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Gold Plated ¼ Stater Irstead Trefoil / Irstead Trefoil Two Dots Contemporary Counterfeit
| Issuer | |
|---|---|
| Year | 5-10 |
| Type | Contemporary counterfeit coin |
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| Obverse description | Central latticed or hatched square motif flanked by two opposed crescents, their horns pointing outward. Projecting branch-like extensions emanate above and below the central device. Two pellets are positioned above and two below the crescent elements, serving as subsidiary decorative features in the field. The overall composition reflects the schematised, abstract Celtic artistic tradition typical of late Iron Age British coinage, rendered with the characteristic imprecision of a contemporary counterfeit. The flan is irregular and shows areas of green bronze corrosion beneath the surviving gold wash. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse is depicted stepping to the right, its form reduced to the schematic linear conventions characteristic of late Iron Age Celtic coinage in Britain. A trefoil device occupies the field above the horse, serving as the principal identifying symbol of the Irstead Trefoil type. A ringed pellet — a pellet enclosed within a circular ring — appears in the lower field beneath the horse. The design is crudely executed consistent with the nature of a contemporary counterfeit, with the underlying bronze core visible through the worn gold plating in areas. |
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| Additional information |
Produced in Roman Britain during the twilight of native Celtic coinage, this piece belongs to a class of locally made forgeries intended to pass alongside genuine gold quarter staters in everyday exchange. The Irstead Trefoil type takes its name from a Norfolk hoard find, placing its circulation firmly within Iceni territory. Gold-plating over bronze was not crude desperation — it required access to genuine coins as models and enough metallurgical skill to produce a convincing surface.
The forger's identity is irrecoverable, but the existence of two dot variants alongside the standard trefoil type suggests more than one working die, implying organized production rather than opportunistic one-off fraud.