Provenance & Authenticity
Aurora Antiqua sells ancient and medieval pieces. Most of the pieces currently listed come from one private family collection in Belgium; the others come from other private collections and from the art market in Europe and the UK. Every listing has a provenance line that gives the piece's history as far as it is recorded, and a certificate of authenticity with the piece's unique reference number is included in the box. Jakob, who runs Aurora, examines each piece himself before it is listed.
This page describes how Aurora itself works. For the general questions, whether it is legal to buy antiquities, how forgeries are recognised and what paperwork crosses a border, see our guide Buying Ancient Artifacts.
Where the pieces come from
A private family collection
One source recurs on our listings: a private family collection, later inherited by its previous owner, who is named by initials and country only. The provenance line reads: Private family collection assembled in the 1960s, later inherited by the previous owner (K.V.D., Belgium).
Other private collections and dealers
Other listings give a chain of earlier owners as far as it is recorded. Examples are a UK private collection with an earlier London gallery, a UK private collection that bought the piece on the Austrian art market in the 1990s, and a private collection in France.
Pieces with a short recorded history
For some pieces the recorded history begins with a recent sale. R-142-B below, for example, was with a dealer at a fair in the Netherlands in 2023 before Aurora acquired it in 2025. Some of these listings add in plain words: No earlier provenance recorded.
Whether a piece with a short history is right for you is your decision, and we would rather you make it knowing the facts.
How provenance appears on a listing
On the listing and in the box you will find three things:
- Provenance line. In the details of each listing: where the piece came from, as far as it is recorded.
- Unique reference. A reference such as R-33-S, given to one piece only and carried on its certificate. When you write to us, please quote it or send the link to the listing.
- Certificate of authenticity. Included in the box with every piece. It identifies the object, its period, its material and its unique reference number.
Three provenance lines as they appear today
Private family collection assembled in the 1960s, later inherited by the previous owner (K.V.D., Belgium).
Private UK collection; formerly the collection of [a named private collector]; earlier with a London gallery; acquired on the UK art market in the 1970s
Dealer at a fair, Netherlands, 2023; acquired by Aurora Antiqua in 2025. No earlier provenance recorded.
How sure we are about an attribution
Where no find context is recorded, a statement about period and culture rests on the object itself: its form, decoration and manufacture compared with published types. We therefore describe how sure an attribution is in one of three steps:
Some forms simply cannot be assigned from their shape. A plain wire ring with a spiral bezel is known from Roman contexts, from early Anglo-Saxon graves and from Viking-age material alike, and the type goes back to the Bronze Age. Some listings therefore use words such as likely, possibly or the reading remains open. The listing of R-33-S, for example, gives its material as Likely silver
.
What we do not claim
- No investment promise. We make no promise about the future value of a piece.
How a piece is examined
Jakob, who runs Aurora, examines each piece himself before it is listed. He looks at four things:
- Metal and surface. The metal and its ageing, the surface patina and any burial deposits.
- Wear. Whether the wear is consistent with genuine use.
- Manufacture. Whether the manufacturing marks belong to the period.
- Style and type. Whether the stylistic details fit known types. For Roman coins, the listing gives the reference in Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC).
If a piece does not hold up on these points, we do not list it. You are welcome to have any piece examined elsewhere, by anyone you choose.
Export and import
Shipping outside the European Union
Cultural goods leaving the EU need an export licence under Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009. For archaeological objects more than 100 years old the requirement does not depend on their value (Annex I, category A.1). A member state may, however, decide not to require a licence for such objects if they are of limited archaeological or scientific interest, are not the direct product of excavations, finds or archaeological sites within a member state, and are lawfully on the market (Article 2(2)). The licence is issued by the competent authority of the member state in which the object is lawfully and definitively located; its form and its validity of up to 12 months are set by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1081/2012.
Aurora ships from Belgium. For orders outside the EU we apply for the licence before dispatch. This takes about three weeks, and the licence travels with the piece. Details and costs are on Shipping and Insurance.
Bringing pieces into the EU
Since 28 June 2025, Regulation (EU) 2019/880 requires an import licence for archaeological objects more than 250 years old that were created or discovered outside the EU, whatever their value. Other antiquities, such as coins, that are more than 200 years old and worth 18,000 euros or more per item need an importer statement. The regulation does not apply to cultural goods created or discovered within the EU. Whether a piece may enter your own country outside the EU is decided by that country's rules; if you are unsure, ask us before you order and we will check for your destination.
Returns
You have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return. The item must be in the same condition as you received it, unworn or unused, in its original packaging, with the receipt or proof of purchase. To start a return, write to info@auroraantiqua.com; items sent back without first requesting a return will not be accepted. If the return is accepted, we send you a return label. The buyer covers return shipping, and we quote the cost before you commit. Once the return is approved, the refund goes to your original payment method within 3 business days.
A restoration you commission after purchase alters the piece permanently and is excluded from returns, and the restoration fee is non-refundable. Pieces that were restored before listing are covered by the normal return window. The full terms are in our refund policy and on Returns.
If you are a consumer in the EU, you also have the statutory right to withdraw from the purchase within 14 days of receiving the piece (Directive 2011/83/EU). Our 30-day return window does not replace this right.
Authenticity guarantee
Aurora gives a lifetime authenticity guarantee. It is separate from the 30-day return window, and it does not affect your statutory rights: if a piece does not conform to the contract, you are entitled by law to remedies from the seller free of charge, and the guarantee does not affect them.
If a piece bought from Aurora is ever shown not to be authentic, or not of the period stated at purchase, we refund the full purchase price. There is no time limit. The guarantee applies to the original buyer and to anyone who inherits the piece.
The guarantee is given by Aurora Antiqua, Rue de la Station (MCH) 22, 4837 Baelen, Belgium. To make a claim, write to info@auroraantiqua.com and quote the piece's reference.
When an attribution is questioned
If someone questions one of our attributions, we look at the piece again and make the result public, whichever way it goes.
Questions and documents
Write to info@auroraantiqua.com and quote the piece's reference or send the link to its listing. Jakob answers personally, usually within a day.
Browse the collection: all ancient rings, Roman rings, medieval rings, ancient coins. For the general legal and practical questions, read Buying Ancient Artifacts. For delivery and export, see Shipping and Insurance; for returns, Returns.