Catalog
Bronze Unit Hengistbury V-Type
| Issuer | Durotriges tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-45 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Highly abstract Celtic design featuring a large Y-shaped spike motif (the so-called 'trident' or 'rake' element) accompanied by three raised pellets and either a V-shape formed by two short diverging lines, or five pellets arranged around a crescent on each side of the central device. The composition is entirely non-representational, executed in the schematised La Tène tradition characteristic of late Durotrigan coinage. The field is plain and unlettered, and the flan is irregular in outline owing to the casting technique employed. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Durotriges of southwestern Britain present one of the more striking cases of deliberate monetary debasement in the pre-Roman Celtic world. Starting from a base of Gallo-Belgic gold staters, their coinage progressively shed precious metal content over generations — gold giving way to silver, silver to debased billon, and finally to cast bronze units like this one. By the time pieces of this type were produced, the original prototype was barely recognizable. The bronze casting rather than striking is itself diagnostic: the tribe had largely abandoned die-struck production by this terminal phase.