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Potin Unit Nipples / Dump Type / Holman G1
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 45 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylised, schematically rendered head depicted in low relief, its features reduced to a series of concentric raised rings emanating from a prominent central pellet or boss, the whole design executed in the characteristic abstract Celtic manner. The facial elements — brow, eye socket, and cheek — are entirely dissolved into geometric circular forms, retaining no naturalistic detail. The irregular flan, typical of the cast dump technique, frames the design with an uneven, lumpy border. No legend or inscription is present. The surface carries an olive-green patina consistent with potin alloy burial finds. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Stylised bull standing, rendered in a boldly schematic Celtic idiom with the body represented by a trapezoidal or box-like central mass from which vestigial limbs project. The head and horns of the bull are indicated by curved relief lines above the body, and a sweeping curved line to the right suggests the hindquarters or tail. The whole design is enclosed within multiple concentric raised rings forming an abstract border, consistent with the Holman G1 type. Depending on the die variety, an upturned crescent may appear in the exergue beneath the bull. No legend or inscription is present. |
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| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied the territory of modern Kent and were among the first British tribes to encounter Julius Caesar directly — his two invasions of 55 and 54 BC passed straight through their lands. Potin coinage of this type predates those incursions and was cast rather than struck, a technique inherited from Gaulish prototypes ultimately derived from Massaliote bronze issues. The "nipple" designation refers to a casting artifact, not intentional design, produced when molten metal was poured into a strip mould and individual flans snapped apart.