Lot 51A
Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Late Viking Age, ca. 975 to 1050 CE. A stunning example of a forged-steel Petersen Type S broad sword with a deep fuller inscribed on one side with the famous "+VFLBERH+T" (Ulfberht) name; the opposite blade face is inscribed with "HIXIXIIII." The double-edged blade tapers down to a diamond-shaped tip with a fuller running almost the entire length, and a rectangular guard flares along both ends and bears silver-copper wires inlaid in an intricate knotted pattern. The gently tapered handle allows for a single hand to grasp it, and both the tri-lobed pommel and underlying horizontal bar exhibit similarly inlaid silver-copper wire patterns as the guard. Rich, silvery patina has formed across the entire weapon as well as inscribed Ulfberht name, imbueing it with a lustrous, attractive presentation. Size: 37.3" L x 4.7" W (94.7 cm x 11.9 cm)
A Viking's sword was a hugely valuable object, passed down through families as an heirloom, and was probably the most expensive item that a Viking could own. For example, from the hundreds of items found in Viking burials in Iceland, only sixteen are swords; they are more common in other parts of the Viking world, especially in Norway, but were still a high-status item. A sword given by King Haakon the Good (king of Norway from 934 to 961 CE) to the Icelander Hoskuldur in the Laxdaela Saga was worth a half mark of gold, or the value of sixteen dairy cows, which was a tremendous sum of money for the time.
Cf. another Petersen Type S sword at The British Museum, museum number 1887,0209.1
For incredibly similar illustrations of both blade inscriptions, please see Androshchuk, Fedir. "Viking Swords: Swords and Social Aspects of Weaponry in Viking Age Societies." The Swedish History Museum, Studies 23, Stockholm, 2014, p. 178, fig. 2
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000
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#159172
- Condition: Very slight bending to blade profile, with several nicks and petite hairline fissures along blade edges, chips to area of "B" in Ulfberht name and some silver-copper wire inlays, and light iron oxidation as expected, otherwise intact and near-choice. Beautiful patina throughout and Ulfberht name is still legible.
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