Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 9th to 11th century CE. An exquisite Viking bracelet composed of high-quality (86%) silver and presenting a stunning design with a 'braided' style and resolving in hammered ovoid terminals decorated with a myriad of stamped trios of circular motifs arranged in pyramidal/triangular designs which imbue the accessory with a personalized presentation. Silver quality: 86% silver. Weight: 73.3 grams. Size: 3.5" W x 3.125" H (8.9 cm x 7.9 cm); opening measures 3.125" W x 2.75" H (7.9 cm x 7 cm); ovoid terminals measure ~ 1.5" W x .8" H (3.8 cm x 2 cm); bangle .25" in diameter (0.6 cm)
The important Viking metalworking shops correspond to their great trading ports and proto-urban centers - Birka, Helgo, Sigtuna, and Lund in Sweden, Ribe, Haithabu (Hedeby), and Fyrkat in Denmark, and Kaupang and Trondheim in Norway. Silver was the principal currency of the Viking world, which stretched from Russia to northern Canada at the height of their influence. In many places, the Vikings kept silver not as coins, but as jewelry, a wearable form of currency that was not subject to the authority of a monarch or mint.
Provenance: ex Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA acquired before 2000
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#158898
Condition
Minute nicks to peripheries of terminals and a few striations in the field of the stamped impressions that are likely due to positioning of the stamp. Slight age wear but form is generally excellent. Silver has developed a nice age patina over the centuries.