Catalog
Gold Plated Stater - Comux Comux Tree Contemporary Counterfeit
| Issuer | Dobunni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-15 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Stater (1) |
| 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 |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylised triple-tailed horse advancing to the right, its tail divided into three distinct strands each terminating in a pellet, with an elliptical ear rendered above the head. Beneath the horse's body appears a six-spoked wheel, a common Celtic cult symbol. Three pellets are disposed below the tail. The retrograde Latin inscription COMVX appears inverted above the horse, identifying the issuing authority. The overall execution reflects the debased, imitative style of a contemporary forgery struck on a base-metal flan. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Contemporary counterfeits of Dobunni staters are well-documented in the archaeological record, and their existence speaks to the sophistication — and the vulnerabilities — of late Iron Age coin use in Britain. Plated forgeries were produced by smiths who understood that coinage circulated on trust rather than regular assay. The Comux Comux series, attributed to a ruler of the northern Dobunni territory in the Severn valley region, was itself a late issue, struck in the years immediately preceding or coinciding with the Claudian invasion of 43 AD.
At 3.79g, this piece falls noticeably short of the genuine stater standard, which is itself part of how plated forgeries eventually failed — the bronze core adds less mass than the gold it mimics.