Catalog
1/4 Stater Regenbogenschüsselchen Type
| Issuer | Vindelici |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 1 BC |
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| Value | 1/4 Stater (5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Convex, dome-shaped obverse surface of the characteristic Regenbogenschüsselchen (rainbow cup) form, entirely devoid of figural or epigraphic decoration. The raised, irregularly rounded field exhibits a smooth, polished gold surface typical of Celtic electrum and gold staters of the Vindelici tribe, with natural flow lines and surface striations resulting from the hammering process. No legend, device, or mint mark is present. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Vindelici occupied a stretch of territory roughly between the Danube and the Alps, and their coinage — produced without a mint in any urban sense — was likely struck by itinerant craftsmen serving tribal needs. The "rainbow cup" designation comes from later German folklore: farmers plowing fields would occasionally turn up these tiny concave gold pieces after rainstorms, crediting them to rainbows rather than the Iron Age Celts who actually dropped them.
The Kostial 12 reference places this among the better-documented die groupings of a notoriously difficult series to attribute with precision.