Viking Age silver ingot

This find was sent in by Mike Ruczynski on behalf of his brother John, who unearthed it during the 1990s. It’s s Viking Age silver ingot, which measure 36mm long and is 13 grams in weight.

Items like this one have to be reported under the Treasure Act. It was reported and recorded but was disclaimed and then returned to the finder. At 13 grams the weight is just less than half an ounce, based on a known Viking weight standard of 26.60 grams.

There are some markings on one face, which might have meant something to a Viking but nothing to me. It is worth mentioning that some ingots are incised with runes and this adds to their value.

Over fairly recent years the rarity of Viking ingots has been reduced through the number found in hoards (Vales of York, Silverdale, Watlinton, to name a few) and a large number of individual finds.

Valuation

Had this ingot been found very recently and passed through the Treasure procedure then a likely valuation would be £60 – £70. Twenty years since the price range would be double that of today. The drop in value is due purely to the high number of Viking silver ingots that have been unearthed by detectorists.

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