An 11th-century Viking bronze cast, discovered in January on a farm in Norfolk, England by a metal detectorist, sold at auction on July 18 for £15,000 (about $19,300). LONDON – A cast An 11th-century Viking bronze discovered by a metal detectorist on a farm in Norfolk, England, sold for a hammer price of £15,000 (about $19,300) at Noonans Mayfair auction house on July 18. The mold was bought by a collector in the UK. Jason Jones, 44, who works in the construction industry, bought a metal detector four years ago for his son Rio's 15th birthday, and within weeks, his whole family, including his two daughters. Ella and Leah went treasure hunting every weekend. Metal detectorist Jason Jones was looking for treasure with his daughters Ella and Leah. In January, Jones found an ancient Viking bronze cast that sold at auction on July 18 for £15,000 (about $19,300). We were in Norfolk where two medieval silver coins had been found. I had forgotten to charge my main machine so I had to use my backup machine, an older Minelab Vanquish 540. I went back to the area where the coins were found and I got a strong signal and found a strange bronze object only two inches deep. When she saw it, neither of us knew what it could be, but she found out that night after posting a picture on Facebook. We found it to be from the Viking Age and reported it to the local archaeologist to record it," said Nigel Mills, coin and artefact specialist at Noonans. It tapers 2-2.6cm and weighs 186g.This is an intricate Urnes-style decoration from the 11th century, possibly depicting the world tree Yggdrasil with the giant dragon Nidhogg at its roots. It shows that it is winding. At the bottom is a fleur-de-lis, which seems to form a dragon's tail." Nigel Mills, a coin and artefact specialist at Noonans, said the ancient Viking bronze die may have been used to decorate the cheek-guards of an iron helmet.
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