I often just randomly search around the coins on ebay just to learn about other coins. Today I found this. Do you consider these coins or just a tool for trade? http://www.ebay.com/itm/CELTIC-800B...UA%2BLM&otn=5&ps=63&clkid=8399951430300914168
Personally I don't consider that a coin. A coin isn't just something that is used in an economic system. To me a coin is a piece of metal with writing or numbers on it that was made by a government as part of the economic system. That may not be the technical definition, but that's my definition. For the same reason a token isn't really a coin - it wasn't made by the government.
There are examples of gold rings made for money amongst the Celts. Most bronze rings like this are simply old rings used for horse harnesses. Its amazing how many of these go into one harness. They have been on Ebay a long time as "celtic money" but I have never seen proof celts ever made such bronze coins, and even if they did Ebay has sold 1000 times more than ever minted for the Celt. Bottom line most likely never even used for money except to the extent any piece of bronze could be.
I was leaning toward a simple bartering tool. But are the gold ones considered coins in the technical sense?
They made gold ones found in hoards of other gold coins, and the gold ones are considered proper coins. They are more decorative than these things though.
wow you have just dropped lucky my friend, i used to have an extensive collection of celtic coinage, and although ring money isn't a coin in the truest sense it is a means of uniform exchange and fills the gap from barter to coinage. there are gold, silver and bronze varieties and they are relatively inexpensive to buy. don't fall for the "it's old so it's valuable" patter i never paid more than £50 for ring money and that was the gold variants. the best way to describe them is by calling them a token rather than a coin, much like the 18th century british local coinage and the post WW1 notgeld................................http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showrecords.php?product=23006&cat=all
I thought you would chime in sir. I don't have a problem with gold or silver ones, but specifically these copper ones on Ebay are frequently also large uncleaned lots coins from SE Europe. This proves these items are not from the UK anyway. If there were copper rings in ancient UK I have not heard of them, but regardless these items on Ebay are not provenanced to the UK but rather are found commonly whenever you dig in europe as remnants of bridles and other items used for livestock. The leather disappears, the rings remain, and 1000 years later are dug up by metal detectorist looking for coins.
i had bronze rings from the uk, they looked just like rods that had been bent into a circle and were found in an ancient hoard. i have never heard of copper ones though? incidentally one of the oldest copper mines in the world is at great orme in north wales, evidence of trade with other countries were found when the site was being excavated, and it is generally thought that copper from here was alloyed with tin from cornwall to make bronze. it is also possible that some of the ones from eastern europe were adornments on clothing from as recent as the 16th century as the are perfectly joined, a craft that was unknown in iron and bronze age europe. the genuine ones are more ovoid than circular and have no welded joint, just like a rod that has been bent into a circle with the ends slightly apart.......................http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Celtic_ring_money.j
