Timeline

For many years signet rings served a very practical as well as a decorative and symbolic function.

This 13 x 13in (33 x 33cm) brick is from the walls of Babylon and dates from 604-562BC.

The corpus of Anglo-Saxon coins lists only 20 coins for the Kentish king Eadberht.

A look at upcoming jewellery auction lots

TimeLine Auctions’ Antiquities sale includes a dozen good examples of Roman glass including this 3rd-5th century unguentarium with zigzag trail decoration.

Marriage or betrothal rings of the Byzantine period depict the bride and groom with Christ who performs the marriage rite.

In response to a decline in the wool trade, a shortage of bullion and the impact of the Wars of the Roses, English coinage was devalued on August 13, 1464.

‘Venus’ figurines from the Upper Paleolithic are recognised as some of the earliest works of prehistoric art.

Metal detectorist’s discovery linked to flamboyant earl who was a favourite of Elizabeth I

The numismatic department of TimeLine is a small but important part of the auction house’s activities in the related disciplines of antiquities and medieval works of art.

This early 17th century silver vervel or hawking ring includes in italic script Kyng James and the quartered arms of the Stuart kings.

Estimated at £6000-8000, an Anglo-Saxon bronze gaming piece – a metal-detecting find for the consignor – sold for £95,000 (plus premium) at the latest auction at TimeLine in Harwich, Essex.

Not just whole figures but parts such as feet and hands are sought after by collectors in the antiquities market, as evident at a vast six-day auction in Essex

The Northern Wei dynasty (386-534 AD), founded by the nomadic Tuoba clan, was the most long-lived and most powerful of the northern dynasties prior to the reunification of China under the Sui. Most importantly for Chinese art history, the ruling royal family were converts to Buddhism.

Among the best-performing lots at the latest mammoth sale held by TimeLine in Harwich, Essex was this 1st-2nd century hollow-formed bronze foot.

An early 16th century ring found by a metal detectorist in East Yorkshire has sold at auction for £36,000.