The Dr. Jon H. Buck Collection of Keys and Locks

Sale: CNG 79, Lot: 1542. Estimate $300.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 17 September 2008.  Sold For $600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Æ Roman Key Rings. 1st-3rd centuries. Rings of various sizes with key bits attached at right angles to the loop. Two with hollow shanks, two with solid shanks, one with openwork bit. Good condition, green and brown patinas, one key with a damaged shaft. Five (5) rings in lot.

Since Roman clothing was without pockets, key rings were very practical. They also appear to have been fashionable items that may have had a symbolic function, perhaps serving as tokens of marriage. While the common phrase “key to someone’s heart” comes to mind, they more likely symbolized the access to another’s property that resulted from marital union.

INTRO FOR SECTION

CNG is proud to present the following lots from the Dr. Jon H. Buck Collection of Keys and Locks. Assembled over decades and spanning nearly two millennia, the collection is particularly strong in keys from the High Middle Ages through the Early Modern period. Many of the objects being offered were found along the Thames River during Dr. Buck’s experiences mudlarking. The river has long been a depository for London’s refuse, particularly following the Great Fire of 1666, when a number of the following objects were likely deposited.

Select lots are illustrated in the catalogue. Please see the presentation of the sale on our website, www.cngcoins.com, for photographs of the remaining lots.