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Potin Unit Nipples / Dump Type / Holman G4
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 45 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Potin |
| 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 |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Stylised representation of a bull standing right, reduced to an arrangement of rectilinear and geometric forms characteristic of the Cantian cast potin series. The body is rendered as a rectangular or trapezoidal panel, with a prominent central pellet or nipple motif in the field. The legs are indicated by short linear projections at the base of the body panel, and the head and horns are suggested by schematic linear elements at the upper right. The composition is contained within a circular border, with the overall design exhibiting the extreme abstraction and flat, unmodelled relief inherent to the cast potin technique. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Potin coinage among the Cantii was cast rather than struck — a distinction that explains the characteristic rough surfaces and irregular flan shapes that define the type. The "dump" classification simply reflects the thick, lumpen form produced by the casting process, not any degradation of the piece itself. Holman's classification work, building on Van Arsdell, helped untangle decades of misattribution within this series, as Cantian potins were long conflated with similar issues from the Trinovantes to the north.
By the mid-first century BC, potin was already an archaic monetary technology in Gaul, where struck coinage had largely taken over. Its continued use in southeast Britain likely reflects conservative local practice rather than technological isolation.