Gold Plated ¼ Stater Clacton de Jersey / Clacton Curved Exergue Contemporary Counterfeit

Contemporary counterfeits of Gallo-Belgic and early British stater fractions circulated widely enough during the late Iron Age that their existence implies an economy already sophisticated enough to be worth defrauding. This piece imitates the Clacton type — a regional derivative of the continental Gallo-Belgic C series — by applying a thin gold wash over a bronze core, a technique requiring controlled heat and leaf gold that was anything but primitive.

The Clacton curved exergue variety is distinguished by die placement that suggests a specific workshop rather than opportunistic copying, pointing toward organized production rather than a lone forger.