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Auction: 26052 - Jewellery & Objets de Vertu
Lot: 41

A POST-MEDIEVAL POSY RING - 'A TRUE FRIENDS TOKEN'
CIRCA 1650-1700
Plain convex exterior band with italic script on the inside surface 'A true friends token'.
Analysed as 89.10% gold, 10.90% silver
Size/dimensions: ring size G 1/2 (US 4)
Gross weight: 1.08g

A dainty but complete example, with some small, light scratches to the surface. The piece is offered in excellent condition.


Provenance

Found at Birdforth (Yorkshire and the Humber) on 9 April 2019



~ Recorded with the British Museum (ref. PAS-DUR-2DCF41; Treasure ref. 2019T493) ~



The motto does not appear in exactly this form in Joan Evans’s English Posies and Posy Rings (1931), the standard collection of recorded inscriptions. Evans does, however, record closely related mottoes, including variations of “A true friends gift” and “A trow lues token” (“a true love’s token”). This ring combines the two, joining the friendship of one with the “token” of the other.

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Estimate
£500 to £600

Starting price
£400