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| The Beardmore Relics in their display case opposite the Wildlife Exhibit. Currently the Museum blogger is trying to get new permission to write some of A.D. Tushingham's The Beardmore Relics Hoax or History in our Blog. We do have the whole article in our 1982 Souvenir edition newspaper. It was part of the condition when we received the replicas that the R.O.M story be told. |
Monday 15 August 2011
The Beardmore Relics
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I am an expert on Viking era weapons. I teach history as SVSU, here in Michigan. I am also an amateur weapon smith who have made Viking era weaponry.From what I can see in your photos, the 3 artifacts are "Viking".
ReplyDeleteThe axe is a one handed fighting axe which could also fell a tree, or carve a plank. Its high carbon edge would have been very prone to rusting. So, its absence is only evidence of the axes great age.
Without closer inspection, I can not tell if the sword was made through the earlier "pattern-welding" process, or the later "one piece" method used later when better quality steel was developed. What I CAN tell from the photo, is that the pommel (that counterweight that was pinned onto the upper cross) is completely missing. A visual examination might reveal the remains of the two pins that must have broken off. If the artifacts really were found after dynamiting a stump, then the pommel is still lying at the find site.
The last artifact looks exactly like iron shield handles that i have made myself, or have been discovered in European excavations. The curved surface one side of the handle is meant to fit comfortably in the hand. The odd right degree angle is probably caused by damage. it would have originally been straight.
So, it may be possible to confirm that these authentic Viking Age artifacts were not planted, but dynamited out of the ground by the finder, by simply using a metal detector to locate the missing sword pommel. Is this supposed find site known to anyone in Beardmore today? Is there a map to lead such a search? If so, I would be very interested in doing such a metal detecting search. If not, then i would like to inspect the sword (even the lead casting of it) to determine if the pommel pins can be found and if the blade was produced via pattern-welding, or not.
I can be reached at: erikrurikson@yahoo.com or 989-673-2080.