This Anglo-Saxon brooch is one of a group of 10th century cloak clasps of the Viking Era found together in the famous Galloway Hoard, one of Britain's most outstanding treasure troves. The Galloway brooch was made of silver with inlays of niello and is captivating with its interplay of closed and openwork sections, its centre dominated by a cross highlighted by five small bosses.

The original Galloway brooch is now in the possession of the Scottish National Museum.

There is a stable pin construction on the back, which is also suitable for strong woollen fabrics.

The Galloway Hoard is by far the most precious collection of unique artefacts from the Viking Age ever found in Britain or Ireland. It dates back to the early 10th century, although some of the artefacts were already several centuries old at that time.

Local legends tell of a Viking army that was defeated by a Scots army at a site near Galloway, where they suffered one of their worst defeats. The treasure that the Vikings had probably looted from Anglo-Saxon monasteries was probably buried during the battle to be recovered at a later date.

However, it was only rediscovered a good thousand years later in 2014 by archaeologist Derek McLennan in south-west Scotland, when he unearthed a richly decorated Carolingian metal vessel in the ground - filled to the brim with a large number of hack silver, silver bangles, some with runes, many masterfully crafted Anglo-Saxon silver brooches and even a number of gold jewellery and precious fabrics.

Dimensions
Diameter: 6.2 cm (same as original)
Material: Bronze with silver plate elements