Silver, 3.08 grams, 18.92 mm. Circa 10th-11th century AD. A cut section from a square-section bar of silver with flattening to one end where the bar has been hastily chopped. As the Scandinavian economies were not monetised until the 11th century, exchange was made possible by the use of small pieces of silver and less often gold which were used in the barter system in place of coinage. Reference: Hårdh, B. Silver in the Viking Age: A Regional Economic Study, Acta Archaeologica Lundensia Series in Octavo no.25, Stockholm, 1996. Fine condition. Provenance: from an old European collection.