backed with pitch or other materials to stabilise them. They appear on helmets (Sutton Hoo), drinking horns (Sutton Hoo, Taplow), shields (Sutton Hoo), drinking cups (Sutton Hoo) and are among the finds in the recent 'Staffordshire Hoard' assemblage, where they probably came from a helmet. The present piece is a die for the manufacture of the foils, in the form of a quadrangular panel with a billeted border enclosing a Style I Tiermensch or 'beastman' motif in standard three-band design. Pressblech designs are normally of great cultural significance, drawing on the rich symbolism of Germanic religion and military cults; the 'beastman' represents a form of animal transformation liked to the cult of the god Woden. Reference: cf. Sutton Hoo helmet discussion in Pollington, S. The English Warrior From Earliest Times till 1066, Hockwold-cum-Wilton, 2001, p. 156ff and drinking vessels in Pollington, S. The Mead Hall. Feasting in Anglo-Saxon England, Hockwold-cum-Wilton, 2003 p.130ff and fig.78. Very fine condition. Provenance: found near Eyke, Suffolk, England.

Copper-alloy, gilt, 4.33 grams, 19.23 mm. 6th-7th century AD. A chip-carved pelta-shaped mount with a gilded decorative panel. The design comprises a pair of entwined serpents descending centrally and dividing to reach the lower corners of the panel; a tongue-shaped design is placed behind them. The significance of the serpent in Germanic mythology is connected to the creature's ability to slough its skin and its dwelling underground: the first is connected to the idea of regeneration and rejuvenation, and the second to the grave as the entrance to the underworld, called in Old English and Norse Hel. The mount has two sturdy attachment rivets on the reverse. Reference: cf. West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology, Ipswich, 1998, p.137 item 9. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 1.82 grams, 17.84 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A button brooch of Avent and Evison's Class Aii showing the chevron above the brow, circular eyes and mouth emerging from a cast ridge. Traces of gilding remain on the surface. The pin-lug and catchplate are in place on the reverse within a ferrous clump which is the remains of the pin. Reference: similar to the example from Sarre, Kent in Avent, R. and Evison, V.I. Anglo-Saxon Button Brooches Archaeologia vol.CVII, 1982, plate XIV item 27.1. Fine condition. Provenance: found Essex.

Copper-alloy, 46.72 grams, 100.10 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A large robust example of the cruciform brooch type associated with the Anglian settlement area. The rectangular headplate is flanked by expanding lateral wings with a cut-out in the lower edge. Above the headplate is a collared top-knob cast in the round. The deep bow has facetted sections at each end and a broad carination. The footplate features transverse rib collars above a horse-head finial with protrusive discoid eyes and inverted chevron ribbing above the nostrils. The pin-lug on the reverse contains the ferrous residue from the pin's upper end while the deep catchplate also contains the remains of the pin's shaft and point. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals) BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.98 item 12.6. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Lincolnshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 75 grams, 151 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A large example of an Anglian cruciform brooch with a rectangular headplate, the lateral wings indicated by slightly thinner panels to either side, decorated with a border of punched annulets. From the wings and the upper edge emerge large T-shaped elliptical panels connected by a narrow bar which develops into a human face with large, circular eyes and a pelta-shaped beard; from beside the pelta emerge two three-band curved panels which extend to flank the outer ends where they become bird-of-prey heads, their beaks placed beside the head. The lower edge of the headplate develops into a short carinated bow with facetted ends, the apex of which is surmounted by a vestigial mounting peg. Below the bow the footplate comprises a plain trapezoidal panel flanked by two lappets in the form of bird-heads similar to those on the headplate. A D-section collar of transverse bands is placed below this, which develops into a finial comprising a face with bulbous eyes and pelta-shaped beard above a plain panel flanked by bird-heads, above a further T-shaped finial. The pin-lug and catchplate are in place on the reverse. The symbolism of the male head flanked by birds with their beaks placed at the ears is found on several classes of early Anglo-Saxon metalwork and it is likely that the design commemorates the war-god Woden (Norse Oðinn, Odin) who relied on the information brought to him by his avian messengers (Norse Huginn and Muninn). The 'Woden-head' design appears four times on this brooch in prominent positions. Four rivet-holes are placed beside the lower end of the bow where the brooch was repaired in antiquity. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, p.107 items 12.32. Very fine condition, some restoration. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 70 grams, 129.28 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A good example of a developed florid cruciform brooch with rectangular headplate flanked by expanding wings, surrounded by three facemasks with bulging eyes flanked by bird-heads forming a continuous additional panel around the perimeter of the headplate, and with projecting lobes at the lower corners. There is ring-and-dot decoration on the headplate. The bow is flat and shallow with rudimentary faceting at the upper end. The footplate begins with a square panel with triangular zoomorphic lappets at each side; below this is a collar from which another facemask with bulging eyes emerges above a human face between bird-heads. The finial is in the form of a flat, pelta-shaped plate. The pin-lugs and catchplate are in place on the reverse with the remains of the iron pin. The brooch is very similar in design to the example from Darlington (Greenbanks), County Durham now in the Ashmolean Museum, but with a flatter bow. Reference: MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), BAR British Series 230, 1993, item 12.35. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found Norfolk.

Copper alloy, 5.20 grams; 45.41 mm. Circa 9th - 10th Century A.D. An unusual example of the tag which would have received the ‘male’ hook to secure or fasten garments. It is triangular in shape decorated with gilded pellets, below are two circular corners, with a mounting hole between, at the apex is another hole for receiving the hook (part lost in antiquity). Very Fine condition.

Copper alloy, 8.48 grams; 40.86 grams. Circa 10th Century A.D. The majority of a cruciform mount, possibly a pendant. The arms of the cross are interwoven with a wreath interlacing around the centre of the arms. The terminals of the cross are adorned with trefoils. Very Fine condition and a rare design.

Copper-alloy, 31.96 grams; 86.69 mm. Circa 10th Century A.D. A long knife or tool handle, with the end moulded in the shape of a snake's or dragon's head, while the distal end consists of a V-shaped notch filled with the remains of the iron blade. The head and body are covered with ring and dot decoration. Classified as "Not a common class of object, the closest parallel being a smaller example from Steething (HER 40302), which was given ascribed to a possible alternative, Late Saxon, date". Very Fine condition, accompanied by the original Museum note.

Copper alloy, 13.47 grams; 55.38 mm. Late 10th - 11th Century A.D. The high quality execution of this piece is indicative of its manufacture being somewhere in Scandinavia, and brought to England by the invading Vikings, as opposed to cruder ones made by Viking's settlers who tried to incorporate Anglo Saxon art forms into their designs. This stunning mount is trefoil in shape with the three projections being tongue shape. In the centre is a dragon's head facing right, with its long ribbon body entwining and interlacing around its self to make this wonderful 'Ringerike' decoration. These Viking twining knots probably represent the interconnectedness of all Viking life. Another interpretation is that these devices are to bind negativity, in that it becomes bound up in the knot and cannot escape. For Viking lovers, these ancient patterns represent the interweaving of their lives and futures. This art work was made with a hole in the centre representing the centre of the Viking universe. Four of the six fixing lugs remain on the reverse, two on each tongue, one arm is restored. Very fine condition and excessively rare. Found Yorkshire 1976.