THE ANCIENT CELTIC COINAGE OF BRITAIN

FOR ANCIENT GREEKS and Romans, Britain was a mysterious land at the northern edge of the world.

As early as 2000 BCE, the Phoenicians traded with the Celtic tribes of Cornwall (the southwestern tip of England) for the valuable tin essential to making bronze.

By the third century BCE, coins from the Mediterranean world began to arrive in Britain, perhaps with mercenaries returning home from service on the Continent. Gold staters issued by the Belgae, imitating the widely circulated issues of the Macedonian king Philip II (reigned 359 – 336 BCE, father of Alexander the Great) entered Britain in large quantities in the second century BCE. Gold quarter staters of about 1.5 grams were the main fractional denomination.

Ancient British coinage was produced in gold, silver, and copper alloys over a period of about 150 years. It ended with the Roman conquest of Britannia by the legions of Emperor Claudius beginning in 43 CE.

 

Britain, Kent Region. Cantiaci. Uncertain rulers. Ca. 120-100 B.C. Cast Æ unit (17 mm, 3.93 g, 2 h). Thurrock MA type. Laureate head of Apollo left / Bull butting right; no trace of inscription (MA) remaining. ABC 43; Van Arsdell 1402-42; BMC 660-5; SCBC 62. Dark greenish-black patina. Estimate: 200 USD. VAuctions > Auction 325 30 June 2017 Lot: 4 realized: 120 USD.

 

CELTIC COINS. BRITANNIA. REGINI AND ATREBATES. Anonymous. Stater, gold, Selsey Two-Faced Type, about 70-35 BCE. AV 6.02 g. Resolved, laureate head r. Rev. Disjointed horse prancing r. with triple tail and resolved driver, below, eight-spoked wheel. ABC 47, 485; Van Arsdell 210-1. Estimate: 1200 CHF. Hess-Divo AG > Auction 338 3 December 2019 Lot: 1072 realized: 1,500 CHF (Approx. 1,521 USD).

 

Britannia, Durotriges, AR Quarter Stater. 58 BCE – 43 CE. Five-armed starfish, lines of pellets between each arm / Zigzag thunderbolt and line of pellets across field; eight-rayed lighting flash with rectangular body to each side. VA 1270-78; BMC 2780-81; ABC 2220. 0.94g, 14mm. Estimate: 200 GBP. Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 36 27 May 2017 Lot: 10 realized: 300 GBP (Approx. 384 USD).

To read the complete article, see:
The Ancient Celtic Coinage of Britain (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/the-ancient-celtic-coinage-of-britain/)

 

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