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Potin Unit Curved Bull / Holman B1
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 115 BC - 100 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Stater |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Highly stylised bull standing or charging to the right, rendered in a schematised and degraded La Tène linear style consistent with early Cantian cast potin coinage. The body of the animal is indicated by bold cast lines suggesting the back, haunches, and legs, while the head and horns are reduced to angular or curved abstract forms. Below the bull's body, further cast lines may represent the ground line or additional decorative elements derived from the original Massalian prototype. The composition fills the flan without inscription or legend. Progressive stylistic degeneration from the Massalian bull prototype is evident, placing this type among the earliest in the Kentish potin series. |
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| Mintage | ND (115 BC - 100 BC) - B1/2–1: Head left, extra curved line around (a degraded helmet). Bull right - ND (115 BC - 100 BC) - B1/2–2: Head left (no extra line). Bull right - |
| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied the territory now roughly corresponding to Kent, and their potin coinage is among the earliest struck — or more precisely, cast — money produced in Britain. Potin, a tin-rich bronze alloy, was used across southern Britain and northern Gaul for low-denomination exchange before the Roman conquest made such local issues obsolete. The casting process rather than striking distinguishes these from later Celtic coins entirely.
Holman's classification system, built from a corpus assembled over decades, places this B1 variety at the beginning of the sequence — the earliest recognizable Cantian type.