Catalog
Stater 'Late Whaddon Chase type'
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 20 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Gold Stater (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Blank obverse field, characteristic of the Late Whaddon Chase type within the British Iron Age coinage tradition. The surface is entirely uninscribed and devoid of deliberate design, presenting a plain, slightly convex flan typical of hammered Celtic gold staters. The irregular flan edges reflect the hand-struck production technique of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylised Celtic horse prancing to the right occupies the central field, rendered in the abstract curvilinear artistic tradition characteristic of Late Iron Age British coinage. A prominent wing motif appears above the horse, while a pelletal sun symbol and a corded groundline are positioned below. A pierced mullet symbol is placed before the horse. The composition reflects the progressive abstraction from the original Macedonian stater prototype, with dynamic disjointed elements arranged across the flan. |
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| Additional information |
The Whaddon Chase types take their name from a significant hoard found in Buckinghamshire in 1849, which brought this distinctive series to scholarly attention. The Catuvellauni were among the most politically dominant tribes in pre-Roman Britain, controlling territory across modern Hertfordshire and beyond — their coinage reflects a mint with genuine output capacity, not occasional or ceremonial production.
The "Late" designation within this series marks a stylistic drift from earlier issues, the abstraction of the original Macedonian gold stater prototype having progressed considerably by this point in the sequence.