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Gold 1/4 Stater Western Wheel
| Issuer | Dobunni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Highly abstracted Celtic wreath or foliage pattern fills the entire field, rendered as a dense arrangement of raised oval pellets and curvilinear relief elements radiating outward from a central point. The design derives from a heavily stylised interpretation of a classical laureate head, now largely dissolved into abstract geometric and organic forms characteristic of Late Iron Age British Celtic coinage. The flan is irregular and slightly concave, with a granular surface texture typical of hammered gold. No inscriptions or legends are present. The artistic treatment reflects the insular Celtic tradition of progressive abstraction from Hellenistic prototypes. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (55 BC - 45 BC) - DK 219: Horse has pellet mane - ND (55 BC - 45 BC) - DK 220: Cloak has row of pellets along the fastener - ND (55 BC - 45 BC) - DK 221: Angular cloak with short lines radiating from the fastener - ND (55 BC - 45 BC) - Sills Inverted: Right-hand side of wreath inverted - |
| Additional information |
The Dobunni occupied the territory of modern Gloucestershire and surrounding areas, and their coinage — including this quarter stater — was in active production during and after Caesar's expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC. Whether Caesar's campaigns directly disrupted or merely coincided with Dobunni minting activity remains debated, but the tribe never fell under direct Roman military control during this period, maintaining independent production throughout.
The "Western Wheel" classification places this piece within a regional typological grouping defined by Van Arsdell and catalogued through the British Museum Iron Age series. Dobunni quarter staters are frequently found as single finds via metal detector across the Cotswolds.