  We report resonant X-ray scattering measurements on the orbitally-degenerate
triangular metallic antiferromagnet 2H-AgNiO2 to probe the spontaneous
transition to a triple-cell superstructure at temperatures below 365 K. We
observe a strong resonant enhancement of the supercell reflections through the
Ni K-edge. The empirically extracted K-edge shift between the
crystallographically-distinct Ni sites of 2.5(3) eV is much larger than the
value expected from the shift in final states, and implies a core-level shift
of ~1 eV, thus providing direct evidence for the onset of spontaneous honeycomb
charge order in the triangular Ni layers. We also provide band-structure
calculations that explain quantitatively the observed edge shifts in terms of
changes in the Ni electronic energy levels due to charge order and
hybridization with the surrounding oxygens.
