The Westerham type takes its name from a hoard found in Kent in 1927, and the "prototype" designation places this piece at the developmental origin of a broader stater series — an early die experiment before the type stabilized into wider production. These coins circulated in territory that Caesar himself crossed twice, in 55 and 54 BC, meaning examples like this were in active use during one of the most documented military episodes in ancient numismatic history. Sills' classification separates the prototype from derivative strikes on die-linkage grounds.
The Westerham type takes its name from a hoard found in Kent in 1927, and the "prototype" designation places this piece at the developmental origin of a broader stater series — an early die experiment before the type stabilized into wider production. These coins circulated in territory that Caesar himself crossed twice, in 55 and 54 BC, meaning examples like this were in active use during one of the most documented military episodes in ancient numismatic history. Sills' classification separates the prototype from derivative strikes on die-linkage grounds.