Tetradrachm Zangenlorbeer Type

The "Zangenlorbeer" — literally "tongs laurel" — designation refers to a specific die-cutting convention used by Celtic die engravers in the eastern Balkan and Danubian workshops, where the laurel wreath elements were rendered with a characteristic pincer-like treatment derived from, and progressively abstracting, Macedonian prototype coinage. These workshops had no centralized mint authority; production was tribal and episodic, likely tied to raiding wealth and mercenary pay flowing back from Hellenistic campaigns in the south. Attribution to a specific group remains unresolved, with Göbl's classification system grouping several stylistically related but geographically dispersed die families under shared plate references.