Silver 1/2 Unit - Belgae Gawain's Wings

The Atrebates arrived in southern Britain as refugees — or conquerors, depending on your source — fleeing Caesar's campaigns in Gaul during the 50s BC, bringing with them coin-making traditions directly transplanted from the Belgic region of the continent. This fractional silver represents the smallest practical denomination in a system designed for fine economic calibration, not just prestige exchange.

VA 168-1 is among the more precisely attributed varieties in Van Arsdell's Celtic coinage reference, placing it squarely within the output of a tribe that would later produce Tincomarus and Verica — client kings who appealed directly to Augustus and Claudius respectively.