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Gold Plated 1/4 Stater Caesar's Trophy / Tree Triangle Contemporary Counterfeit
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 45 BC - 40 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/4 Stater |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Highly stylised rendering of a Roman trophy in the Celtic tradition, derived from imagery associated with Caesar's Gallic victories. The central motif features a schematic trophy form whose lower 'roots' extend outward to delineate a triangular composition. Flanking the central device at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions are rectangular boxes filled with cross-hatched lines, a decorative convention common to Cantian coinage of this period. No legend is present. The design is executed with the abbreviated, abstract quality typical of late Iron Age British hammered coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Contemporary counterfeits of Cantii quarter staters were produced during precisely the period when Caesar's campaigns had disrupted existing trade networks and tribute flows across southeastern Britain. The gold-plated forgery — struck or cast to pass in everyday exchange — tells us more about economic stress among the Cantii than the genuine issues do. Somebody needed convincing small change badly enough to plate base metal and risk the consequences.
The BMC Iron Age catalogue number 444 places this squarely among a recognized class of plated forgeries, not later fabrications.