Rathrer Optimistic Tekkies Disappointed by no-sale

Two Suffolk artefact hunters will not be able to pay the landowner off just yet (Alice Cunningham,'Medieval gold ring fails to sell at auction', BBC 23/9/2026). The auction was by Noonans Mayfair during a sale featuring a mixed bag: "silver, jewellery, watches, and objects of vertu". The 14th-century gold seal ring was originally uncovered in April 2024 within a ploughed field near Stoke Ash, Suffolk, by two friends, Aaron Pizzey (30) and James Race (39). Although the duo expressed disappointment when the piece failed to reach its £8,500 reserve price, they plan to try selling it at auction again down the road.

Initial estimates valued the ring between £10,000 and £12,000, though the finders had higher hopes of it fetching £25,000 to £30,000 (eh?).

Aaron Pizzey (left) and James Race 

The ring features a carnelian intaglio depicting a griffin, alongside an inscription that presumably identifies its owner. The engraved text reads "GRIFFVnMATILIELEMATILIOVR", which evidently translates to something like "griffin Matilda the maternal countess". It is claimed that this phrasing points toward Matilda of Lancaster, the Countess of Ulster, as the probable owner. Notably, she joined the Augustinian Campsey Priory near Wickham Market as a canoness around 1347–1348, located roughly 20 miles from the discovery site. How true that is is anybody's guess.

The men also managed to find a hoard of 60 gold Roman coins in February in Eye and were similarly going through the treasure process again before hoping to auction them. The Suffolk archaeological heritage is being ripped out of the archaeological record rich and fast now.