Stater Regenbogenschüsselchen IX B Type, North Group

The Regenbogenschüsselchen — "rainbow cups" — earned their name from the folk belief that they materialized at the spots where rainbows touched the ground. Bavarian farmers turned them up for centuries before antiquarians recognized them as Celtic coinage. The Vindelici, settled between the Danube and the Alps, produced several distinct die groups within this family, and the Type IX B North Group represents one of the more geographically specific attributions, linked to production centers north of the main Alpine foothills.

Electrum alloy composition varies considerably across specimens, suggesting multiple smelting batches rather than a controlled mint output. Julius Caesar's campaigns into Gaul in the 50s BC accelerated the collapse of Celtic coinage traditions across the region; issues like this one were effectively obsolete within a generation of his campaigns reaching the Rhine.