[MR] History Blog: Viking Ring Found in Online Sale Box

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Vikings,

The History Blog recently reported on the discovery of a Viking-era gold
ring which was purchased through an online sale. Maria Engelin Heskestad of
Alver, Norway, bought a box of what appeared to be costume jewelry. As she
was rummaging through the finds, a man's gold ring surfaced. The ring was
made from twisted gold wires and weighed nearly 11 grams. She showed it to
her father-in-law, who thought it was very, very old. Ms. Heskestad then
contacted local archaeological authorities.

The ring has since been declared to be Viking work, and is a close match
for other rings found in Scandinavia. All artifacts dating from before 1537
are property of the Norwegian State, so the ring will be cleaned and
studied before going on display at the University Museum at Bergen.

The History Blog story doesn't say if Ms. Heskestad gets a finder's fee for
the ring, or just bragging rights.

Photos of the ring are at http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/64542 .

Another version of this story, with other treasures for comparison, is
found at
https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-viking-age-vikings/this-gold-ring-once-belonged-to-a-powerful-viking-chief-it-was-found-in-a-pile-of-cheap-jewellery-auctioned-off-online/2052329
.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge 🦆