Potin Unit Thurrock Chicken Head

Thurrock-type potins are among the earliest coins struck in Britain, predating the Roman conquest by well over a century and possibly introduced through trade contact with the Belgic Gaulish communities who produced the Continental prototypes. The "chicken head" designation refers to the progressive abstraction of a Classical head motif through successive generations of casting — by this stage the original source type is nearly unrecognizable, distilled into a handful of pellets and lines. These were cast rather than struck, produced in clay strip moulds that left a characteristic sprue mark on the flan.