Scandinavian Viking Silver Cuff Bracelet

This is a rare and well-designed Scandinavian silver cuff bracelet, dating to the 8th - 10th century AD. The bracelet is made from a bar of silver hammered flat with a complex punched design. It is likely to have been found in a cache of silver buried as a hoard for trade, similar to the Beadale Hoard, or more recently in the Galloway Hoard. Interestingly, most of these bracelets were made from solid silver, often produced from melted coins the Vikings took as Danegeld. Often, simple silver ingots are found in varying qualities and weights used in trade and hammered into bracelets. This is an interesting piece, with plenty of age-related wear and a nice patina, a rare piece of wearable Viking jewellery from a lost historic hoard!

OBJECT:  Bracelet

CULTURE: Scandinavian Viking

DATE: c. 8th - 10th century A.D.

MATERIAL: Silver

SIZE: 54mm x 45mm x 12mm

WEIGHT:  25.05 grams

PROVENANCE: Formerly in a European private collection, Tallinn. Estonia.