A rare Bronze Age shield, unearthed by a metal detectorist on a Suffolk farm, is set to go under the auctioneer’s hammer.
he copper alloy shield, dated 1300-975BC and one of only 27 of its kind ever discovered, will be part of specialist sale in Stowmarket this September - alongside a pocket watch with links to Jack the Ripper.
Auctioneers are expecting keen interest from museums and serious collectors for the Lakenheath Shield - disinterred from millennia under Suffolk farmland in 2015 - and valued at £10,000-15,000.
Bishop & Miller's new specialist auction, entitled 'The Gentleman's Library', takes place from 9.30am on Thursday, September 5.
Managing director, Oliver Miller said: "The shield was discovered in 2015 near Lakenheath by a metal detectorist - and what a find it was."
Alongside Lot 299 will be a selection of ethnographical items, early photographs from around the world, maps, books and exploration objects.
Also included in the sale, a selection of Neolithic axe heads discovered in the 1960s on a Suffolk farm near Brantham. One of the examples, Lot 325, is valued at £200-£300.
A rare John Speed map of the world, valued at £3,000-£5,000, and a 19th century Southwold shipwreck painting, valued at £300-£500, are also among auctions lots - as well as an 18-carat gold pocket watch, T-bar chain and eye glass with a mysterious connection to Jack the Ripper.
The item was found by, and later belonged to Edward Watkins - a City of London police officer, who discovered the body of Whitechapel murder victim, Catherine Eddowes, in the early hours of September 30, 1888.
Found at the scene and believed by some to have once belonged to the Eddowes' killer, the watch be sold at auction under Lot 821, with an estimate of £600-£900.
Mr Miller said: "We're really excited to introduce this new specialist auction to everyone.
"I have likened the selection of items available in this auction akin to walking into Sherlock Holmes' dusty Victorian study. "We have been busily compiling a vast array of interesting and collectibles for some time now.
"We hope people will enjoy some of the quirky and unusual objects available to bid on."
Visit their website, call 01449 673088 or email here for more on Bishop & Miller's sales.
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