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Detectorist's Roman jewel sells for £30,000
Published on Fri Mar 26 12:29:04 GMT 2010
A golden jewel dating back to Roman times, which was discovered by a Hampshire metal detectorist, has sold at auction for £30,000.
The piece, which is believed to have been made in Alexandria in Egypt, was dug up by former brick layer Pete Beasley, 68, of Portsmouth, in Alton in 1999.
The jewel, which depicts an emperor thought to be Tiberius, dates from the 1st century and is two and a half inches long.
It is inscribed with the letters Ti CAESAR above the head and has a red stone below.
The item, known as the Alton Jewel, sold at Timeline Auctions at The Swedenborg Hall, London, for £30,000 plus 17.25% buyer's premium making a total cost of £35,175.
Its value had been estimated at between £30,000 and £50,000.
Brett Hammond, of Timeline, said: "It sold for the lower estimate which is unsurprising as the piece couldn't be positively dated.
"I think the finder is pleased with that and hopefully it has gone to a good home where it will be cherished and hopefully one day it will be put in a museum."
peterboroughtoday.co.uk
Roman pendant unearthed near Alton fetches £30,000
The artefact is inscribed with the letters TI CAESAR
A solid gold Roman pendant unearthed in Hampshire about 10 years ago has been auctioned off for £30,000 in London.
Inscribed with the letters TI CAESAR, the artefact is cast as a bust of the Roman emperor wearing a laurel wreath and dates back to the first Century AD.
Peter Beasley, 68, from Portsmouth, used a metal detector to uncover the thumb-size piece of jewellery in a field near Alton, in December 1999.
It was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder, Timeline Auctions said.
Mr Beasley also helped to uncover 250 Roman coins in 1996, in an area close to where the pendant was found.
The haul was purchased by the British Museum for £100,000.
bbc.co.uk
Gold Roman jewel expected to fetch £50,000 at TimeLine Auctions
Friday, 12th March 2010 (418 views)
A Roman jewel dating from the first century AD is expected to fetch £50,000 when it goes under the hammer at TimeLine auctions in London on March 19th.
The Telegraph reported that the item, which was found within metres of the so-called Alton Hoard - a display of treasures now exhibited at the British Museum - in 1999, depicts the face of an emperor wearing a laurel wreath.
According to experts, the 2.5-inch-long item was likely made in Alexandria in Egypt before Roman settlers brought it to the UK.
The pendant jewel may have been worn as a necklace and it is thought Tiberius is the Roman emperor depicted on the item.
"It is inscribed with the letters Ti Caesar and includes a red cornelian stone," commented by TimeLine Auctions.
"The titular form Ti Caesar appears frequently on the coins of Tiberius while the bust is particularly evocative of that depicted on the Alexandrian coins," he added.
A Roman gold ring, 256 Celtic coins and a Roman gold bracelet are among the items from the Alton Hoard currently on display in London.
The British Museum estimates the treasures date from 100 BC to 50 AD.
gold.org
