Timeline

The familiar heart symbol - that today is ‘read’ as love - made its first appearance as a rebus in the late Medieval era.

This 19th century glazed wooden case containing musket balls, ceramic fragments and three complete clay pipes was eagerly contested at auction.

Pictured here are the plates from a 12th or 13th century klivanion (Byzantine armour).

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