Today’s blog post features another item in my family’s collection.
My mom purchsed this bronze Viking ship in an antique store several years ago.
It’s made by a company called Iron Art in Copenhagen, Denmark.
We’re not sure of the age, but a guesstimate would be the early 1900s.
If you know for sure, please let us know!
50 Comments
please let me know if you find information on this piece, i have the exact same one. thank you
Hi Jake -
Yes, I will certainly let you know.
At some point I may bring it to an appraiser.
Will keep you posted if I find anything new.
I also have one and would like to know if it is worth anything.
I HAVE ONE ALSO.I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS WORTH ANYTHING.COULD YOU PLEASE EMAIL ME BACK WHEN YOU FIND OUT AND LET ME KNOW?I WOULD APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Ronnie & Judith -
Yes, I will certainly let you know.
I’ve posted this viking ship at the collector’s website I Antique Online
I’m hoping someone there will have an answer for us.
The only response I’ve received so far is that it’s ‘Tron Art’ – not ‘Iron Art.’
I can’t confirm that, so will keep it listed as is for now.
Hi,where was this ship purchased?I had one like it stolen in 2005 and I would be willing to pay a premium for the right one.It was given to me by my father and has sentimental value.Thank you
Hi David -
Hi David -
I’m sorry to hear about the theft. Was your dad’s name on it? Any other marking? I do hope it shows up someday.
Anyway, yes. This viking ship was bought by my mom about ten years ago from the President of an Arts Guild, who in turn bought it at an antique shop. I just called asking if she’d be willing to sell. She said not at the moment, but possibly in the future.
Viking ships like this have shown up online and in shops. So, I hope you’ll continue to check. In the meantime, if my mom reconsiders, I will certainly let you know.
All the best, April
Hi there- I have this exact same viking ship. I came across your blog trying to find out more about what it might be worth. I am looking to sell mine and I am wondering if you could share David’s email with me so that I could possibly sell mine.
p.s. The ship is actually my mother’s and has been in her basement for 30+ years.
Hi Marissa -
I have e-mailed David re: your bronze viking ship and am waiting to hear back. I want to get his permission before I forward his e-mail. May I forward yours to him?
April
There are 2 versions of the Iron (Tron) Art Viking Ship.
One has the shields as part of the casting and on the other the shields are separate and held on by ?
If the price was right I could be interested in acquiring the latter version.
I had no idea there were two versions of this! Thanks for letting us know.
The one I have listed here is not for sale at the moment, but perhaps other readers have one to sell!
I to have the exact same ship. I remember it from my grandparents in the 60′s ..Now in my possesion and was wondering its value?
Hi Ira -
It’s hard to put a value on this, but I bet someone would be willing to pay between $150 and $250. I don’t think this ship is super rare, but there seems to be a small group of people willing to buy them. It’s just a matter of finding who and where the buyers are.
Thanks for your comment!
Dear sir;
I am interrested to buy a Viking ship like the one you published the pic
Please if anyone tells you that he intend to sell can you let me know
Thanks in advance
yes i read one time on the net the company went bust long time ago.
and another time i saw one for sale around 600 euros, again on the
net, i bought mine on ebay , wouldnt part with it, mine has 4 vikings
inside , there not bronze, but bronzed over white cast metal.
still its my treasure.
Thanks your interest Joseph!
I’m not ready to part with this viking ship, but I will certainly let you know if someone has a similar one and is ready to sell.
I have one of these and would be willing to part with it for the right price. If anyone is interested, email me at ageofaustin@gmail.com.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bronze-Viking-Ship-Iron-Art-made-Copenhagen-Denmark-/270843955683?pt=Antiques_Decorative_Arts&hash=item3f0f8ec9e3
If you are interested in one of these amazing ships, you can go to the above link to bid on one. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
I collect such Viking boats, if anyone like to sale it let me know on my email gebjag@gmail.com
Sergey
I have one that I would like to sell. I could use the money for the holidays. I will send pictures to anyone interested. Email me @ curt656@aol.com
I just put mine on Ebay and was informed by a so called expert that it was not worth what I am asking and that it is not of much value?? Guess I’ll just wait and see..
Good luck and please let us know if/what it sells for! It will give us a ballpark figure as to its value.
Hi, just to let you know that it’s called Tron art. That is a T. We have 2 of them.
Meaghan – Thanks so much for letting us know! Your comment/info is appreciated!
GOT A VIKING SHIP KINDA LIKE THE ONE PICTURED HERE WILLING TO PART WITH IT FOR THE RIGHT PRICE,EMAIL ME AT JOHNMFARRALES@GMAIL.COM
I have exactly this beautiful bronze Viking ship. It was my favorite thing in my Grandmother’s house, and know it been purchased at an auction on the East Coast in the 1930′s.
Question: does anyone have a picture of the missing oars? I’m going to have some made… But where?
not a T for tron but Iron art. i have one too from my father same as picture. was standing on a shelve more then 42 years. now in my posession. willing to sell at werry good price. because have sentimental walue to me too. my mom buy to my father when they marry.
We recently inherited the one owned by my parents– a twin to your blog photo. My father brought it home from Denmark in 1945 when he was in the Navy. We were told it had been cast from German shells, but this could be an erroneous legend. Never saw any ors. Doubt there ever were any. When I was a child this ship fascinated me. Now it fascinates my son. The company made a chest too, which held pennies. Not sure where that is now. Wish some info about the company were available. To the generation not taught to write script, the I in Iron would look like a T.
Carol -
This is great information and a great story. Thanks for sharing!
We have the same ship, as best can be judged by photographs. Ours recently underwent tightening of the wound-wire sail stays. The ship was a gift, so have no further information on the provenance. Ours sits on a small and quite simple wood stand. It looks very fine on the round table where we have it. It is not for sale.
As there is little mention of price here I thought I’d mention that I bought mine – came with wooden stand – at an antiques fair here in the UK a couple of years back for £30 (ie under $50).
To John Street,
I noticed that you asked about oars. My Iron Art ship doesn’t have oars in it, but I do know something about actual viking ship oars.
I’m sure there is a formula for how long they need to be, but as this ship isn’t proportional anyway, I would suggest just making them the length that looks best. Also, when a ship has oar holes, it’s important that the entire oar can slip through the hole, over the opposite side of the ship (railing, if you will), and out. Oars always go from the inside of the ship and out. The blade needs to be the size of the oar hole, the rest of the oar a little smaller, and an even smaller handle.
Here you can see the shape:
http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/uploads/pics/2008_08_09_14_07_25_693_WK.jpg
Best of luck!
I too have one of the ships. Its kind of funny because I actually bought it from a yard sale for $2.oo US because I am actually doing some metal work and love to see the intricacies of things like on this ship. I too would love to hear more about it and even its worth. Unfortunatly for me, the one that I bought was dented so Im sure mine is not worth much, but just learning about its history would be good enough for me. Heck, I might even think about starting a collection of some sort… Thease ships are amazing!
Me again… Iv done a tiny bit of research, (if you can call it that, lol!) and found out a tiny bit more info… Here yall are.
Viking Ship Iron/Tron Art Copenhagen Denmark (Prairie Lane, s. Airport Rd.) $135
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Post Link Posted: Tue Oct 11 2011 7:39 pm
Post subject: Viking Ship Iron/Tron Art Copenhagen Denmark (Prairie Lane, s. Airport Rd.) $135 Reply with quote
Beautiful antique Viking Ship by Tron/Iron Art. Tron Art was a consortium of Danish artisans. From research I believe they operated beginning in the early 1900′s. The could be 20′s, 30′s. It looks like they used different metals. Brass, Bronze, Copper. Detailed work, nice patina. The front of the ship has a dragon head, the back has a curled tail. Shield decorations flank the ship all around. The mast and seat are wood. Marked on the front and rudder: Iron Art, Copenhagen Denmark. The mast has a mixed metal eagle which is very nice work. There aren’t to many in circulation. This group of artisans also made ornate miniature caskets. No stand. Other examples I’ve looked at didn’t have a stand. Length: 16″, Height: 14″, Width: 7″. The ship weighs 4lb. 13oz. Total shipping weight 7lb
This should help a little bit as far as dementions and a little bit of history.
Rodney –
Fantastic info! Thanks for sharing & good luck if you choose to expand your collection!
I bought mine in Norway in 1971. It is beautiful but they are not all that old.
I have this exact same ship in miniature form (about 5 1/2 in. Long)…. what is the significance?
Bryan -
Hmm.
I had no idea the ship was made as a miniature!
Do any other MVG followers know about this or have one they can tell us about?
Is anyone interested in selling his/her ship? I passed one up on an ebay auction and have been kicking myself for it ever since.
June, I have one that I will probably be listing real soon on Ebay. Mine is identical but it doesn’t have anything on the back side of the rudder. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I saw one w/out the writing go for almost $300.
A beutiful piece of art. Great detail! I have two of these. The one was presented in Denmark to my grandfather from his employes in 1947 and is in original condition and I know it was not new at the time. They are cast bronze with a copper sail. Correct version will have wood mast and cross brace. The rigging is twisted copper wire. Copper split flag on top. Should have a bronze rudder with Iron Art/ Copenhagen Denmark on backside and keel. The older version has either 26 or 28 separate shields wired together. Newer version has cast in shields. Will have a wood stand or a wood wire stand. I have seen these sell for over $300. I hope this helps.
I have two,and at the time had only seen one for sale,over a year ago.The first
i purchased at a estate sale.There was not much information out there as far as what they are worth.Ira dont listen to the so called expert,i have seen the interest in the ships grow in less than a year,and proud to see more information here.i would be interested in knowing how many were made,etc.Ships are highly collectible and for someone to say its not worth much may of wanted it for nothing.The second i purchased on e bay for 30 dollars and the shipping made it total of around $80.00 i was the lucky one bidder.David it would help tremendously if you could identify the ship stolen by a particular marking such as scratched,dented in a certain place and i would check all of the trade shows,pawn shops,yard sales etc in your area,im sure you have and it only helps to get the information out here for more eyes to know you are looking.Chances are the local drug dealer has it for a trade from the theft.i would say it is probably not too far from you so keep searching.I believe the value for now is within the heart of the person seeking it.I loved the story,about getting one for a wedding gift,as well as the gift for the grandfather from his employees.Id love to know they are a legend,and made from GERMAN SHELLS! AWSUME!.Thank you for posting the information here.It was very helpful,and will love to see more information as it surfaces. If anyone from Denmark could find a relative of the closed business , it would be sweet!Until then smooth sailing Vikings!…….for now im surely hanging onto mine.
This is not made by “Tron Art”. The name Tron comes from people who are confused by the resemblance of the first letter in the name to a “T”. There never was a consortium of artists called Tron Art in Denmark, so that is a myth. The name is “Iron Art”, and the company was located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prior to WW2, the company made these ships out of bronze from the late 1920′s to about 1940. After WW2, the price of bronze was too high, so the company switched to spelter, or pot metal, and applied a chemical bronze patina to the metal to make it look like bronze. They also changed the design of the ship, making it slimmer in the hull, and casting the shields as part of the hull to save cost. The pre-war ships had fatter hulls, and the shields hung from the sides by wires. These ships, both pre-war and post-war versions were sold on the Danish tourist market. Iron Art Company also made a much rarer version out of yellow brass that was intended for the Norwegian tourist trade. The Danish versions were made in the thousands, and production continued until the 1970′s when they went out of business. I have bought and sold dozens of these ships, and once spoke to a man who worked at the foundry where they were made. Value for a pre-war bronze version is roughly $200-300 if it is complete. Value for a post-war version is $60-100 if it is complete. Value for the rarer yellow brass version is $300-400. The post-war spelter version is not at all rare. They made thousands of them. The pre-war bronze version is semi-rare, since many were scrapped or destroyed over the years. The yellow brass ones are very rare, and I have only encountered two. I hope this clears up the confusion regarding these ships. I have seen some pretty crazy stories and legends about these ships over the years, but my information came directly from one of the men who actually made them. My basis for their value is based on having bought and sold dozens of them over my lifetime and watching the current sale prices.
Thanks to all for your insight and expertise on this viking ship!
It’s the most popular posting on my blog!
GOT ONE WITH FOUR OARS ON ONE SIDE THE OTHER SIDE GOT THREE OARS MISSING ONE NOT ON.PRICE $300.00 EMAIL ME AT JOHNMFARRALES@YAHOO.COM
Same company made a small bronze box. I’m not exactly sure what it was for but it may have been a flag box as it is wood lined. It commemorates the founding of the Danish flag. I’ve been looking for one to display with my Viking ship. Does anyone know of one for sale?
I to have one these ships ,but mine also has the letters PK on the front right side of the keel.was wondering if any others aslo say PK?
I just pciked one up on ebay for $115.00, the shields are held in place by twisted wire ropes and it also came with wooden oars and a wooden stand. Very nice and I am pleased with it. Iron Art Denmark on the bow and Iron Art Copenhagen Denmark on the underside of the rudder. Also came with a pennant type flag on the mast and two other metal flags, one a union jack and the other is a flag of the Faroe Islands.
I was going across thing’s I had in a box I came across this interesting miniature ship that I had. I see that a picture was posted very similar to mine except with this one it is a little bit different and I have not been able to track down any information nor a picture of this one. It look’s like a miniature tron art Viking ship but the difference on this one is it look’s to have a shield on the flag of the ship it read’s (kobenhavn) the ship does not have a tag like the other pictured above but look’s just like it. except that shield with the writing on the flag from the mast standing. nothing is wood on the ship either it all look’s to be copper/brass maybe. the lines coming off the flag look to be a real thin type of metal wire as well which none of them are broke either. if you could tell me more information about this ship or to how much it is worth I would deff appericate it.