File:Post-medieval Viking gold arm ring (FindID 27849-327237).jpg

Gold arm ring, cut through and partly straightened into a curved L-shape, but otherwise complete; length, 260 mm (total); diameter, 15 mm at centre and 6 mm at ends. It is made of two thick, round rods with beaded wires between them, twisted into a cable and tapering to the ends. The original ends (now together at one end of the cable because of the cut) are joined to a plain, polyhedral knob and are closely bound with plain wires on either side of it. The beaded wires of the cable show girth grooves round many of the 'beads', which were caused in manufacture. There is a deep cut in one side of the ring towards one end and a few small dents at other points along its length.

The armring can be compared in its cable combining thick, plain rods and thin, beaded wires with an example of the Viking period from Wipholm, Germany, while the knob joining the ends bound with wires is similar to other Viking gold armrings from Dublin, Hornelund, Denmark, and Goodrington, Devon (J. Graham-Campbell, 1980, Viking Artefacts, London, 61-2, pls. 220-23).

Surface metal analysis conducted at the British Museum indicated an approximate gold content for the armring of 95%; it weighs 324.6 grams.

The ring from York would therefore qualify as Treasure under two of the stipulated criteria of the Treasure Act: it is more than 300 years old and the precious metal content exceeds 10%.

The ring is not disclaimed at either a local or a national level, since Yorkshire Museum has expressed an interest in acquiring it and the British Museum would attempt to do so should local efforts fail.