Details

LOT 2005

Celtic Iron Age Coins - Atrebates and Regni - Selsey Two Faced Gold Stater 55-45 BC

Obv: wreath pattern with two large pellets behind and a hidden face. Rev: triple-tailed horse with charioteer's arms above, eye symbol behind and eight-spoked wheel below with corded wide V-shaped ground line. Extremely fine; large flan, boldly struck. Excessively rare; perhaps a unique variant?(6.05 grams.).

Provenance

The Brodie Hall, Kent, UK collection; acquired Chris Rudd (with envelope and ticket).

Published

Chris Rudd, List 112, number 16 (this coin).

Literature

S. -; BMC -; ABC 485 variant.

Footnotes

Chris Rudd notes: 'There are some distinctive differences which set this Selsey Corded-V Type gold stater apart from the standard Selsey stater types, both biface and uniface - differences which may not be apparent at first glance, but which are nonetheless important in positioning this 'newcomer' within the series. The first is the weight of the Corded V-Type: at 6.05 grams it is uncommonly heavy, which suggests that it comes near the start of the series (of the 33 /Remi' Type staters listed by Hobbs only one weighs as much as 6.05 grams). Secondly, there are two large pellets beyond the hair locks at 11 o'clock; these may be on a few other Selsey staters (see BMC 452), but I've not seen them so clearly revealed before. Thirdly, the line under the horse isn't the usual wiggle serpentine line - it's a corded line. And fourthly - the line isn't in the familiar crescent form - it's in a V-shape. So, all in all, a somewhat unexpected discovery......'.