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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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 Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 2:58 am Post subject: Can anyone tell me the origins of a ring? |
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I've recently come across a copper finger ring, been told by a historian it's Anglo-Saxon. It's solid with a heavy patine an oval bezel with a ring-dot pattern. The only pictures I have i'll post but they are pretty bad as it's very hard to get a good look at without handling.
So would it be viking? or a trade piece? I know nothing of these items! 
 This is it with my silver twist from Danegeld. It's not a bad size either and the band is well intact.
I'll look to take more soon with better shots of the bezel, pattern, and band.
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 3:47 am Post subject: |
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Where was it found? What was it found with?
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 10:21 am Post subject: |
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It was found by my dog who went off chasing rabbits near the marshes and came back with a mouth-full of..dirt mud and this. (He always carries his duck comforter when we go out and he threw up the rest of the mud with this beauty)
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Colt Reeves
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| Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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Tell him to bring back something more fun next time, a sword perhaps. 
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Stuart Thompson wrote: | | It was found by my dog who went off chasing rabbits near the marshes and came back with a mouth-full of..dirt mud and this. (He always carries his duck comforter when we go out and he threw up the rest of the mud with this beauty) |
Doesn't help in the slightest since we have no idea where you live. Update your profile.
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Nathan Beal
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| Posted: Sun 29 Aug, 2010 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: Can anyone tell me the origins of a ring? |
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| Stuart Thompson wrote: | | I've recently come across a copper finger ring, been told by a historian it's Anglo-Saxon. It's solid with a heavy patine an oval bezel with a ring-dot pattern. The only pictures I have i'll post but they are pretty bad as it's very hard to get a good look at without handling. |
I know the style and have seen it attributed as saxon/viking on various sales sites. Never seen one from a reputable source so always been a little suspicious (as rings with seperate bezels like this don't match the sort of thing seen elsewhere).
This ring http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/233839 has the same decoration motif you are describing (and i can think of a half-dozen like it), but you can see it's not a bezel attached to a ring like yours is.
Ring & dot is a common decorative form, from the later British iron-age & Roman periods through the medieval period (and is very common on pagan period anglo-saxon metalwork). Did the guy who dated it for you by any chance give you any references to directly comparable material?
If you are based in the UK (i think you are) contact the finds liaison officer of the portable antiquities scheme at your local museum and arrange a time to pop by and have them take a look (they will photograph it take measurements and record it then give it you back as it won't be valuable to be legally declared 'treasure').
HTH
N.
Beware of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Yes sorry, i live in walton-on-the-naze near the aptly named 'viking way' (They did some digs there in the 50's or so I think) indeed he did there was a bronze ring from Germany around the 14th century which looked similar to mine but the only evidence he gave to tell me it's not a fake is the inside is really worn..which means nothing to be honest except it either been ground down/sanded or worn and taken off lots.
My old dog once dug up a human femur near a battle site not far from here but nothing ever came of it and obviously I did not keep it...I have my own femur..
So i'll definitely get it back? Not overly fussed but I am rather fond of it and would rather wear it than see it in a museum with a few dozen like it. After you've seen one you've seen most haha.
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| Dan Howard wrote: | | Doesn't help in the slightest since we have no idea where you live. Update your profile. |
Updated.
sverð er manni vargr, af bardaga er dýrð, í dauða er dýrð.
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 5:41 am Post subject: |
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I don't think it is a fake since your dog dug it up and not some dude on ebay. The only question is whether it really is as old as you have been told.
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J.D. Crawford
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| Stuart Thompson wrote: | | It was found by my dog who went off chasing rabbits near the marshes and came back with a mouth-full of..dirt mud and this. (He always carries his duck comforter when we go out and he threw up the rest of the mud with this beauty) |
That's a great story. You should tell your local newspaper - I can see the headline: "Dog Vomits Viking Ring".
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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Just so you know, I don't go sifting through my dog's sick ALL the time. Only when something 'shiny' appears  As for the paper-i'm not sure the last we thing we want is an army of tourists with metal detectors swooping down on our backwaters.
sverð er manni vargr, af bardaga er dýrð, í dauða er dýrð.
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Nathan Beal
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| Posted: Mon 30 Aug, 2010 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Stuart Thompson wrote: | | Yes sorry, i live in walton-on-the-naze near the aptly named 'viking way' (They did some digs there in the 50's or so I think) indeed he did there was a bronze ring from Germany around the 14th century which looked similar to mine but the only evidence he gave to tell me it's not a fake is the inside is really worn..which means nothing to be honest except it either been ground down/sanded or worn and taken off lots. |
No doubt its real if it's been found in these circumstances, dating is the hard bit without comparable items or nearby dating evidence. Given the general style of the bezel i would think that C14/15th is more likely (i know English Viking-Age material fairly well, the way the ring attaches to the bezel just does not look right).
There is an AncientArtefacts group on Yahoo that you may wish to post this to, they may have some comparable material.
| Quote: | | So i'll definitely get it back? Not overly fussed but I am rather fond of it and would rather wear it than see it in a museum with a few dozen like it. After you've seen one you've seen most haha. |
Yes you'll definitely get it back, the entire point of the PAS is to record the stuff that turns up. The only time that things don;t get returned is when it's declared treasure (as per the treasure act) and for that to be the case it must be precious metal (and typically several ounces).
HTH
N.
Beware of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Tue 31 Aug, 2010 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Excellent thank you, then i'll take it to get looked at as soon as possible!
sverð er manni vargr, af bardaga er dýrð, í dauða er dýrð.
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Stephane Rabier
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| Posted: Tue 31 Aug, 2010 5:02 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
....and don't trust anybody who sounds to be "the man who knows" : I've thrown a 2500 year old bronze spiral arm ring to the trash can when I was young, just because our neighbour the local "historian" told me it was just a worthless "copper spring" (!!!) 
When I've seen the same in the county museum, I was mad!
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J.D. Crawford
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| Posted: Tue 31 Aug, 2010 5:51 am Post subject: |
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| Stuart Thompson wrote: | | Just so you know, I don't go sifting through my dog's sick ALL the time. Only when something 'shiny' appears. |
Maybe you should be checking for shiny stuff on the other end too...
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Stuart Thompson
Location: Walton-on-the-Naze Joined: 15 Feb 2010
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Tue 31 Aug, 2010 11:40 am Post subject: |
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| Stephane Rabier wrote: | Hi,
....and don't trust anybody who sounds to be "the man who knows" : I've thrown a 2500 year old bronze spiral arm ring to the trash can when I was young, just because our neighbour the local "historian" told me it was just a worthless "copper spring" (!!!)
When I've seen the same in the county museum, I was mad! |
Good god?!?!  ..then who to trust? and J.D, no i'll avoid that end thanks
sverð er manni vargr, af bardaga er dýrð, í dauða er dýrð.
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This is a standard topic