Copper alloy, 6.14 grams, 22.43 mm. Circa 8th-9th century AD. A beautiful mount ornamented with an interlace pattern forming the neck of two conjoint zoomorphic masks, each with an ear at the junction of the neck, the whole area is covered in chip carved gold. Between the masks is a circular piercing and on the back there is a pierced projection, both would have been used for securing the piece. Ref: purchased Bonhams sale catalogue 27th April 2006, lot 293; also see for similar examples The Work of Angels Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th-9th centuries AD edited by Susan Youngs, page 119. Published in Hammond, B.M. British Artefacts vol.2 - Middle Saxon and Viking, Witham, 2010. A very important piece of early Irish artwork in very fine condition. Ex Bonhams. Found Lincolnshire 2002. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Copper-alloy, 3.95 grams, 29.36 mm. 9th-11th century AD. A rectangular belt-plate decorated with a double-border rectangle applied with a rectangular-headed punch; within this is a saltire applied with the same punch. The plate is slightly dished and features a central copper-alloy mounting pin. Reference: cf. the plate from Ufford in West. S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998 p.249 item 8. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 8.64 grams, 24.73 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A thick cast strap divider comprising a cast ring with three internal spokes and prominent central hub. The outer faces of the spokes are decorated with animal-head motifs: a triangular head with square-ended snout and D-shaped ears. The three voids were used to accept straps, often in the sword's suspension mechanism or horse harness. Reference: cf. the strap divider from the Zalachtovie burial mound in Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L., Luistari II, Helsinki, 1982, fig.41. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection.

Copper-alloy, 39.33 grams, 74.10 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A cast fixed-plate buckle with triangular loop, bearing ribbed decoration on the sides and a lupine face on the outer edge. The square-section wire tongue is fixed into a square aperture near the loop. The concave-sided plate bears an opposed pair of triangular ursine heads, with holes for the attachment rivets between; similar beast-heads are found on 11th century Anglo-Scandinavian stirrup mounts. Reference: cf. beasts-heads on Type 3 Group 1 in Williams, D. Late Saxon Stirrup Mounts - A Classification and Catalogue. CBA Research Report 111, London, 1997 fig.56. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Cambridgeshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 8.93 grams, 29.55 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A heavy cast connector formed as a central pierced roundel with D-shaped ends. The outer edges are formed as sturdy bars to which straps could be attached. The design includes a simple knot on the central disc. The double-loop design is often characteristic of 10th-11th century design. Reference: Backhouse, J. Turner, D.H. & Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, item 107. Good fine condition. Provenance: found Cambridgeshire, England.

Gold, 1.75 grams, 15.04 mm. 6th-9th century AD. A fragment from a Scandinavian gold object. Its barrel-shaped, biconical shape could also suggest that it may have been a bead-spacer or suspension loop for a high-status pendant such as those on the Ixworth and Wilton crosses. The punched decoration is unusual: the outer borders are composed of squares; next to these are triangles set vertically; the median feature is a series of opposed triangles leaving a reserved lozenge design, at the upper and lower edges of which are c-shaped elements with a reserved dot. Suspension loops are more often ribbed or covered in filigree at this period, although plain examples are known (e.g. Ixworth cross). Reference: Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991, p.26-7. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old collection, found continental Europe.

Copper-alloy, 12.37 grams, 48.12 mm. 11th century AD. A cast D-section mount with a flat reverse. The design is in the late Viking Urnes Style, with an 8-shaped animal body amid a tracery of curved tendrils. Similar fine metalwork is characteristic of the Anglo-Scandinavian and later Viking periods. Reference: Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H., Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.111 item 107. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Kent, England.

Copper-alloy, 5.68 grams, 42.59 mm. 9th-11th century AD. A sturdy Anglo-Scandinavian key comprising an annular bow developing into a bulbous, round-section shaft, from which emerges an openwork plate with two T-shaped extensions. Reference: Murawski, P. Benet's Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom, Ely, 2003 items V17-0102/3/4. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 16.18 grams, 43.42 mm. 11th-12th century AD. A quatrefoil domed fitting comprising a central cone emerging from a square base, from each edge of which projects a fleur-de-lys shaped lug pierced to accept an attaching rivet. Reference: Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, vol. 1, Langport, 2001 items, 115, 116. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Norfolk.

Copper-alloy, 36.40 grams, 180 mm. 5th-8th century AD. A sturdy, copper-alloy dress pin or garment fastener in the form of a conical spike, its upper quarter is ribbed with every third collar thicker and with longitudinal ribs. The head is of 'flask' type. Below the zone of collars is a hatched zone with transverse piercing holding a separate copper-alloy ring; a series of triangles below this completes the decoration. Reference: cf. similar from grave 418 Jauneikiai in Griciuviene, E. Ziemgaliai - The Semigalians, Latvia, 2005, item 438. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

A unique oppertunity to obtain the majority of metal items from a hoard found in East Yorkshire in 2007, reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and all returned to the finder except item (X). The assemblage comprises: (A) A gilt copper-alloy cast male head with a long face [not included in the sale]; (B) A Scandinavian Swastika barrel weight; (C) A Viking embedded weight; (D) A Viking embedded styca weight; (E) An Anglo-Saxon cast convex-sided strap end; (F) An Anglo-Saxon convex-sided tag or strap end; (G) An Anglo-Scandinavian cast copper-alloy D-shaped buckle loop; (H) A Trefoil design Anglo-Saxon ring bezel; (I) An iron hook; (J) The central roundel from an Anglo-Saxon penny; (X) A small D-section silver ingot. [retained by York Museum, not included in the sale]. Reference: Portable Antiquities Scheme 2007 T226. Very fine condition. Provenance: found in East Yorkshire.

Copper-alloy, 8.80 grams, 44.15 mm. 9th-11th century AD. A cast openwork fragment, probably from an Anglo-Scandinavian buckle loop. The lower end of the piece comprises a beast-head finial with the rear bar of the buckle emerging from its mouth. The creature's trunk and limbs curve round to form the rest of the loop, pierced to accentuate the contours of the body. The decoration shares some features with the 11th century Viking Ringerike Style. Reference: cf. the Lincoln Museum scabbard mount in Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H. & Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.111 item 106. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Norfolk, England.

Copper-alloy, 7.50 grams, 54.22 mm. 10th-12th century AD. An unusual form of Viking / Anglo-Scandinavian key, with a plain lentoid-section shank featuring a slight bulb above the head. The handle is fashioned as an openwork discoid with lateral projections and a thicker base connecting to the shank. The head of the key is an openwork D-shaped plate with a corrugated internal upper edge and with the standard form of T-shaped projection to locate the key in the lock. Reference: Murawski, P. Benet's Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom, Ely, 2003 items V17-0102/3/4. Good very fine condition. Provenance: found Suffolk, England.

Lead and copper-alloy, 95 grams, 78.61 mm. 9th-11th century AD. A rectangular-section cast bar with rounded ends, slightly splayed on one face. The silvery metallic surface is visible beneath the cuprous patination. Reference: cf. ingots in Williams, G. and Ager, B. The Vale of York Hoard, London, 2010 and Hardh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional Economic Study, Acta Archaeologica Lundensia Series in Octavo no.25, Stockholm, 1996. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, England.

Copper-alloy, 6.69 grams, 53.80 mm. 10th-12th century AD. The classic form of Viking / Anglo-Scandinavian key, formed with a D-section shank, with a notch below the handle. The handle is designed as an openwork discoid with lateral projections and a thicker base connecting to the shank. The head of the key is an openwork rectangle with lateral internal wards and a square extension on the upper end, and with the standard form of T-shaped projection to locate the key in the lock. Reference: Murawski, P. Benet's Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom, Ely, 2003 items V17-0102/3/4. Cracked, otherwise good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Copper-alloy, 13.37 grams, 16.40 mm. 8th-10th century AD. A cast copper-alloy D-shaped buckle loop with heavy ribbed decoration on the outer edges. The rear bar is comparatively narrow and shows some wear at the point where the tongue rested. Reference: cf. buckles from Coddenham in West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Material from Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, p.136. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection, found East Anglia, England.

Copper-alloy, 18.84 grams, 74.02 mm. 10th-11th century AD. A solid cast harness mount in the form of a bar terminating in a pair of lozengiform lobes with central circular piercings and small knops on the extremities. The D-section bar is provided with a central ribbed collar. Reference: Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, vol.1, Langport, 2001, p.62. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found Hampshire, England.

Silver, 3.03 grams, 65.40 mm. 9th-11th century AD. A very unusual item made from silver sheet. The lower edge is fluted to accommodate the horn’s mouthpiece. The main panel bears a strip of niello-inlaid billeted decoration which follows the outline of the sheathing; the execution is reminiscent of the panels of a casket with Jellinge-style animals in the British Museum. Within this border there are traces of an incised cursive design. The upper edge has a lobed extension, pierced to accept the attachment rivet. The sheathing is curved and expanded to accommodate the shape of the horn within. Damaged in antiquity but complete. Reference: Backhouse, J., Turner, D.H. & Webster, L. The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art 966-1066, London, 1984, p.34-5 item 15. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume 2 - Middle Saxon & Viking, Witham, 2010. Fine condition. This antiquity is accompanied by an XRF metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Copper-alloy, silvered, 39.95 grams, 235 mm. 10th-12th century AD. A very large sturdy dress pin of tapering lozengiform section. The upper 70 mm is flattened to accept a cruciform decorative mount, riveted to the shaft. The lobed cross is decorated with embossed concentric circles. Such pins were used by wealthy females to secure outer garments at the chest, often with a chain attached. Reference: cf. Griciuviene, E. Ziemgaliai - The Semigallians, Latvian National Museum, 2005, items 225-6. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection.

Silver, 2.72 grams, 45.96 mm. 10th-12th century AD. An unusual form of female headdress in the form of a penannular fitting worn at the temples by leading women among the Rus (Baltic and Volga Vikings). The piece is formed as a flat band (0.6 to 0.9 mm thick) with three lobed expansions: two large ones placed equidistantly around the circumference and a smaller one acting as the terminal. The smaller lobe bears three punched pellets, while the larger ones bear four. The inner and outer edges are decorated with lines of square punched decorations, expanding to double-lines on the lobes; a single line of square punchmarks is visible on the reverse. The pointed end is thicker than the band at 1.4 mm. The present example with rhomboid lobes is characteristic of the Novgorodskii Slovenes of the Volga region. Reference: Franklin, S. and Shepard, J. The Emergence of Rus: 750-1200 (Longman History of Russia, vol. 1). London, 1996 and see also Stahlsberg, A. Varangian Women in Old Rus’: Who were they? in Kvinne i Arkeologi i Norge, 21, 1996,.p.83-101 and Thrane, H Steppens Nomader - Skovens Bønder: Ukraines arkhæologi i 2000 år (900 f. Kr - 1240)., Odense, 1994. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. This antiquity is accompanied by an XRF metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Silver, 11.02 grams, 63.88 mm (pendant) and 143 mm (chain). 10th-13th century AD. An unusual form of pendant used by high-status females in the eastern Baltic as part of their status display. The pendant consists of a broad, flat shank decorated with punched pellet detailing, narrowing at the lower end to a short foot with discoid finial, hollowed on one side to form a scoop. At the upper end, the shank develops into three flattened lobes with the attachment loop above. The chain is formed from silver wire loops in a plain Byzantine linkage. The scoop is very small and would have been used for medicinal or culinary purposes. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.265 figs.13,14. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Silver, 4.32 grams, 115.29 mm. 10th-13th century AD. A decorative dress pin of Finnic type. The carinated spherical head is hollow and decorated around its perimeter by a series of triangular perforations forming lozengiform pierced designs, and by series of linear depressions running from the knop. Below the head is a short collar from which emerges the shaft of the pin. On the upper surface of the head, offset to one side, is a delicate loop for the attachment of a cord or chain. Reference: cf. Sedov, V.V. Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhy Srednevekoviya, Moscow, 1987, p.256 fig.19. Good very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Silver gilt, 10.22 grams, 12.19 mm. 10th-12th century AD. A beautifully detailed head from a substantial Norman / Anglo-Scandinavian or possibly slightly later pin. The top bears an incised circle enclosing a panel of gold foil. Each of the four sides is similarly decorated, but with an inscribed curvilinear lozenge filled with niello. The flattened upper corners bear roundels. The lower face is rounded to meet the shaft of the pin, lost in antiquity. Reference: reported to the PAS and published in the 2001 Treasure Report (Case 2002 T86): Description: A medieval, cube-shaped finial with slightly rounded facets, four of which are decorated with circles inlaid with gold and carrying a four point design drawn in niello. Within the spandrel formed by the meeting of these circles is placed another, smaller circle in relief. This decoration might indicate the ‘top’ of the finial. The top facet has gold inlay but without any niello, whilst the bottom has no decoration, merely evidence of a break where it has been wrenched from the object to which it was originally attached. Dimensions and metal content: Weight 10.2 g. X-ray fluorescence analysis conducted at the British Museum indicated an approximate silver content of 96 per cent. Very fine condition. Provenance: found North Ormsby, Lincolnshire, England on 24th November 2001 and disclaimed.

Copper-alloy, 125 grams, 90.29 mm (cheek piece) 49.42 mm (strap fitting). 10th-11th century AD. An elegantly designed cheek piece from the bridle of a horse. The assemblage comprises a single openwork casting for the cheek piece and a separate looped fitting for the reins. The looped fitting is a substantial D-section curve extending to two flat plates, pierced to take an attachent rivet. The junction of the loop and plate is decorated with geometric detailing and a facetted section. The cheek piece comprises a pair of addorsed serpentine heads with elaborate lappets which extend in a radiating series from the cest of the head across the void to rejoin the neck where they bifurcate. The lower lappet in each series bears two transverse ribs towards the lower end. Similar ribs mark the point where the necks join the D-shaped lower hoop to which the loop fitting is attached. The decorative plan is reminiscent of the Viking Ringerike Style which is found on some items from the recent Dublin excavations. Reference: cf. the carved wooden finial reproduced in Wallace, P & Ó Floinn, R. (eds.) Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities, Dublin, 2002 plate 6:8. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old London collection.

Lead and amber, 7.81 grams, 14.60 mm. Circa 9th-11th century AD. A heart-shaped or sub-triangular weight of probable Scandinavian manufacture, it is formed as a lead setting round an amber bead or decorative block. The weight represents about one third of an øre weight and is a variant of the 'embedded-metalwork' form of weight. Reference: Kruse, S. Trade and Exchange Across Frontiers in Graham-Campbell, J. & Williams, G. (eds.) Silver Economy in the Viking Age, Walnut Creek, 2007. Extremely fine condition. Provenance: found North East England.

Copper-alloy, 48.74 grams, 48.90 mm. Circa 10th century AD. A large cast bell with faceting on the upper dome, bordered by a double rib below. The mouth of the bell is formed with four plates of heavy ribbing, pierced with four circular holes from which slits extend to meet at the bottom of the piece. The cast lug above is pierced and a wire suspension loop is inserted. The shape of the pendant with its wider upper bowl is characteristic of eastern Baltic items of the Viking Period. Reference: Lehtosalo-Hilander, P-L.,Luistari I, The Graves pl.47 5.2295. Extremely fine condition.

Iron, 115 grams; 276.66 mm. Circa 9th-10th century AD. A rare and very well preserved iron snaffle bit; two large rings that would receive the reign guides and cheek pieces are connected by three bars, two looped ended bars connected to the rings with a central S shaped bar between. A very plain and common type during this period but rarely found in this state as the iron does not survive. Ref: Similar to Luistari-A History of Weapons and Ornaments; G 825/7, plate 34. Very fine condition. Ex the family of an old man who was a keeper of a small town museum in Poland before WWII.