Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Silver Minim - Solidus Dolphin
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 30-40 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Silver Fraction |
| 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 | Reverse depicting a stylised horse or zoomorphic figure facing left, rendered in the schematic Celtic manner with disjointed body parts suggested by pellets and curved lines. Above the animal's back, a cluster of pellets and a crescent-like element occupy the upper field, possibly representing a wheel or solar symbol. To the right, a plant or branch motif with rounded terminals is visible, a common decorative device on Cantian coinage. The overall composition is typical of the debased stater derivative tradition of the Cantii, where the original Macedonian prototype has been thoroughly abstracted. The flan is irregular and slightly ragged at the edges, consistent with hand-struck Celtic silver minims of this period. |
| 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 (30-40) |
| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied the territory of modern Kent, the primary landing zone for Caesar's expeditions of 55 and 54 BC, and their coinage tradition reflects decades of direct Continental pressure. Minims of this type circulated at the smallest denomination level, likely facilitating local exchange rather than inter-tribal tribute. ABC 477 is among several Cantian silver issues whose precise functional role remains debated — the dolphin motif appears across multiple southern British series, possibly derived from Gaulish prototypes rather than any local symbolic tradition.