A fearsome array of swords from the Medieval period and earlier, including Viking weapons, form the main thrust of Bonhams’ sale of antique arms and armour on 28 November in London’s Knightsbridge.
David Williams, director of arms and armour at Bonhams, said: ‘Many of these rare and remarkable weapons would have been used in battle. The scarring and damage goes some way to confirm this, though the years have also taken their toll.’
Among the weapons are seven Viking swords from the collection of distinguished Danish collector the late EA Christensen.
These date back to the ninth and 10th centuries, when the Vikings were invading the British Isles on a regular basis. They range in price from £2,000 to £8,000.
Also on sale is a rare Viking sword from the ninth century, Lot 57. This is estimated to sell for £6,000 to £8,000 and was found in 1887 at the mouth of the River Thieles in Switzerland.
The Viking Age spanned the late 8th to the 11th centuries. In England it began dramatically on 8 June 793 when Viking raiders destroyed the Abbey on Lindisfarne, a centre of learning famous across the continent.
Monks were killed, thrown into the sea to drown or carried away as slaves.
The Viking destruction of Lindisfarne was seen at the time as an unrivalled calamity.
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