Stater 'Durotrigan B'

The so-called Durotrigan series presents a classification problem that has occupied Celtic numismatists for decades. "Durotrigan B" is a modern catalog convenience — the actual issuing tribe remains unresolved, and attributing these coins to the Durotriges is contested. They may predate the tribe's emergence as a coherent political entity entirely, placing production somewhere in the transitional period before Caesar's expeditions of 55 and 54 BC began disrupting cross-Channel trade networks that had kept Gaulish coin types circulating into southern Britain.

Gold content in this series degrades progressively through successive issues — this earlier type retains relatively high fineness before the pronounced debasement that characterizes later Durotrigan production.