[MR] History Blog: Everlöv Viking Hoard Saved from Auction

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

A very important late Viking treasure hoard has been saved from a public
auction and will eventually be studied and displayed in a Swedish museum.

The Everlöv hoard consists of 40 silver decorative pieces, including a
bracteate medallion minted by Henry the Exuberant (remember him from
yesterday, the Duke of Bavaria who became Holy Roman Emperor?). The bulk of
the hoard consists of coins, the latest of which was minted in 1018, giving
an indication of when the hoard was buried. Among the coins were a large
number minted in Bavaria, which along with the bracteate medallion suggest
a previously unknown trade link between Bavaria and Sweden.

The Everlöv hoard was found in a chiffonier in Sweden where it had lain
hidden for many generations. [In European usage a chiffonier is a sort of
sideboard or cabinet, rather than in America where it describes a dresser.]
When rediscovered in the 1980s, the hoard was deemed outside Swedish
treasure laws, and so remained the finder's property. Recently the Everlöv
hoard was placed up for public auction, and was to be broken into several
smaller lots (which would have destroyed much of its context). The treasure was
saved for the nation by two research agencies who joined forces to buy the
whole hoard before the auction could take place.

Here's the Blog link: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/63957 .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆