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Potin Unit Rounded Bull / Holman D5
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 95 BC - 80 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 |
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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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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Stylized bull striding right, rendered in the schematic Celtic linear style typical of Cantian Group D potin issues. In the finer sub-types the bull retains a recognisable bovine form with body, legs, and tail indicated by bold cast lines; in the more degraded varieties the anatomy is increasingly abstracted, with the body extending past a single rear leg and merging with the tail to form a cross-like motif. The design exhibits progressive debasement across the die sequence, from a coherent quadruped to a near-geometric arrangement of strokes. No inscription or legend appears on the reverse; the field is plain and uninscribed. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (95 BC - 80 BC) - D5/4-1: Head right, near continuous circle with little trace of a profile. Bull right - ND (95 BC - 80 BC) - D5/4-2: Head right, near continuous circle with little trace of a profile. Bull right, much cruder - ND (95 BC - 80 BC) - D5/4-3: Head right with normal outline and profile (see Group C) but with pellet. Bull right, crude - ND (95 BC - 80 BC) - D5/4-4: Head right, eye pellet, sometimes no ring. Degraded bull right, one front leg, body extends past single rear leg and tail to form a cross - ND (95 BC - 80 BC) - D5/8-1: Head right, fully continuous circle with no trace of a profile. Bull right - |
| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied what is now Kent — the closest part of Britain to Gaul — and their potin coinage reflects direct contact with Gaulish monetary practice rather than any Roman influence. Potin itself, a tin-rich bronze alloy, was cast rather than struck, making these among the technically distinct issues of pre-Roman Britain. The rounded bull types are among the earlier Cantian potins, preceding the more degenerate cast issues that become nearly abstract by the mid-first century BC.
Holman's die classification for this type remains the most granular reference work available, given how little ancient documentation exists for tribal British coinage.