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Silver Plated Unit - Ecen Ecen Corn Ear 'E' Contemporary Counterfeit
| Issuer | Iceni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 35-43 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device comprising two outline crescents arranged back-to-back, with two pellets occupying the space between their tips, all superimposed upon a vertical wreath motif. The wreath is formed by two parallel lines from which rows of pellets extend perpendicularly, with the paired crescents positioned between these bounding lines. The overall composition is characteristic of Icenian abstract decorative tradition, rendered in a schematic, pattern-based style typical of Celtic Iron Age coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Contemporary counterfeits of Iceni unit coinage are not crude forgeries in the modern sense — they circulated alongside official issues, likely accepted at face value, and were produced by smiths who understood the metallurgy well enough to apply a convincing silver wash over a bronze core. Detection required physical wear or damage. Many were never caught.
The Van Arsdell 732 series dates to the final decades before the Roman conquest of 43 AD, a period when Iceni tribal authority was already fracturing under client-king arrangements with Rome. Whether these plated pieces represent private opportunism or sanctioned emergency production remains unresolved.