Roman Terracotta Forger's Coin Mould

Ellipsoid in plan with an engraved scene of a cockerel copulating with a hen, inscription above. 0.62 grams, 14 mm



Property of a European gentleman, acquired from the estate of a London collector (formed before 2000).

In ancient Rome, a cockerel, Latin gallus, was a symbol of virility and fertility. But gallus (plural galli) was also the term for a religious devotee and later for a priest of Cybele (Magna Mater). Often eunuchs, they performed ecstatic dances and rituals, sometimes even engaging in sexual acts as part of their religious practices. In Rome, the head of the Cybele priests was the archigallus, chosen by the quindecimviri sacris faciundis. Reliefs show that the archigallus was wearing luxurious and extravagant costumes and jewellery. This unique gemstone can be attributed to such an archigallus. The cult of Cybele/Magna Mater and the presence of galli also spread to Roman Britain, where it is attested, e.g. in Catterick and Corbridge.

Comprising a sturdy iron handle with rounded end, conical shoulder with lead block, circular sidewall with a slot to the upper face; old collector's ticket: 'Unidentified metal object from beach at Reculver. B.M. say probably Roman'; cellophane sleeve applied. 167 grams, 13.6 cm



Found Reculver, Kent, UK, and elsewhere in the late 1950s. From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. Accompanied by an old handwritten identification card written by Peter Clayton.

Elipsoid hoop with expanding rounded shoulders decorated with leaf-shaped and linear motif, insert with a later white stone intaglio with a stylised head in a profile. 3.16 grams, 23.36 mm overall, 16.25 x 12.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British F 1/2, USA 3, Europe 4.3, Japan 4)



Ex Saeed Motamed (1925-2013), collected between 1953-early 1990s. with Christie's, 22 April 2013, no.25.