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Potin Unit Crescent Bull
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 85 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Potin Unit |
| 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 |
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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 | Schematized outline bull advancing to the right, its body rendered in bold relief with a curved dorsal line and a prominent central boss indicating the flank or haunch. The animal stands above a horizontal ground line forming the exergual division, below which two crescent-shaped symbols are disposed in the exergue, a diagnostic feature of this Cantian series. The design is enclosed within a plain raised border, and the overall composition reflects the progressive Celtic stylization of the Massaliote bull prototype. No legend or inscription is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied what is now Kent, and their potin coinage was among the earliest struck — or rather cast — in Britain, predating the Roman invasion by generations. Potin itself is a tin-rich bronze alloy, and these pieces were produced by casting in strip moulds rather than striking, then snapped apart, which accounts for the irregular flan shapes almost universal to the type. ABC 168 sits within a sequence showing progressive schematization of the design across die generations, making die linkage studies unusually productive for this series.