Catalog
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| Issuer | Boii of Bohemia |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 101 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Kostial#52 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | A boldly rendered, naturalistically stylized bivalve shell (mussel) depicted in high relief, occupying nearly the entire flan. The shell's radiating ribs fan outward from a central hinge point, with a prominent, curved lower valve rendered in strong relief beneath. The composition is framed by a plain, slightly raised circular border. No legend or inscription present. The design is a hallmark of the Boii Muschel (shell) stater series. |
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| Mintage | ND (300 BC - 101 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Boii were among the most powerful Celtic tribes of central Europe, controlling much of what is now Bohemia and using coinage primarily to pay mercenaries and facilitate elite exchange rather than everyday commerce. Their gold staters derive ultimately from Macedonian prototypes — specifically the staters of Philip II — which circulated widely after Celtic warriors encountered them serving as mercenaries in the Balkans during the 4th century BC. The Muschel type represents a late stage in that abstraction process, the original imagery having been progressively dissolved over generations of copying.
The tribe was effectively destroyed as a political entity by the Germanic Marcomanni around 58–50 BC, which puts a hard terminus on production.