Details

LOT 2504

Celtic Britannia. Atrebates and Regni, Epillus AR Unit. Circa 20 BC-AD 1. Calleva mint. Epillus type.

Bearded head to right within vine leaf border / Boar to right, EPPIL above, F COM in two lines below; all within beaded border. ABC 1163 var. (legend); Van Arsell 416 var. (same); BMC 1082; SCBC 100. Near Extremely Fine. Pretty boar, clear lettering. Extremely rare variety with this legend.(1.19gr, 14mm, 12h.).

Provenance

Ex Chris Rudd (List 123, no.24/16358 with coin ticket).
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.

Literature

Chris Rudd writes: Van Arsdell describes the wreath as a 'vine border' and he might be right. Simon Bean and Richard Hobbs are both more cautious, referring to it respectively as an 'anti-clockwise wreath' and 'circular wreath'. I think it may simply be a stylised laurel wreath, a celebratory victory wreath of the sort used by his brother Tincomarus (ABC 1094 and 1130) and by Eppillus himself in Kent. The wide spacing of the paired laurel leaves is particularly noticeable on Eppillus' two Cantian staters and, to a lesser extent, on a Cantian quarter stater.