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Potin Unit Rounded Bull / Holman E3
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 85 BC - 70 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylised bull rendered in profile, facing left or right depending on the sub-type, executed in the bold, schematised Celtic tradition. The animal's body is delineated by strong cast lines, with the back and haunches suggested by a broad horizontal band surmounted by two hemispherical bosses representing the shoulders or horns. The legs are indicated by short vertical strokes beneath the body, and the tail is rendered as a curving or straight linear element. The design fills the flan without inscription, consistent with all known varieties of the Holman E3 type. The field is plain and unadorned. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/3-1: Head right, no eye pellet. Bull left - ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/3-2: Head right, with eye pellet. Bull left - ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/4-1 (Allen H1): Head right, no eye pellet. Bull right - ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/4-2 (ABC 165, Allen J2): Head right, with eye pellet. Bull right, curved - ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/4-3: Head right, with eye pellet. Bull right, straight tail and legs - ND (85 BC - 70 BC) - E3/4-4: Head right, no eye pellet or neck line. Bull right, elongated curving tail with inner projection, no separate crescents - |
| Additional information |
Potin coinage of the Cantii was cast rather than struck — a production method already archaic by Continental standards when these pieces entered circulation in southeast Britain. The alloy, a debased tin-bronze, was poured into clay moulds in strips and broken apart, which is why flan shape varies so dramatically across the type. Holman's classification work, published in 2000, brought long-overdue order to what had previously been a poorly differentiated group, distinguishing E3 from related varieties by specific flan and design characteristics rather than weight alone.