Celtic Coinage of Britain

third edition

Click on coin to see hidden information

 

V978-01

 

History

Later Coinages    (Info)

 

Coinage in the Region of the Peripheral Tribes 10-61 A.D.

 

Durotriges

 

Sometime probably after the turn of the millennium, the Durotriges stopped striking bronze staters and introduced a cast bronze coinage. The date is difficult to determine and there may have been a time gap between the two coinages. The first of the crude cast pieces displayed line-and-pellet motifs mimicking the struck bronzes. The image now only faintly echoed the Apollo head and horse derived from the staters of Philip of Macedon. The designs on the last of the cast bronzes were extremely simple just lines and pellets. The Durotrigan coinage probably came to an end sometime in the mid to late forties A.D., after Vespasian's invasion of their territory. Durotrigan cast bronzes do, however, occur in quite late Roman contexts.

 

Dobunni

 

The Dobunni continued to strike gold and silver with the names of their leaders (79). The gold staters carried an immobilized type – all had the branched emblem on the obverse and a Celticized horse on the reverse. The names ANTEDRIG, COMUX, EISV, CATTI and INAM appeared in succession above the horse, and silver units were struck with the names ANTED and EISV. The tribe's coinage would have come to an end in the late forties, as the Roman army marched westward towards Wales.

 

Corieltauvi

 

The Corieltauvi also continued to strike gold and silver with inscriptions, although it is uncertain whether all are the names of rulers. On many coins two or even three words appeared and though it has long been assumed these indicate joint rulers, this has never been established with certainty. The tribe's coinage would have come to an end in the mid to late forties as the Romans moved into their territory on the way to Brigantia.

 

Roman Britain

 

There has always been some question whether the coins continued to circulate in Britain after the sixties A.D. Celtic coins have the annoying habit of turning up during archaeological excavations in Roman contexts well into the Second Century A.D. These stragglers, probably considered curiosities in later Roman times, need not have represented circulating money.

The experience of the Gaulish coinage after the Gallic War may help explain the end of Celtic coinage in Britain. Celtic silver coins were struck and circulated in Gaul as small change for a while after Caesar's invasion but gold coinage was largely, if not totally, suppressed. The Romans confiscated gold, leaving the Gallic tribes only lesser-value metals. Probably, the same confiscation occurred in Britain and certainly no gold coins were struck. Silver and bronze coinage would probably have been suppressed after the Boudiccan revolt, and thus Celtic coinage would have come to an end after 61 A.D.

 

Next section – Denominations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corieltauvian Gold Stater of VOLISIOS DVMNOCOVEROS

V978-01

 

 

 

 

V1290-01

1290 - 01    Struck Bronze Type

30 B.C.-10 A.D.      Common

Bronze Stater    ca. 3.4 gms.    19 mm

 

Earliest Record: Evans, 1864

 

OBV: Abstract head of Apollo right

Identifying points:

  1. similar to 1235 - 01 but head larger and cruder

 

REV: Disjointed horse left

Identifying points:

  1. similar to 1235 - 01 but horse larger and cruder

 

CLASSIFICATION: Durotrigan J

 

NOTES:

  • Many in museums
  • The style of these becomes increasingly cruder over time.
  • Often confused with plated forgeries of 1235 - 01
  • The trend-surface map suggests a date 58-45 B.C. for the earlier types, but the records of findspots must include some plated forgeries mistaken for bronzes. The dating for this type needs more investigation, and the one given above is provisional, at best.

 

 

 

 

V1342-01

1342 - 01    Cast Bronze

10-45 A.D.      Rare

Bronze Unit    3.2 gms.    17 mm

 

Earliest Records: Hill, 1911 and Bushe-Fox, 1915

 

OBV: Disintegrated head of Apollo right

Identifying points:

  1. large "Y" remains from Apollo head
  2. seven pellets on one side of the Y
  3. seven pellets on the other side

 

Identifying points:

REV: Pellets

  1. fourteen pellets in field

 

CLASSIFICATION: Durotrigan K

 

 

 

 

Van Arsdell 1994a

 

 

 

 

V1130-01

1130 - 01    Catti

30-43 A.D.      Rare

Gold Stater    5.35 gms.    18 mm

 

Earliest Records:

  • Akerman, 1837b
  • Ruding, 1840
  • Hawkins, 1841
  • Poste, 1853

 

OBV: Dobunnic Emblem

Identifying points:

  1. emblem made up of tree-like object with ten branches
  2. one obverse die shows successive damage at two o'clock in form of a triangular depression in field of coin

 

REV: Celticized horse right

Identifying points:

  1. tail has three strands with pellets
  2. six-spoked wheel below horse
  3. three pellets below tail
  4. CATTI above horse

 

CLASSIFICATION: Dobunnic G

 

NOTES:

  • Standard Weight given
  • Celtic Coin Index now indicates commoner than previously thought
  • Some in museums
  • Modern forgery exists – (see 1130 - 01F)

 

 

 

 

V1110-01

1110 - 01    EISV Head Type

15-30 A.D.      Common

Silver Unit    ca. 1.15 gms.    13 mm

 

Earliest Record: Allen, 1864

 

OBV: Celticized head right

Identifying points:

  1. similar to 1082 - 01
  2. O-X-O pattern on face made up of two pellet in ring motifs with "X" in between
  3. four pellet in ring motifs in front of face

 

REV: Celticized horse left

Identifying points:

  1. triple stranded tail
  2. pellet in ring motif in front of horse
  3. El above horse
  4. SV below horse
  5. three pellets below tail

 

CLASSIFICATION: Dobunnic F

 

NOTES:

  • Typical weight given, Standard Weight is not yet identified
  • Allen designated this type Class H
  • Celtic Coin Index now indicates commoner than previously thought
  • Some in museums
  • Modern forgery exists – (see 1110 - 01F)

 

 

 

 

V978-01

978 - 01    Volisios Dvmnocoveros

30-55 A.D.      Scarce

Gold Stater    5.40 gms.    20 mm

 

Earliest Record: Camden, 1789 (Gough edition)

 

OBV: Corieltauvian Apollo-Wreath

Identifying points:

  1. wreath fills field
  2. three horizontal lines run across wreath
  3. VO LI between top lines
  4. SI OS between bottom lines

 

REV: Celticized horse left

Identifying points:

  1. three pellets below horse's neck
  2. DVM NOCO VER OS around horse

 

CLASSIFICATION: Corieltauvian P

 

NOTES:

  • Some are in museums
  • Standard weight given
  • Celtic Coin Index now indicates commoner than previously thought

 

 

 

 

V974-01

974 - 01     DVMNOC TIGIR SENO

30-55 A.D.      Extremely Rare

Silver Unit    ca. 0.8 gms.    14 mm

 

Earliest Record: Mack, 1953

 

OBV: Enlarged Apollo-Wreath

Identifying points:

  1. wreath fills field
  2. two lines run horizontally across wreath
  3. DVMNOC inside lines

 

REV: Celticized horse right

Identifying points:

  1. three pellets below horse's neck
  2. TIGIR above horse
  3. SENO below horse

 

CLASSIFICATION: Corieltauvian O

 

NOTES:

  • No accurate weight available because most existing coins are chipped or broken
  • Obverse die apparently used for some time before horizontal lines and DVMNOC were engraved because wreath is almost obliterated, but inscription is clearly visible
  • Some are in museums

 

 

 

 

This section discusses the last coinages in the Peripheral Regions

 

Durotriges

  • Bronze staters
  • Cast bronzes

 

Dobunni

  • ANTEDRIG
  • COMUX
  • EISV
  • CATTI
  • INAM

 

Corieltauvi

  • DVMNOC TIGIR SENO
  • VOLISIOS DVMNOCOVEROS
  • VOLISIOS DVNMOVELLAVNOS
  • VOLISIOS CARTIVEL

 

Copyright R. D. Van Arsdell 2017