Chris Rudd - celticcoins.com

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Chris Rudd is the only dealer who deals only in Celtic coins. We give you a full-refund guarantee of authenticity. Our aim is to give you the best choice of the rarest and most beautiful Ancient British coins and to help you get as much pleasure from them as we do. Chris Rudd Chris Rudd Ltd PO Box 1500 Norwich NR10 5WS tel 01263 735 007 web www.celticcoins.com e-mail [email protected] The sign of a world-class dealer you can trust Auction 179 l 14 November 2021 Did this ducky deity give her name to a river? Sequana in duck-boat, drawn by Paul Jenkins Dr Anne Ross, author of Pagan Celtic Britain (1968), suggests that this duck-helmeted deity is Brigit (CR List 30, 1998, no.58). There is another possibility, perhaps more plausible. She may be a water-goddess who gave her name to one of the rivers of Essex or Hertfordshire such as the Stour, Colne, Blackwater, Chelmer, Roding, Stort, Lea or Ver, all of which once had Celtic names, most long since forgotten. There are precedents. For example, the river Severn was named after the goddess Sabrina, and the river Seine was named after the goddess Sequana, seen below in a duck-shaped boat. That’s not all. At least four English rivers were originally called Icena, after the goddess Ica, and at least six UK rivers were once known as Deva which means ‘the goddess’. Looking closely at this spectacular Duck Helmet silver unit, ABC 2380 – one of the finest we’ve ever seen – there can be little doubt that the superbly engraved head is that of a Celtic water-goddess, who was probably a healing-goddess as well. Her riverine and marine connections are plain to see on this exceptional example: a duck’s head on her helmet, another duck with a fish or worm in its bill, a stylised seal under her chin and a second seal – you can even see its eye – above the horse’s tail. We don’t know the name of this deity. But the aquatic imagery clearly indicates that she is a water-goddess and the two ducks, like Sequana’s duck-boat, suggest that she is the goddess of a particular river that flows through the territory of a significant tribe north of the Thames. Indeed we believe that she didn’t just give her name to a river; she was that river in the eyes of the people who lived around it. But which river? The Stour ‘the strong one’, which forms an ancient boundary between Essex and Suffolk, is a convincing candidate. The Stour starts near West Wickham, Cambs., and flows for 48 miles, first through the land of the Catuvellauni and then though the land of the Trinovantes, entering the North Sea at Harwich. The Colne ‘pasture’ has an equally strong claim to be our ducky deity’s river. It rises to the south of Haverhill, Suffolk, and runs for 35 miles by Camulodunon (Colchester) to the North Sea at Mersea Island. Both the Stour and the Colne were important rivers to the tribes first temporarily united by Cassivellaunos then by Addedomaros, either of whom could have struck the Duck Helmet. See Lot 27.

Transcript of Chris Rudd - celticcoins.com

Page 1: Chris Rudd - celticcoins.com

Chris Rudd is the only dealer who deals only in Celtic coins. We give you a full-refund guarantee of authenticity. Our aim is to give you the best choice of the rarest and most beautiful Ancient British coins

and to help you get as much pleasure from them as we do.

Chris Rudd Chris Rudd Ltd PO Box 1500 Norwich NR10 5WS

tel 01263 735 007 web www.celticcoins.com e-mail [email protected]

The sign of a world-class dealer you can trust

Auction 179 l 14 November 2021

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Did this ducky deity give her name to a river?

Sequana in duck-boat,drawn by Paul Jenkins

Dr Anne Ross, author of Pagan Celtic Britain (1968), suggests that this duck-helmeted deity is Brigit (CR List 30, 1998, no.58). There is another possibility, perhaps more plausible. She may be a water-goddess who gave her name to one of the rivers of Essex or Hertfordshire such as the Stour, Colne, Blackwater, Chelmer, Roding, Stort, Lea or Ver, all of which once had Celtic names, most long since forgotten. There are precedents. For example, the river Severn was named after the goddess Sabrina, and the river Seine was named after the goddess Sequana, seen below in a duck-shaped boat. That’s not all. At least four English rivers were originally called Icena, after the goddess Ica, and at least six UK rivers were once known as Deva which means ‘the goddess’. Looking closely at this spectacular Duck Helmet silver unit, ABC 2380 – one of the finest we’ve ever seen – there can be little doubt that the superbly engraved head is that of a Celtic water-goddess, who was probably a healing-goddess as well. Her riverine and marine connections are plain to see on this exceptional example: a duck’s head on her helmet, another duck with a fish or worm in its bill, a stylised seal under her chin and a second seal – you can even see its eye – above the horse’s tail. We don’t know the name of this deity. But the aquatic imagery clearly indicates that she is a water-goddess and the

two ducks, like Sequana’s duck-boat, suggest that she is the goddess of a particular river that flows through the territory of a significant tribe north of the Thames. Indeed we believe that she didn’t just give her name to a river; she was that river in the eyes of the people who lived around it. But which river? The Stour ‘the strong one’, which forms an ancient boundary between Essex and Suffolk, is a convincing candidate. The Stour starts near West Wickham, Cambs., and flows for 48 miles, first through the land of the Catuvellauni and then though the land of the Trinovantes, entering the North Sea at Harwich. The Colne ‘pasture’ has an equally strong claim to be our ducky deity’s river. It rises to the south of Haverhill, Suffolk, and runs for 35 miles by Camulodunon (Colchester) to the North Sea at Mersea Island. Both the Stour and the Colne were important rivers to the tribes first temporarily united by Cassivellaunos then by Addedomaros, either of whom could have struck the Duck Helmet. See Lot 27.

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Auction 179 ends 14 November 2021

This catalogue goes live online at the-saleroom.com from 9am Monday 1 November. Bidding ends from 5pm (GMT) Sunday 14 November 2021. You may bid online or by email. Or by phone or by post using the enclosed bid sheet. Estimates shown in BLACK, Starting Prices in RED. A 20% Buyers Premium (24% inc. VAT if applicable) is payable and will be added to the hammer price of all successful bids. See full Terms & Conditions at back of catalogue. If you have any queries or want some advice, ask Liz. I’m here to help.

Lots 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 22, 24 and 30 come from the Gloucestershire collection of nearly 200 coins, which we acquired recently. The Gloucestershire collector has a keen eye for quality and bought many of his coins directly from the finders.

1. Biface. Sills G-B Ca1. Ambiani. c.90-80 BC. Gold stater. 16mm. 6.59g. Stylised laureate head right./ M-shaped horse right, pellets around. ABC 13, LT 8593, 8597, DT 157-61, VA 42-48, S 5. CCI 09.4673 (this coin). Good VF, chunky flan of gorgeous golden gold, Apollo’s face on flan, well centred horse, good weight. Est. £550 £450“The first truly influential continental gold coinage” says Dr Philip de Jersey. “It inspired a number of important British coinages.” This example weighs over 6.5grams and shows the head unusually well.

Gallic coins IMPORTED into Britain

NOTE: Estimates shown in BLACK, Starting Prices in RED

Extremely Fine and Excessively Rare Pellet Nose Type

2. Gallic War Uniface. Pellet Nose Type. Ambiani. Sills class 1. c.56-55 BC. Gold stater. 15mm. 6.23g. Plain obverse with dome and edge-ledge./ M-shaped horse right with two-pellet nose, crescent and pellet below. ABC−, LT−, VA−, S−. EF, chunky flan of golden gold, smooth flawless surfaces, well centred horse. Found near Clanfield village, Hampshire. EXCESSIVELY RARE reverse die, only one other recorded Est. £750 £600This beautiful example shows the close relationship between the Uniface stater and Biface stater (Lot 1). It also features a horse with two pellets for a nose, instead of the usual bar. Clanfield is where the Clanfield Anemone silver half unit, ABC 959, was first discovered.

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Auction 179 ends 14 November 2021

This catalogue goes live online at the-saleroom.com from 9am Monday 1 November. Bidding ends from 5pm (GMT) Sunday 14 November 2021. You may bid online or by email. Or by phone or by post using the enclosed bid sheet. Estimates shown in BLACK, Starting Prices in RED. A 20% Buyers Premium (24% inc. VAT if applicable) is payable and will be added to the hammer price of all successful bids. See full Terms & Conditions at back of catalogue. If you have any queries or want some advice, ask Liz. I’m here to help.

Lots 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 22, 24 and 30 come from the Gloucestershire collection of nearly 200 coins, which we acquired recently. The Gloucestershire collector has a keen eye for quality and bought many of his coins directly from the finders.

1. Biface. Sills G-B Ca1. Ambiani. c.90-80 BC. Gold stater. 16mm. 6.59g. Stylised laureate head right./ M-shaped horse right, pellets around. ABC 13, LT 8593, 8597, DT 157-61, VA 42-48, S 5. CCI 09.4673 (this coin). Good VF, chunky flan of gorgeous golden gold, Apollo’s face on flan, well centred horse, good weight. Est. £550 £450“The first truly influential continental gold coinage” says Dr Philip de Jersey. “It inspired a number of important British coinages.” This example weighs over 6.5grams and shows the head unusually well.

Gallic coins IMPORTED into Britain

NOTE: Estimates shown in BLACK, Starting Prices in RED

Extremely Fine and Excessively Rare Pellet Nose Type

2. Gallic War Uniface. Pellet Nose Type. Ambiani. Sills class 1. c.56-55 BC. Gold stater. 15mm. 6.23g. Plain obverse with dome and edge-ledge./ M-shaped horse right with two-pellet nose, crescent and pellet below. ABC−, LT−, VA−, S−. EF, chunky flan of golden gold, smooth flawless surfaces, well centred horse. Found near Clanfield village, Hampshire. EXCESSIVELY RARE reverse die, only one other recorded Est. £750 £600This beautiful example shows the close relationship between the Uniface stater and Biface stater (Lot 1). It also features a horse with two pellets for a nose, instead of the usual bar. Clanfield is where the Clanfield Anemone silver half unit, ABC 959, was first discovered.

5. Rounded Bull. Hairy Head. Holman Type F1/3-2a. Potin. 17mm. 1.82g. Head of Apollo right, short lines on head./ Bull left, tail raised. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, S−. Good VF, rich dark glossy patina. RARE only 40 recorded. Est. £200 £160The short lines represent hair and are not normally present on the Rounded Bull type. Most of the 40 recorded coins come from hoards.

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Auction 179 ends 14 November 2021

For advice or help with bidding phone Liz 01263 735 007

Absent from most major catalogues

3. Corded Triangle. X-Box Type. Sills class 1c, Weald Cross Box. c.50-40 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.26g. Plain obverse./ Small annulate horse left, corded triangle with ringed-pellet in centre above, ringed-pellets around, X-in-box below. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, DK 63, S−. Near EF, smooth surfaces of rose gold, beautifully centred and boldly struck with full horse, triangle and X-box. A superior example. Ex Gloucestershire collection. RARE Est. £750 £600X-Box is the final issue of the Corded Triangle quarter staters and the box is a smaller upright rectangle and the net pattern is simplified to a cross. Not in ABC, Van Arsdell, British Museum Catalogue nor Spink.

‘Used to strap a rug to a chariot pony’

4. Kentish Horse Brooch. Sills class 1, Canopy. c.45-40 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.33g. Slightly banded./ Horse leaping right, U-shape motif above, two pellets and crescent below. ABC 201, VA 158, BMC 371-74, DK 66, S 44. Near EF, sharply struck in rose gold, bold horse and full brooch. One of the nicest we’ve seen. Ex Gloucestershire collection. RARE Est. £1000 £800The curvilinear ornament seems to be a bronze horse-brooch that was used to strap a rug (tapete Britannicum) to the back of a chariot pony, cf. Polden Hill hoard, Archaeologia xiv (1814), and Sir Cyril Fox, Pattern and Purpose, fig. 76; pl. 73, 1; pp. 123-125. The horse-brooch also doubles as a hidden smiling face. The style of the horse suggests that the Kentish Horse Brooch quarter was the companion of the Cantian Thumbs Up gold stater, ABC 186. Polden Hill

horse-brooch

Coins of the CANTIACI of Kent

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Coins of the REGINI of West SussexSpectacular mint-state specimen

6. Bognor Cogwheel. Mane, Two Arcs Type. Sills British Qc, Cog Type, class 1a. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 13mm. 1.40g. Wreath design with hidden face./ Triple-tailed horse right with beaded mane, ringed-pellet protruding from chest, floral sun above, cogwheel below, ringed-pellets around. ABC 509, VA 228, BMC 510, 512-14, DK 161, S 48. Good EF, golden gold, super sharp horse, every petal of the floral sun is sharp. A spectacular, mint-state specimen, the finest we’ve ever seen. Found West Harting, near Petersfield, Hampshire, 2019. Est. £1500 £1200Last year we sold a superb example from John Follows collection. In our opinion this coin is even better. It is sharply struck and beautifully centred, every detail is outstanding. The horse’s mane is attached to the blazing midday floral sun and the horse’s chest is linked to the smaller midnight sun, hidden from sight by the black of night. The message is clear: the sun-horse is forever pulling the sun across the sky, day and night, sunrise to sunset, dusk to dawn, on its nonstop diurnal nocturnal journey throughout the year.

First we’ve had, only two others known

7. Wonersh. Cloak and Ringed-Pellet Type. Sills Ma, Wonersh. c.50-40 BC. Gold stater. 18mm. 5.43g. Cruciform motif of beaded bands, two outline crescents back-to-back in centre, sinuous crescent in top right and bottom left angle, stylised cloak, hair curl and ringed-pellet in top left and bottom right angle./ Horse right, large pellets and solar spiral above, pellet and wheel below. ABC−, VA−, BMC 351, DK 196, S 36. Good VF, pale rose-gold, fabulous solar spiral. First we’ve had of this type. Found Patching, West Sussex. EXCESSIVELY RARE type, only two others this obverse die including one in British Museum (BMC 351). Est. £4000 £3200This excessively rare Cloak and Ringed-Pellet Type (the first we’ve had) is identified by “a sinuous crescent in the top right and bottom left angles and a heavily stylised cloak with adjoining hair curl and ringed pellet in top left and bottom right” (DK p.183). Due to its rarity, this type wasn’t catalogued by Van Arsdell in 1989, nor by us in ABC (2010). Wonersh gold staters are named after a gold hoard found by a shepherd boy called Goodchild on Thursday, 24 February 1848, near Albury railway station, Surrey, a couple of miles from Wonersh (‘Crooked Field’) and not far from Farley Heath temple site (where some say the hoard was found).

Britain’s First Coins (2013) is your essential introduction to Ancient British coins, 56 pages, 300 coins, only £10, UK post free. Ancient British Coins (2010) is the standard catalogue for the series, 256 pages, 4000 superb photos plus 500 other illustrations, hardback, £75 UK post free.

If you don’t have both you’re missing something

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Coins of the REGINI of West SussexSpectacular mint-state specimen

6. Bognor Cogwheel. Mane, Two Arcs Type. Sills British Qc, Cog Type, class 1a. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 13mm. 1.40g. Wreath design with hidden face./ Triple-tailed horse right with beaded mane, ringed-pellet protruding from chest, floral sun above, cogwheel below, ringed-pellets around. ABC 509, VA 228, BMC 510, 512-14, DK 161, S 48. Good EF, golden gold, super sharp horse, every petal of the floral sun is sharp. A spectacular, mint-state specimen, the finest we’ve ever seen. Found West Harting, near Petersfield, Hampshire, 2019. Est. £1500 £1200Last year we sold a superb example from John Follows collection. In our opinion this coin is even better. It is sharply struck and beautifully centred, every detail is outstanding. The horse’s mane is attached to the blazing midday floral sun and the horse’s chest is linked to the smaller midnight sun, hidden from sight by the black of night. The message is clear: the sun-horse is forever pulling the sun across the sky, day and night, sunrise to sunset, dusk to dawn, on its nonstop diurnal nocturnal journey throughout the year.

First we’ve had, only two others known

7. Wonersh. Cloak and Ringed-Pellet Type. Sills Ma, Wonersh. c.50-40 BC. Gold stater. 18mm. 5.43g. Cruciform motif of beaded bands, two outline crescents back-to-back in centre, sinuous crescent in top right and bottom left angle, stylised cloak, hair curl and ringed-pellet in top left and bottom right angle./ Horse right, large pellets and solar spiral above, pellet and wheel below. ABC−, VA−, BMC 351, DK 196, S 36. Good VF, pale rose-gold, fabulous solar spiral. First we’ve had of this type. Found Patching, West Sussex. EXCESSIVELY RARE type, only two others this obverse die including one in British Museum (BMC 351). Est. £4000 £3200This excessively rare Cloak and Ringed-Pellet Type (the first we’ve had) is identified by “a sinuous crescent in the top right and bottom left angles and a heavily stylised cloak with adjoining hair curl and ringed pellet in top left and bottom right” (DK p.183). Due to its rarity, this type wasn’t catalogued by Van Arsdell in 1989, nor by us in ABC (2010). Wonersh gold staters are named after a gold hoard found by a shepherd boy called Goodchild on Thursday, 24 February 1848, near Albury railway station, Surrey, a couple of miles from Wonersh (‘Crooked Field’) and not far from Farley Heath temple site (where some say the hoard was found).

Britain’s First Coins (2013) is your essential introduction to Ancient British coins, 56 pages, 300 coins, only £10, UK post free. Ancient British Coins (2010) is the standard catalogue for the series, 256 pages, 4000 superb photos plus 500 other illustrations, hardback, £75 UK post free.

If you don’t have both you’re missing something

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Coins of the BELGAE of Hampshire

8. Chute. Sills class 1b. c.54-53 BC. Gold stater. 16-18mm. 6.02g. Wreath pattern with downward-facing leaves and fish-like hairlocks./ Disjointed triple-tailed horse left, shrimp and large blobs above, disjointed three-legged crab below, zigzag exergual line with pellets between. ABC 746, VA 1205, BMC 35-76, DK 302, S 22. Hairline crack, otherwise Good VF, big flan of yellow gold, full fishy-hairlocks, sharp strike. Est. £600 £500The rich Chute king may have made his money from cross-channel trading, hence the sea creatures on his staters. Like a later Isle of Wight ruler (ABC 1385, 1388), he too could have been called Crab, which may be why a crab features so prominently on his staters.

9. Danebury Scrolls Left. Sills dies 2/2. c.60-50 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.08g. Eight scrolls around central pellet in cogwheel./ Horse left, ring and spoked wheel above, ringed-pellet in front, floral sun below. ABC 791, VA−, BMC 539, DK 273, S−. VF, rose gold, full floral sun. Found Andover, Hants. EXCESSIVELY RARE die pair, only three others recorded. Est. £1500 £1200The sun power of Apollo-Belenus is dramatically portrayed here by a distinctive, swirling, flaming solar motif, apparently composed of the sun-god’s hair curls. Not in VA nor Spink.

Brilliant EF and Unique

10. Appleshaw Sunburst. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 10mm. 1.01g. Stylised wreath, cogwheel at either end, ‘bears paw’, crescent and rings in angles./ Annulate horse right with linear mane, sunburst above, ringed-pellet in front and below. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, DK−, S−. CCI 20.0512 (this coin). New type, previously unpublished and unrecorded. Brilliant EF, neat flan of rose gold, sharp wreath. Found Appleshaw, Hants., 7 December 2019. UNIQUE? Est. £2500 £2000Dr John Sills: “This is really a new type that deserves its own ABC number, the motifs around the horse either differ or are in a different place. There’s a ringed cog above rather than a sunburst, a whorl in front instead of a pellet ring around ringed pellet, and below is a sunburst rather than a pellet ring around an annulet. Unique as such” (pers. comm. 27.8.2021).

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Coins of the BERKSHIRE tribal group

Impeccable example, only three others known

11. Leaves. c.55-45 BC. Silver half unit. 8mm. 0.46g. Three-line wreath with back-to-back linear crescents at centre, large leaf above./ Annulate horse left, linear mane, large double ringed-pellet below, pellets around. ABC 965, VA−, BMC−, S−. Near EF, superbly struck in bright silver, an impeccable example. Ex Gloucestershire collection. EXCESSIVELY RARE only three others recorded, two of which are in museums. This is by far the best one. Est. £1000 £800Sometime between c.55 and c.40 BC an engraver in Belgic Hampshire – or his Druid design adviser – had a novel notion: ‘Let’s take a leaf out of Nature and put it on our coins.’ The rich man in Hampshire who was responsible for commissioning ABC 962, 965 and 968 – all three are clearly connected and come from the same hand – must have said: ‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’ So, instead of the familiar lyre or comet (it’s hard to be sure which is which) we see on silver coins such as ABC 647, 650, 653, 683, 710, 722, 788, 872, 935, 941, 944 and 953, we now see some lovely veined leaves growing. Where did the leaf idea come from? Was it inspired by the four leaves on the Hayling Wreath gold plated quarter staters, which may have been minted specifically to be donated as a gift to Esus (‘lord’), the tree god, in a sacred oak grove on Hayling Island? Why give away solid gold-alloy coins when you can get away with gold-plated coins? Or did the leaf-minded die cutter catch sight of a Trefoil gold stater from the Corieltavian Lincolnshire? When we published ABC in 2010 we described this type as having four leaves. This example clearly shows us that the obverse is the same as Danebury Heart Leaf, ABC 962. An impressive and imaginatively designed rarity which you won’t find in Van Arsdell, the British Museum, Spink or anyone else’s sales catalogue. Compare this vegetal motif with the Corn Ear Quatrefoil half unit of the Iceni, ABC 1606, struck half a century later (Lot 19).

Good EF and Extremely Rare

12. Crested Head. c.55-40 BC. Silver unit. 12mm. 1.09g. Gaunt head right, with sunken eye socket, angular eyebrow and nose, corded swept-back hair, framed by beaded line with row of s-shapes around, diagonal beaded line each side of neck, solar daisy and ringed-pellets in front./ Curvy horse left, with two-stranded tail and threaded neck and body, ringed-pellet and large beaded wheel above, small rings and pellets around. ABC 1013, VA 262, BMC 580-82, S 53. Good EF, bright silver, magnificent head, delightfully ornamented. Ex Gloucestershire collection. EXTREMELY RARE only ten others recorded, including three in the British Museum. Est. £2500 £2000The two beaded lines (one each side of the neck) possibly represent long dangling bead earrings or perhaps streamers from a crested helmet, as seen on the Tasciovanos Regal Rider, ABC 2625. Or were they copied from the ties of Roman Republican or Imperatorial laurel wreath? Look closely at the base of this long slender neck and you’ll see an expanded neck-torc which confirms the divinity of its wearer. For more information on this extremely rare type see Chris Rudd List 171, July 2020, no. 13. The little row of s-shapes framing the head (not normally seen) can also be observed on ABC 998, 1010, 2009 and 2051 although in some instances look more like a seal. See Lot 27.

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Coins of the BERKSHIRE tribal group

Impeccable example, only three others known

11. Leaves. c.55-45 BC. Silver half unit. 8mm. 0.46g. Three-line wreath with back-to-back linear crescents at centre, large leaf above./ Annulate horse left, linear mane, large double ringed-pellet below, pellets around. ABC 965, VA−, BMC−, S−. Near EF, superbly struck in bright silver, an impeccable example. Ex Gloucestershire collection. EXCESSIVELY RARE only three others recorded, two of which are in museums. This is by far the best one. Est. £1000 £800Sometime between c.55 and c.40 BC an engraver in Belgic Hampshire – or his Druid design adviser – had a novel notion: ‘Let’s take a leaf out of Nature and put it on our coins.’ The rich man in Hampshire who was responsible for commissioning ABC 962, 965 and 968 – all three are clearly connected and come from the same hand – must have said: ‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’ So, instead of the familiar lyre or comet (it’s hard to be sure which is which) we see on silver coins such as ABC 647, 650, 653, 683, 710, 722, 788, 872, 935, 941, 944 and 953, we now see some lovely veined leaves growing. Where did the leaf idea come from? Was it inspired by the four leaves on the Hayling Wreath gold plated quarter staters, which may have been minted specifically to be donated as a gift to Esus (‘lord’), the tree god, in a sacred oak grove on Hayling Island? Why give away solid gold-alloy coins when you can get away with gold-plated coins? Or did the leaf-minded die cutter catch sight of a Trefoil gold stater from the Corieltavian Lincolnshire? When we published ABC in 2010 we described this type as having four leaves. This example clearly shows us that the obverse is the same as Danebury Heart Leaf, ABC 962. An impressive and imaginatively designed rarity which you won’t find in Van Arsdell, the British Museum, Spink or anyone else’s sales catalogue. Compare this vegetal motif with the Corn Ear Quatrefoil half unit of the Iceni, ABC 1606, struck half a century later (Lot 19).

Good EF and Extremely Rare

12. Crested Head. c.55-40 BC. Silver unit. 12mm. 1.09g. Gaunt head right, with sunken eye socket, angular eyebrow and nose, corded swept-back hair, framed by beaded line with row of s-shapes around, diagonal beaded line each side of neck, solar daisy and ringed-pellets in front./ Curvy horse left, with two-stranded tail and threaded neck and body, ringed-pellet and large beaded wheel above, small rings and pellets around. ABC 1013, VA 262, BMC 580-82, S 53. Good EF, bright silver, magnificent head, delightfully ornamented. Ex Gloucestershire collection. EXTREMELY RARE only ten others recorded, including three in the British Museum. Est. £2500 £2000The two beaded lines (one each side of the neck) possibly represent long dangling bead earrings or perhaps streamers from a crested helmet, as seen on the Tasciovanos Regal Rider, ABC 2625. Or were they copied from the ties of Roman Republican or Imperatorial laurel wreath? Look closely at the base of this long slender neck and you’ll see an expanded neck-torc which confirms the divinity of its wearer. For more information on this extremely rare type see Chris Rudd List 171, July 2020, no. 13. The little row of s-shapes framing the head (not normally seen) can also be observed on ABC 998, 1010, 2009 and 2051 although in some instances look more like a seal. See Lot 27.

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Coins of the REGINI & ATREBATES in the South

13. Tincomarus Alfriston. Sills class 2. c.25BC-AD10. Gold stater. 17mm. 5.41g. Wreath motif with downward-facing leaves, snake’s head below./ Disjointed triple-tailed horse right, trefoil under chin, TIN and leaf shape above, [COMA]RV[S] around, large wheel below. ABC 1049, VA 363, BMC 761-64, DK 328, S 72. Near EF/Good VF, round flan of rose gold, sharp wreath. Ex Gloucestershire collection. RARE most in museums. Est. £2500 £2000With no fewer than 16 coming from the 1996 ‘Alton’ (actually East Meon) hoard, Hampshire – all tucked away in the British Museum – this is a more elusive type than you might imagine, particularly with a well struck reverse, as this example has.

Highly desirable Medusa type, most in museums.This one was only recently found, first time offered for public sale

14. Tincomarus Medusa. Sills class 4. c.25BC-AD10. Gold quarter stater. 10mm. 1.10g. TINC in beaded panel, C above, A below, beaded border./ Male gorgon-head facing, wings protruding from head, snakes either side, beaded border. ABC 1076, VA 378, BMC 811-26, DK 341, S 77. Edge somewhat irregular, otherwise Good VF, rose gold, well struck, better than average Medusa head. Found Dummer, Hampshire. VERY RARE most in museums. Est. £1500 £1200The CA stands for Calleva (‘place in the woods’) where this lovely gold quarter stater was struck. Van Arsdell states that the reverse is adapted from a denarius of L. Aquilius Florus, but we’re unable to locate any such facing heads by this moneyer. Dr Lloyd Laing suggests a denarius of L. Plautius Plancus (Crawford 453/1) as the model - a better choice, no doubt, but still a million miles from the Tincomarus head. Another possibility is a rare aureus of Augustus (RIC Aug 302) struck in 19 BC or a denarius of L. Lentulus and C. Marcellus (Crawford 445/1a) struck in 49 BC, which shows a winged gorgon head in the centre of triskeles. For a full discussion of the symbolism see Dr. John Creighton’s Coins and Power in Late Iron Age Britain, p.129-131.

Was ‘His Highness’ a Druid priest?

15. Verica Warrior Rex. Sills class 4, dies 8/12. c.AD 10-40. Gold stater. 17mm. 5.30g. COM.F in tablet on plain field./ Warrior on horse right, VIR behind, REX, lituus and open crescent below, beaded border. ABC 1190, VA 500-1, BMC 1146-53, 1155-58, DK 363, S 120. CCI 21.0697 (this coin). EF/

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17. Freckenham Crescents. Ring and Star, No Kerb Type. Talbot BHB, die group I, dies G/8. c.30-10 BC. Gold stater. 15-17mm. 5.11g. Back-to-back crescents, pellet triad above and below, row of pellets projecting each side with V-shapes./ Bent-legged horse right, beaded ring above containing pellet triad and pellet triad above. ABC 1447, VA 620-7, BMC 3386-88, S 426. PAS: NMS-8BA588 (this coin). EF/Good VF, rose-gold, super-sharp crescents. Found Little Witchingham, Norfolk. EXTREMELY RARE this pair of dies. Est. £1200 £1000In Made for Trade (2017) Dr John Talbot says that the back-to-back crescent motif “became widespread on Icenian coinage. Motifs such as this could result from political imposition or be a sign of political allegiance.” The ‘kerb’ is the ledge normally seen below the crescents on the obverse. The ‘kerb’ is also seen on earlier uninscribed gold staters of the Corieltavi (see Lot 20 for example) and may (or may not) have had a functional purpose, such as stabilising the fl an between the two dies when struck or aligning the die axis.

8 9

Coins of the ICENI of northern East Anglia

Good VF, golden gold, bold tablet and strong COM.F. Ex Gloucestershire collection. Found Barnham, West Sussex. EXTREMELY RARE these dies, only 14 others. Est. £1500 £1200Dr John Sills says: “Verica may be proclaiming that he was now ruling almost by divine authority after being declared rex by Tiberius and accepted as an ally” (DK, p.772). Verica – his name means ‘the high one’ (as in ‘His Highness’) – asserts his divine right to rule by placing a lituus on top of the inverted crescent moon under the hind-legs of the stallion. The lituusis a curved staff, not unlike a shepherd’s crook but shorter, which Roman augures (offi cial diviners) used to delineate their fi eld of vision when they were foreseeing or foretelling the future. British Druids doubtless waved a similar wand when they were prognosticating. Verica himself may well have been a Druid priest. Why is the down-turned moon being trampled on by the hooves of Verica’s stallion? Because his predecessor Eppillus used an up-turned moon when he proclaimed his kingship of Calleva, thus dividing the formerly united kingdom of Commios in two; whereas Verica re-united the kingdom.

Ex John Follows collection

16. Verica Eagle. c.AD 10-40. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.13g. COMF in plain tablet, scroll decoration with neck torcs above and below, line and beaded border./ Spread-winged eagle standing, head turned to left, VIR above. ABC 1226, VA 471, BMC 1485-505, S 138. CCI 04.0564 (this coin). Good VF, lightly toned silver, large fl an, well centred obverse, clear inscription. Ex John Follows collection. SCARCEEst. £400 £320The eagle is the crowning glory of bird symbolism. John Follows had one of the fi nest collections of Ancient British coins. See Coin News, March 2020, p.41-43.

Dr John Talbot’s Made for Trade: A New View of Icenian Coinage is the fi rst book ever published on the coins of the Iceni. Based on a die study of over 10,000 coins (every known example) Made for Trade is an essential reference for all who collect, study or deal in British Celtic coins. Hefty hardback, 320 pages, richly illustrated. £55 + p&p direct from Chris Rudd.

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17. Freckenham Crescents. Ring and Star, No Kerb Type. Talbot BHB, die group I, dies G/8. c.30-10 BC. Gold stater. 15-17mm. 5.11g. Back-to-back crescents, pellet triad above and below, row of pellets projecting each side with V-shapes./ Bent-legged horse right, beaded ring above containing pellet triad and pellet triad above. ABC 1447, VA 620-7, BMC 3386-88, S 426. PAS: NMS-8BA588 (this coin). EF/Good VF, rose-gold, super-sharp crescents. Found Little Witchingham, Norfolk. EXTREMELY RARE this pair of dies. Est. £1200 £1000In Made for Trade (2017) Dr John Talbot says that the back-to-back crescent motif “became widespread on Icenian coinage. Motifs such as this could result from political imposition or be a sign of political allegiance.” The ‘kerb’ is the ledge normally seen below the crescents on the obverse. The ‘kerb’ is also seen on earlier uninscribed gold staters of the Corieltavi (see Lot 20 for example) and may (or may not) have had a functional purpose, such as stabilising the fl an between the two dies when struck or aligning the die axis.

8 9

Coins of the ICENI of northern East Anglia

Good VF, golden gold, bold tablet and strong COM.F. Ex Gloucestershire collection. Found Barnham, West Sussex. EXTREMELY RARE these dies, only 14 others. Est. £1500 £1200Dr John Sills says: “Verica may be proclaiming that he was now ruling almost by divine authority after being declared rex by Tiberius and accepted as an ally” (DK, p.772). Verica – his name means ‘the high one’ (as in ‘His Highness’) – asserts his divine right to rule by placing a lituus on top of the inverted crescent moon under the hind-legs of the stallion. The lituusis a curved staff, not unlike a shepherd’s crook but shorter, which Roman augures (offi cial diviners) used to delineate their fi eld of vision when they were foreseeing or foretelling the future. British Druids doubtless waved a similar wand when they were prognosticating. Verica himself may well have been a Druid priest. Why is the down-turned moon being trampled on by the hooves of Verica’s stallion? Because his predecessor Eppillus used an up-turned moon when he proclaimed his kingship of Calleva, thus dividing the formerly united kingdom of Commios in two; whereas Verica re-united the kingdom.

Ex John Follows collection

16. Verica Eagle. c.AD 10-40. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.13g. COMF in plain tablet, scroll decoration with neck torcs above and below, line and beaded border./ Spread-winged eagle standing, head turned to left, VIR above. ABC 1226, VA 471, BMC 1485-505, S 138. CCI 04.0564 (this coin). Good VF, lightly toned silver, large fl an, well centred obverse, clear inscription. Ex John Follows collection. SCARCEEst. £400 £320The eagle is the crowning glory of bird symbolism. John Follows had one of the fi nest collections of Ancient British coins. See Coin News, March 2020, p.41-43.

Dr John Talbot’s Made for Trade: A New View of Icenian Coinage is the fi rst book ever published on the coins of the Iceni. Based on a die study of over 10,000 coins (every known example) Made for Trade is an essential reference for all who collect, study or deal in British Celtic coins. Hefty hardback, 320 pages, richly illustrated. £55 + p&p direct from Chris Rudd.

8 9

Coins of the CORIELTAVI of the East Midlands

18. Irstead Trefoil. Talbot Boar Horse B Quarter Stater, dies B1. c.30-10 BC. Gold quarter stater. 10mm. 1.03g. Latticed square on opposed crescents./ Horse stepping right, pellet mane, trefoil above. ABC 1474, VA−, BMC 3436, S 430. Good VF, lovely lemony-gold, bold horse, full trefoil. Ex Vindos collection. RARE Est. £400 £320The latticed square may represent a fishing net. The two crescent moons – one waxing, the other waning – perhaps refer to the lunar influence on farming cycles and certainly seem to be a tribal emblem of the Iceni.

Good EF and Excessively Rare

19. Corn Ear Quatrefoil. Talbot Early Pattern Horse (B) Half unit, dies A/1. c.AD 10-20. Silver half unit. 10mm. 0.49g. Cruciform floral motif with central ringed-pellet./ Horse left, beaded mane, pellet above. ABC 1606, VA−, BMC 3256-57, S 401. Good EF, neat flan of lightly toned silver, sharp quatrefoil motif. Ex Gloucestershire collection. EXCESSIVELY RARE die pair, only two others recorded. Est. £600 £480The obverse looks like a four-petal flower or four-leaf clover. Note the similarities between this and the Leaves silver minim, Lot 11. The corn ear motif is apparent on several Icenian coins, ABC 1465, 1468, 1507, 1510, 1543, 1564, 1567 and 1591, another nod to farming cycles.

Found in 1967 and now offered for sale for the first time:one of the finest Sunflower staters we’ve ever seen

20. Sunflower. Sills South Ferriby Mint B, fig. 8. c.45-10 BC. Gold stater. 18mm. 5.60g. Wreath motif with leaves facing inwards, dot between crescents and below./ Lunate horse left, with triangular head, crescent above, solar ‘sunflower’ below. ABC 1737, VA 809, BMC 3146-47, S 390. Magnificent EF, huge flan of lovely rose gold, all parts deeply engraved. The best we’ve ever seen at auction. Found Farndon, near Newark on Trent, Lincs., October 1967. RARE Est. £1250 £1000In his definitive review of South Ferriby staters Dr John Sills writes: “The South Ferriby series at Mint B opens with Derek Allen’s N type, ABC 1737, which has a Ferriby forked hairbar combined with a late North East Coast reverse, with a rosette below the horse (Fig.8). The last obverse die links with several reverses that have a star in place of a rosette and define the start of the South Ferriby type proper” (Chris Rudd List 118, July 2011, p.2-4). Found by the vendor’s grandfather 54 years ago.

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10 11

Coins of the DOBUNNI of the West Midlands

21. Domino. Sills Mint A, class 6, Biface Domino Type. c.60-50 BC. Gold stater. 17mm. 5.43g. Traces of wreath motif./ Disjointed horse left, triangle head, pellet under tail, four pellet in box above. ABC 1758, VA 829-1, BMC 3185-86, S 393. Good VF, scintillating rose gold, full ‘domino’ box. RARE Est. £850 £700In ancient symbolism four or a four-sided sign refers to the element of earth or land. In ancient Egypt earth is symbolised by a row of dots in a horizontal cartouche, not unlike the above ‘domino box’. Should we be surprised? We don’t think so. Corieltavi means ‘army of the broad land’.

22. W-Forelegs Proto Boar. Rich Type 16b. c.55-45 BC. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.37g. Bendy-bodied boar right, ringed-pellet and beaded ringed-pellet above, ringed-pellet below./ Naturalistic horse left with W-forelegs, large beaded circle above, ringed-pellet in front, behind and below. ABC–, VA−, BMC 3199 3210-11, S–. Good VF, bright silver, well ornamented horse. Ex Gloucestershire collection. RARE Est. £350 £280Type 16b has only two obverse dies and all the examples in the CCI show evidence of considerable wear. The horse, similar in style to Type 16a, has lost its pellet mane but has gained a pellet above its tail. Absent from ABC, Van Arsdell and Spink.

23. Anted Rig. WE8. c.AD20-43? Gold stater. 16mm. 5.27g. Tree symbol on plain field./ Triple-tailed horse right, ΛNTEO [R]I[G]V around, two pellets, crescent and x above, x and wheel below. ABC VA 1066, 1069, BMC 3023-27, S 379. CCI 11.0579 (this coin). Good VF, rose gold, sharp tree, bold inscription, curious theta. Ex Burford collection. Est. £2500 £2000Looking at this lovely Anted Rig gold stater it is easy to see why the tree types of the Dobunni are so popular with collectors. The basic design is so simple it stands out among the gold coins of the Gauls and ancient Britons. There is nothing else remotely like it. The very fact of the tree symbol occupying such a star position with the coins of the Dobunni - centre stage, solus, with nothing else competing for your attention - means that this distinctive emblem must have been very important to the rulers and people of this west-midlands tribe. See ‘Ash and the Dobunnic tree’ Chris Rudd List 72, p.7-15, and Stephen J. Yeates, The Tribe of Witches (Oxbow Books 2008).

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Coins of the DOBUNNI of the West Midlands

21. Domino. Sills Mint A, class 6, Biface Domino Type. c.60-50 BC. Gold stater. 17mm. 5.43g. Traces of wreath motif./ Disjointed horse left, triangle head, pellet under tail, four pellet in box above. ABC 1758, VA 829-1, BMC 3185-86, S 393. Good VF, scintillating rose gold, full ‘domino’ box. RARE Est. £850 £700In ancient symbolism four or a four-sided sign refers to the element of earth or land. In ancient Egypt earth is symbolised by a row of dots in a horizontal cartouche, not unlike the above ‘domino box’. Should we be surprised? We don’t think so. Corieltavi means ‘army of the broad land’.

22. W-Forelegs Proto Boar. Rich Type 16b. c.55-45 BC. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.37g. Bendy-bodied boar right, ringed-pellet and beaded ringed-pellet above, ringed-pellet below./ Naturalistic horse left with W-forelegs, large beaded circle above, ringed-pellet in front, behind and below. ABC–, VA−, BMC 3199 3210-11, S–. Good VF, bright silver, well ornamented horse. Ex Gloucestershire collection. RARE Est. £350 £280Type 16b has only two obverse dies and all the examples in the CCI show evidence of considerable wear. The horse, similar in style to Type 16a, has lost its pellet mane but has gained a pellet above its tail. Absent from ABC, Van Arsdell and Spink.

23. Anted Rig. WE8. c.AD20-43? Gold stater. 16mm. 5.27g. Tree symbol on plain field./ Triple-tailed horse right, ΛNTEO [R]I[G]V around, two pellets, crescent and x above, x and wheel below. ABC VA 1066, 1069, BMC 3023-27, S 379. CCI 11.0579 (this coin). Good VF, rose gold, sharp tree, bold inscription, curious theta. Ex Burford collection. Est. £2500 £2000Looking at this lovely Anted Rig gold stater it is easy to see why the tree types of the Dobunni are so popular with collectors. The basic design is so simple it stands out among the gold coins of the Gauls and ancient Britons. There is nothing else remotely like it. The very fact of the tree symbol occupying such a star position with the coins of the Dobunni - centre stage, solus, with nothing else competing for your attention - means that this distinctive emblem must have been very important to the rulers and people of this west-midlands tribe. See ‘Ash and the Dobunnic tree’ Chris Rudd List 72, p.7-15, and Stephen J. Yeates, The Tribe of Witches (Oxbow Books 2008).

10 11

Coins of the EAST WILTSHIRE tribal group

24. Dahlia Horse Left. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 11mm. 0.73g. Crossed corded wreaths, ‘bear’s paws’ in each quarter./ Triple-tailed horse left, dahlia above, rings around, cogwheel below. ABC 2109, VA 232, BMC 537, S 48. VF/Good VF, pale gold, whole horse, delightful dahlia. One of the sharpest reverses we’ve seen. Ex Gloucestershire collection. VERY RARE only 23 others this pair of dies recorded. Est. £750 £600This type was originally classed as Atrebates but every provenanced example comes from Wiltshire. It clearly served as the prototype for the base gold East Wiltshire Vale of Pewsey quarter stater, ABC 2107.

Ex Luke Daniel collectionCoins of the DUROTRIGES of Wessex

25. Cranborne Chase. c.58-40 BC. Silver stater, probably with a little gold. 17-19mm. 5.36g. Wreath motif./ Triple-tailed horse left, pellets above, ‘coffee bean’ behind, large pellet below. ABC 2157, VA 1235-1, BMC 2525-636, S 366. Near EF/EF, lightly toned silver, chunky flan, well centred horse, beautifully displayed with all parts of anatomy present, bold pellets. Ex Luke Daniel collection, ex DH collection. Est. £450 £360Dr Daphne Nash Briggs sees the horse as a ‘sun horse’ and the twelve large pellets above it as ‘heavenly discs’ She says: “On electrum and silver staters, coloured like the moon, it is clear that the small object rising from the valley of the horse’s back is one third of a thirteenth disc, representing as precisely as you can on a little coin the number of lunar months in a year” (Chris Rudd List 106, p.2-4).

26. Duro Boat Gold. c.50-30 BC. Gold quarter stater. 11mm. 1.42g. Stylised ‘three-men-in-a-boat’ motif, pellet daisy to left./ Central thunderbolt, Y-shape and bird to right, Y-shape and uncertain object to left. ABC 2205, VA 1225, BMC 414-18, S 368. Good VF, silvery gold, sharp strike. SCARCE Est. £400 £320The ‘uncertain object’ could be a stylised axe or axe-head, symbolic of the tree-god Esus.

Only Chris Rudd offers you six all-Celtic auctions a year

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Coins of the TRINOVANTES of Essex

Coins of the EASTERN North Thames regionGood EF, only ten others recorded none in the British Museum

and this is “the best example known” (John Sills)

27. Duck Helmet. c.50-40 BC. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.23g. Female head left with big round eye and beaded neck-lines, wearing crested helmet with J-shaped ear piece and duck’s head mounted in front, two dots in bill; before: duck swimming left, fish or worm in bill; fishtail frond; S-shaped stylised seal; small ring./ Double-annulate horse left, with ‘butterfly’ ears and bushy stranded tail; ringed corn ear above and below, latter with small ring either side, forming hidden face; two ring-triads over head; seal with dot eye above tail; other rings around. ABC 2380, VA−, BMC−, S−. Good EF, almost as minted, large round flan of clean bright silver, well centred both sides and boldly struck from freshly-cut dies, fine-style profile of helmeted goddess, duck-head, duck and seals all clearly and completely displayed. An exceptionally pretty piece, indisputably one of the finest on record. Recently unearthed and offered for public sale for the first time Found near Barton le Clay, Beds., 2019. EXTREMELY RARE only ten others recorded, none in the British Museum. Est. £2500 £2000The iconography of this utterly delightful Duck Helmet unit – unquestionably one of the crispest known – is remarkably coherent. The stylised seal under the goddess’ chin is repeated on the reverse, this time with an obvious eye. The male theme of the two corn ears on the reverse is echoed by the two tiny grains of wheat in the bill of the duck’s head on the helmet. The two ringed corn ears are significant for two reasons: firstly, because they tie the Duck Helmet to the Middle Whaddon Chase gold stater, Curved Wheat Type, ABC 2445, which also has two opposed ringed corn ears; secondly, because bronze ducks from Gaul and Britain often have a grain of wheat in their bill, including the duck carrying Sequana (see p.1). The helmeted head is ultimately derived from Roma heads of early Roman Republican denarii; which favours Cassivellaunos as the issuing ruler rather than Addedomaros. The tribal attribution of this beautifully engraved coin is as uncertain as its regal attribution. What is beyond doubt is its exquisite and extraordinary excellence. Though the type has been known for 180 years, published by the Rev. Rogers Ruding in Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain and its Dependencies, 3rd ed, 1840, Appendix, pl.29.1, and by Joachim Lelewel in Études Numismatiques et Archéologiques, Type Gaulois, ou Celtique, Brussels, 1841, pl.8.34 (where it is classed as ‘Gallo-Breton’), only nine examples have been recorded. That’s an average of only one every 20 years. Can you afford to wait til 2041 for the next Duck Helmet to be found? Unlisted by Van Arsdell, BMC and Spink. The beaded neck is similar to that on the Crested Head silver unit, see Lot 12. For more information on this rare and beautiful type see Chris Rudd List 170, no.36, May 2020. Dr John Sills says: “This is the best example known” (pers. comm. 22.8 2021).

Hidden facefully revealed

28. Dubnovellaunos Branch. Two Pellets Type. Sills class -. c.5BC-AD10. Gold stater. 14-17mm. 5.26g. Banded flan with wreath motif, two outline crescents and two ringed-pellets in centre, forming

Extremely Fine, with unique reverse die

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1312

Coins of the TRINOVANTES of Essex

Coins of the EASTERN North Thames regionGood EF, only ten others recorded none in the British Museum

and this is “the best example known” (John Sills)

27. Duck Helmet. c.50-40 BC. Silver unit. 14mm. 1.23g. Female head left with big round eye and beaded neck-lines, wearing crested helmet with J-shaped ear piece and duck’s head mounted in front, two dots in bill; before: duck swimming left, fish or worm in bill; fishtail frond; S-shaped stylised seal; small ring./ Double-annulate horse left, with ‘butterfly’ ears and bushy stranded tail; ringed corn ear above and below, latter with small ring either side, forming hidden face; two ring-triads over head; seal with dot eye above tail; other rings around. ABC 2380, VA−, BMC−, S−. Good EF, almost as minted, large round flan of clean bright silver, well centred both sides and boldly struck from freshly-cut dies, fine-style profile of helmeted goddess, duck-head, duck and seals all clearly and completely displayed. An exceptionally pretty piece, indisputably one of the finest on record. Recently unearthed and offered for public sale for the first time Found near Barton le Clay, Beds., 2019. EXTREMELY RARE only ten others recorded, none in the British Museum. Est. £2500 £2000The iconography of this utterly delightful Duck Helmet unit – unquestionably one of the crispest known – is remarkably coherent. The stylised seal under the goddess’ chin is repeated on the reverse, this time with an obvious eye. The male theme of the two corn ears on the reverse is echoed by the two tiny grains of wheat in the bill of the duck’s head on the helmet. The two ringed corn ears are significant for two reasons: firstly, because they tie the Duck Helmet to the Middle Whaddon Chase gold stater, Curved Wheat Type, ABC 2445, which also has two opposed ringed corn ears; secondly, because bronze ducks from Gaul and Britain often have a grain of wheat in their bill, including the duck carrying Sequana (see p.1). The helmeted head is ultimately derived from Roma heads of early Roman Republican denarii; which favours Cassivellaunos as the issuing ruler rather than Addedomaros. The tribal attribution of this beautifully engraved coin is as uncertain as its regal attribution. What is beyond doubt is its exquisite and extraordinary excellence. Though the type has been known for 180 years, published by the Rev. Rogers Ruding in Annals of the Coinage of Great Britain and its Dependencies, 3rd ed, 1840, Appendix, pl.29.1, and by Joachim Lelewel in Études Numismatiques et Archéologiques, Type Gaulois, ou Celtique, Brussels, 1841, pl.8.34 (where it is classed as ‘Gallo-Breton’), only nine examples have been recorded. That’s an average of only one every 20 years. Can you afford to wait til 2041 for the next Duck Helmet to be found? Unlisted by Van Arsdell, BMC and Spink. The beaded neck is similar to that on the Crested Head silver unit, see Lot 12. For more information on this rare and beautiful type see Chris Rudd List 170, no.36, May 2020. Dr John Sills says: “This is the best example known” (pers. comm. 22.8 2021).

Hidden facefully revealed

28. Dubnovellaunos Branch. Two Pellets Type. Sills class -. c.5BC-AD10. Gold stater. 14-17mm. 5.26g. Banded flan with wreath motif, two outline crescents and two ringed-pellets in centre, forming

Extremely Fine, with unique reverse die

1312

two ‘sad’ hidden faces, ringed-pellet at end of wreath./ Full-bodied horse prancing left with beaded mane, pellet and ringed-pellet in front, ringed-pellet above with pellet to left, below and two pellets to right, DVBNOVE[ ] above, beaded wavy branch below. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, DK−, S−. EF, scintillating rose gold, fabulous horse with magnificent inscription. Found near Colchester, Essex. UNIQUE reverse die, no others recorded. Est. £2000 £1600 Dr John Sills says: “The gold coinage of Dubnovellaunos in Essex seems to have been issued at low volume over a relatively long period…this name is engraved in at least a dozen different ways on the staters, including spelling variations and abbreviated forms, far more than on any other British series and an indication of episodic production over many years” (DK, p.749-750). “This coin is intermediate between classes 2c and 2d - DK 540, the 2d type, has two stars on the reverse, not present here. A unique reverse variant that combines elements from both classes.” Unlisted by all major catalogues.

Good EF, king’s name loud and clear

29. Addedomaros Crescent Cross. E-Type. Sills class 2, dies ?10/17. c.45-25 BC. Gold stater. 18mm. 5.61g. Crossed-wreath pattern with two central crescents back-to-back./ Well-formed horse right with corded mane, pellet under head, below tail and below, AĐĐEDO[MA] and ringed-pellet above, eight-spoked wheel and ringed-pellet below. ABC 2514, VA 1605, BMC 2390-94, DK 486, S 200. PAS: NARC-71610A (this coin). Good EF, large flan of rose gold, sharp wreath, bonny horse, full wheel. Found near Brigstock, Northants., 31 August 2020. UNIQUE die pairing. Est. £2500 £2000Addedomaros was possibly the first British king to place his name on coins. Medieval Welsh Triads recall Aedd Mawr ‘Aedd the Great’ as one of the legendary founders of Britain. Aedd Mawr is almost certainly the Addedomaros who issued this beautiful gold stater. “I was the first to assign coins to this prince in 1856,” said Sir John Evans who thought that Addedomaros was an Icenian ruler. Dr John Sills says: “It’s from dies ?10/17, a new die combination and only the second example of reverse 17. Reverses 16, 17 and 18 are the only ones with a ringed pellet at the centre of the wheel on the reverse, quite rare as such, all the others just have a pellet. Reverses 17 and 18 have Ds rather than thetas, with a pellet inside the Ds to indicate that they should be pronounced as thetas. Difficult to say how many have two Ds, they’re sporadic across the type, and even more difficult to say how many dies have a pellet in the Ds, this part of the legend is so often off the flan.”

30. Addedomaros Flower. Sills class 2. c.45-25 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.35g. Eight petalled flower around central ringed-pellet, pellets around./ Horse right, ringed-pellet in front, ring above, pellet and ringed-pellet below. ABC 2526, VA 1608, BMC 2416, DK 492, S 203. EF, smooth surfaces of rose

Coins of the CATUVELLAUNI of Hertfordshire

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1514

gold, beautiful fl ower in full bloom, centrally struck. Ex Gloucestershire collection. VERY RARE only 25 with 8 petalled fl ower. Est. £1000 £800This is the only gold quarter stater we know, British or Gaulish, which has a fl oral motif as its sole central image on an otherwise plain fi eld. The type is divided into those with seven petalled fl ower, and those with eight, the latter appears to be the earlier and more neatly engraved, as this superb example, one of the nicest we’ve seen.

31. Tasciovanos Warrior. Reverse S-Type. Sills class 5a. c.25BC-AD10. Gold stater. 16mm. 5.45g. Crossed-wreath motif with two opposed crescents and four ringed-pellets at centre forming hidden faces./ Chain-mail clad warrior on horse right wearing helmet, arm raised at right angle, T behind, A under tail, reversed-S below, four-spoke wheel behind. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, DK−, S−. Superb EF, rose gold, super sharp wreath, hidden faces revealed, magnifi cent warrior, well detailed, chubby horse. Found Pertenhall, Beds., UNIQUE? reverse die Est. £2500 £2000This is the only Reverse S-Type stater we’ve had of Tasciovanos and, as far as we know, it is the fi rst to be offered for public sale. The condition of this coin is so good that you can clearly see that the rider is wearing a short-sleeved tunic of chain-mail, a form of armour normally associated with medieval knights rather than Iron Age cavalrymen. Interestingly, fragments of chain-mail were found in the Lexden Tumulus at Camulodunon (Colchester, Essex), which has been dated to c.15-10 BC and was excavated in 1924. The Reversed S-Type is not in ABC, Van Arsdell, British Museum Catalogue, Divided Kingdoms nor Spink. A stater of the highest scarcity and the highest quality.

32. Tasciovanos Acorn. Sills class 2, Stepping Horse Type. 25BC-AD10. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.25g. Crossed wreaths motif of triple lines, central line beaded, one curved, one straight, back-to-back crescents at centre, ‘teardrop’ in each quarter./ Horse left, beaded mane, foreleg raised, acorn below. ABC 2586, VA 1688, BMC 1651-53, DK 519, S 221. Good VF, rose gold, clear ‘teardrops’, neat horse. Found Colnbrook/Slough, Berks., June 1995. VERY RARE Est. £600 £480We’ve previously speculated that the nut-like object under the high-stepping horse may be an acorn on a twig and hinted at possible druidic connections (Chris Rudd List 38, No.56). A similar nut-like symbol can sometimes be seen on Tasciovanos Hidden Faces staters (ABC 2553), just in front of the horse, BMC 1591 being the best illustration of this. It also occurs on Tasciovanos Camul quarters (ABC 2589). There were some great oak-rich forests around Verlamion (Hatfi eld Forest and Epping Forest to name but two), so we think the acorn will have been a familiar and meaningful nut to iron age rulers in Hertfordshire and Essex. What Evans calls ‘horse-shoe shaped fi gures in the angles’ and others politely refer to as ‘teardrops’ are of course vulvas.

Extremely Fine warrior in chain-mail,unpublished legend variant

Why Celtic collectors sell through Chris RuddWe offer sellers a great deal: six all-Celtic auctions a year, a unique global database of Celtic buyers, unrivalled expertise in valuing and cataloguing, a 20-year track record of consistently achieving the highest prices for Ancient British coins. We can also pay cash if you wish. Other catalogues may be fatter. But do they get the results for Ancient British coins that we do? Check the record. For free advice and a valuation, ask Liz.

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gold, beautiful fl ower in full bloom, centrally struck. Ex Gloucestershire collection. VERY RARE only 25 with 8 petalled fl ower. Est. £1000 £800This is the only gold quarter stater we know, British or Gaulish, which has a fl oral motif as its sole central image on an otherwise plain fi eld. The type is divided into those with seven petalled fl ower, and those with eight, the latter appears to be the earlier and more neatly engraved, as this superb example, one of the nicest we’ve seen.

31. Tasciovanos Warrior. Reverse S-Type. Sills class 5a. c.25BC-AD10. Gold stater. 16mm. 5.45g. Crossed-wreath motif with two opposed crescents and four ringed-pellets at centre forming hidden faces./ Chain-mail clad warrior on horse right wearing helmet, arm raised at right angle, T behind, A under tail, reversed-S below, four-spoke wheel behind. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, DK−, S−. Superb EF, rose gold, super sharp wreath, hidden faces revealed, magnifi cent warrior, well detailed, chubby horse. Found Pertenhall, Beds., UNIQUE? reverse die Est. £2500 £2000This is the only Reverse S-Type stater we’ve had of Tasciovanos and, as far as we know, it is the fi rst to be offered for public sale. The condition of this coin is so good that you can clearly see that the rider is wearing a short-sleeved tunic of chain-mail, a form of armour normally associated with medieval knights rather than Iron Age cavalrymen. Interestingly, fragments of chain-mail were found in the Lexden Tumulus at Camulodunon (Colchester, Essex), which has been dated to c.15-10 BC and was excavated in 1924. The Reversed S-Type is not in ABC, Van Arsdell, British Museum Catalogue, Divided Kingdoms nor Spink. A stater of the highest scarcity and the highest quality.

32. Tasciovanos Acorn. Sills class 2, Stepping Horse Type. 25BC-AD10. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.25g. Crossed wreaths motif of triple lines, central line beaded, one curved, one straight, back-to-back crescents at centre, ‘teardrop’ in each quarter./ Horse left, beaded mane, foreleg raised, acorn below. ABC 2586, VA 1688, BMC 1651-53, DK 519, S 221. Good VF, rose gold, clear ‘teardrops’, neat horse. Found Colnbrook/Slough, Berks., June 1995. VERY RARE Est. £600 £480We’ve previously speculated that the nut-like object under the high-stepping horse may be an acorn on a twig and hinted at possible druidic connections (Chris Rudd List 38, No.56). A similar nut-like symbol can sometimes be seen on Tasciovanos Hidden Faces staters (ABC 2553), just in front of the horse, BMC 1591 being the best illustration of this. It also occurs on Tasciovanos Camul quarters (ABC 2589). There were some great oak-rich forests around Verlamion (Hatfi eld Forest and Epping Forest to name but two), so we think the acorn will have been a familiar and meaningful nut to iron age rulers in Hertfordshire and Essex. What Evans calls ‘horse-shoe shaped fi gures in the angles’ and others politely refer to as ‘teardrops’ are of course vulvas.

Extremely Fine warrior in chain-mail,unpublished legend variant

Why Celtic collectors sell through Chris RuddWe offer sellers a great deal: six all-Celtic auctions a year, a unique global database of Celtic buyers, unrivalled expertise in valuing and cataloguing, a 20-year track record of consistently achieving the highest prices for Ancient British coins. We can also pay cash if you wish. Other catalogues may be fatter. But do they get the results for Ancient British coins that we do? Check the record. For free advice and a valuation, ask Liz.

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Coins of the CATUVELLAUNI & TRINOVANTES united

33. Cunobelinus Classic. Stalk Type. c.AD 8-41. Gold stater. 17mm. 5.44g. Ear of corn with central stalk, CA to left, MV to right./ Well-muscled ‘Classic’ style horse rearing right, branch above, CVNO below on exergual line, beaded border. ABC 2798, VA 2027, BMC 1829, DK 568, S 288. Good VF/VF, smooth surfaces of golden gold, muscular horse, full inscription. SCARCE Est. £1500 £1200This is clearly the craftsmanship of a Roman-trained die cutter – a master engraver who took all the traditional elements of Cunobelin’s corn ear staters and redesigned them in an utterly immaculate manner, including the inscription which is now rendered in smaller and neater Latin letters.

Ex Tocchio, Lee and Fay collections

34. Cunobelinus Pegasus Right. c.AD8-41. Silver unit. 13mm. 1.28g. CVNO in tablet, wreath border./ Pegasus rearing right, TASC[F] below on exergual line, beaded border. ABC 2876, VA 2053, BMC 1870, S 311. CCI 13.0299 (this coin). Nr EF, toned silver, full CVNO, clear Pegasus. Ex Jim Tocchio collection, ex Don Lee collection, ex Joe Fay collection. A pedigree piece in splendid condition. VERY RARE only 20 others recorded. Est. £450 £360Is that an oak wreath with acorns? Cunobelin’s father displayed an acorn (see Lot 32). Cuno’s role model was Augustus who was a priest, like his adoptive father, Caesar, before him. Were Tasciovanos and his son also priests… Druid priests? Van Arsdell suggests that the fl ying horse may have been adapted from a silver denarius of the Roman moneyer Quintus Titius, 90 BC, Crawford 341/2. It is just as likely to have been copied from a much later Augustan source.

We’re constantly quoting Dr John Sills and his monumental Divided Kingdoms: the Iron Age gold coinage of southern England. It’s a huge hardback – 30 x 21cm, 825 pages, 599 twice-size coin photos – and hugely helpful because it catalogues over 10,000 gold coins in great detail. Are any of yours in John’s big book? If you don’t look, you’ll never know. And if you weren’t lucky enough to receive a copy in your stocking this Christmas, you’d better get yourself a copy. But don’t wait too long or they’ll all be gone. Only 350 printed. £95 + p&p direct from Chris Rudd. A coin in here could be worth more than one that isn’t.

John’s great gift to us, to you andto the gold coins in your collection

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Chris Rudd Chris Rudd Ltd PO Box 1500 Norwich NR10 5WS

tel 01263 735 007 web www.celticcoins.com e-mail [email protected]

Auction 179 l 14 November 2021

16

These terms are summarised. Liz will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Please email [email protected] or phone 01263 735 007 or 07990 840 816.Our estimated value of each lot is given in the catalogue and online. Bidding starts at 80% of this estimate. Estimates shown in BLACK, Starting Prices shown in RED.How to bid via Internet. Our Auction is conducted online via www.the-saleroom.com If you wish to bid you must ‘Create an account’ and you will receive an email link confirmation of Registration. This must be activated prior to bidding. You must register to bid for each auction. If you are a new bidder in our sale, please provide numismatic credit references and credit/debit card details to secure any bids you may place. Client data is confidential; we do not share our mailing list or client information unless authorised. We reserve the right to revoke any bids and registrations, restrict accesses, and modify or disable the site or any of its features, at our discretion. We do not make any guarantees regarding accessibility, accuracy, or security of this website with regard to registration of bidding. All financial transactions will be carried out by ourselves, the-saleroom.com requests card information for security reasons and will not debit your card.How to bid by phone or email. In addition to internet bidding, you may bid by mailing the bid sheet included with each catalogue, or by email or telephone. If you choose to telephone your bids, we appreciate a written follow-up. Bids must be received by 12 midday (UK time) Friday 12 November, after this time we cannot guarantee that bids will be placed. If you wish for any guidance regarding current bids please contact Liz. Online bidding continues until the lot closes at 5pm (UK time) Sunday 14 November.Bidding increments. Lots will be sold to the highest bidder for the winning bid. Bidding automatically increases in fixed increments, so you can enter your maximum bid and let our system do the bidding for you. Please ensure your bids comply with the steps outlined below:

Up to £500 in £20 increments£500-£1000 in £50 increments£1000-£2000 in £100 increments£2000-£5000 in £200 incrementsOver £5000 in £500 increments

Terms & Conditions for Chris Rudd AuctionsIf you enter a high maximum bid you will win at the current bid amount plus increment. Whole number bids only. Bidders personally guarantee that they will pay for their winning bids.The first lot will close electronically at 5pm (UK time) on the sale date, with subsequent lots closing every 30 seconds thereafter. Please note: Sniper bids are not allowed. If you bid within the last 10 minutes the lot closing the time will extend by 10 minutes on that lot, from the time of bid.Personal viewing of lots by appointment only. Please contact Liz to arrange.How to pay. A 20% buyers fee (24% inc. VAT if applicable at the current rate), will be added to the hammer price of all successful online, written, email and phone bids. Bids are placed in GB£ Sterling. Payment is preferred by direct transfer in £ Sterling (GB£): Chris Rudd Ltd Account Number: 63406857, Sort Code: 20-03-26 or by cheque, postal orders, cash (GB£). Or by International bank transfer to Barclays Bank PLC, Market Place, Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6EW. IBAN: GB14 BARC 2003 2663 4068 57. SWIFTBIC: BARCGB22. Please ensure all charges are paid or add £6 to cover EU charges, £12 International charges. Visa, MasterCard or debit card accepted. We also accept US$ cheques with $25 bank fee added. Goods remain our property until paid in full. VAT no. GB 665532227.Winning lots will be sent as soon as possible after receipt of payment on seven days approval. If you aren’t happy with a coin, please phone before returning it. Prices realised are available by subscription via the-saleroom.comPostage & packing will be added to all invoices. Unless specified otherwise all UK orders sent by Special Delivery £12. European orders sent International Signed For delivery £15, USA/Canada £25, Rest of World £20. Privacy Your details are securely held and will not be shared. They will be retained for processing orders and marketing. Please let us know if you don’t wish to be contacted. You can do this at any time.Export licences are needed for some coins and can take 4-6 weeks to get. Their purpose is to curb the export of national treasures.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWCatalogue subscription for six Chris Rudd auction catalogues plus six Liz’s List fixed price catalogues: £35 ayear UK, £40 Europe, £45 Rest of World.Abbreviations: F fine, VF very fine, EF extremely fine.References. ABC = E Cottam, P de Jersey, C Rudd & J Sills Ancient British Coins, 2010, VA = R Van Arsdell Celtic Coinage of Britain, 1989, BMC = R Hobbs, British Iron Age Coins in the British Museum, 1996, DK = J Sills Divided Kingdoms 2017, S = Spink Coins of England 2021 ed. Grading. Iron age flans rarely bear the whole die image. For example, an unworn coin graded ‘Good VF’ may lack part of the design or legend.Rarity of Ancient British coins based on Celtic Coin Index: EXCESSIVELY RARE 1-5, EXTREMELY RARE 6-15, VERY RARE 16-30, RARE 31-50, SCARCE 51- 100. Remember, most coin finds are unreported. So these figures are only a rough guide to rarity.Authenticity. All our coins are guaranteed genuine. In

the unlikely event of one proving to be a modern fake, we’ll refund the full price you paid us. Accuracy. Little is known of iron age rulers, mints and moneyers. So all our dates, attributions and descriptions are hypothetical, not factual.Celtic Coin Index. Most of our coins come from metal detectorists and are reported to the Celtic Coin Index, Institute of Archaeology, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PG.My goal is to help you as best I can and to give you good value.

© CHRIS RUDD 2021. With help of Dr Daphne Nash Briggs and Dr John Sills. Design BRENDAN RALLISON.