The hoard – including around 900 coins and over 40 silver objects – was supposed to be sold at an auction on Friday, April 29. Instead, it has now been acquired by the Gunnar Ekström Foundation for Numismatic Research and the Sven Svensson Foundation for Numismatic Research.
The treasure will go on display as part of the Royal Coin Cabinet at Stockholm’s Economy Museum (the Sven Svensson Foundation for Numismatics has the purpose of purchasing items that are missing in the Royal Coin Cabinet’s collection, contributing to the issuance of publications that serve Swedish numismatic research, and supporting researchers in this field), the Viking Herald writes.
The collection is part of the so-called Everlöv Hoard. The oldest coin from the collection dates back to the 800s, while the youngest coin has been dated to the Viking era – 1018, Sveriges Radio reports.
“It’s great news that the Everlöv find can be kept together as part of our shared cultural heritage and will be available for research,” museum head Cecilia von Heijne told union magazine Magasin K, according to The Local.
Reactions
Birgitta Hårdh, a professor emeritus of archaeology at Lund University, who originally described the sale as “a great tragedy,” also reacted positively to the news.
“It’s really good news; I’m so happy about this!” she said, Magasin K reports.
Hårdh led a campaign to make the collection state property since the 1980s.
“Now the treasure has been saved, and there will be a chance to study it. I hope it will be put on display soon so people can get to see it.
“Until two days ago, I thought it was over, so we will celebrate, of course,” she noted.
Gitte Ingvardsson, a numismatician at Lund’s Historical Museum, said the acquisition was “the best news in a long time!”
“I’m extremely happy to hear that the hoard will be preserved in its entirety, and I’m grateful to my colleagues in Stockholm who have made a great effort to ensure that this story has a happy ending.”
The Viking treasure was found in the 1980s inside a chiffonier. According to The Local, a relative of the current owner of the hoard placed the items in the chiffonier, which had then been passed down through the generations to different family members.
Source: #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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Great news – !