Ihave a few collections going at the same time. There is my 12 Caesars that I still add to when I see an interesting coin, my Coins of the family of Henry II collection, and my Historical figures as dramtised by Shakespeare collection. In the latter collection I have added a Henry VI a few days ago and today I can add another historical figure. The coin below is of Cunobelinus. In the Shakespeare play he is Cymbeline. I purchase this coin from Liz at Celticcoins.com. She is helpful knowledgeable and very kind. I have no hesitation in recommending her and her website. From Britannica.com “Cunobelinus, (diedAD42), ruler of a large area of southeastern Britain from roughlyAD10 to 42. He is theCymbelineinWilliam Shakespeare’splay of that name, but the play’s fanciful plot bears no relation to the events in Cunobelinus’s career. Cunobelinus succeeded his father,Tasciovanus, aschiefof theCatuvellauni, a tribe centred north of what is now London. Tasciovanus’s capital wasVerlamio, above the later Roman site of Verulamium (modern St. Albans). Either shortly before or shortly after his accession, Cunobelinus conquered the territory of theTrinovantes, in modern Essex. He madeCamulodunum(modern Colchester) his capital and the seat of his mint. The many surviving coins from the mint are stamped with Latin slogans and figures from mythology. His power and influence were so extensively felt in Britain that the Roman biographerSuetoniusreferred to him asBritannorum rex(“King of the Britons”) in his life of the emperorCaligula. AboutAD40 Cunobelinus banished his son Adminius, who thereupon fled to Rome and persuaded Caligula to make preparations to invade Britain. The expedition was assembled, but it never left the continent. After Cunobelinus’s death, his two other sons,CaratacusandTogodumnus, displayed the hostility toward Rome that gave the emperorClaudiusan excuse to impose Roman rule on the island.” From celticcoins.com By c.AD10 Cunobelinus, ‘hound of Belenus’, son of Tasciovanos and Cymbeline of Shakespeare, had united the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes. By AD 43 his family had control of the Cantiaci, Atrebates and Regini, and influence with the Dobunni and Iceni and possibly the Corieltavi also. Suetonius (Caligula 44) called Cunobelinus ‘Britannorum rex’. I am very happy to be able to add this coin to my collection. A bonus is that it has a Centaur on it. The photo is used with permission of celticcoins.com and is the copyright of celticcoins.com. Below is my list of historical figures as dramatized by Shakespeare. Names with an Asterix mean that I want one. Coins of historical figures dramatized in Shakespeare’s plays Lepidus* Pompey* Brutus Julius Caesar Marc Antony Cassius* Augustus Henry VIII Henry IV* Henry V Henry VI Henry VII* Henry VIII Richard II* Richard III* Edward Black Prince of Wales Edward III Eleanor of Acquitaine John* Cleopatra* The Dauphin (later Charles VII) Edward IV Charles VI Phillip II of France Cunobelinus Cunobelinus Centaur.c.AD8-41. Bronze unit. 16mm. 2.38g. Head left, CVNO[BELINI]./ Centaur right, TAS[CIOVANI F] around. ABC 2957, VA 2089, BMC 1968-71, S 336. CCI 02.1143 (this coin).VF, dark green patina. Ex J W Barratt collection, ex W Tatu collection. Purchased from Chris Rudd Nuismatics, August 20, 2018 Please post your Celtic coins.
That's a cool coin. Also collecting coins of the Shakespeare plays is a nice collecting meme that I never would have thought of.
That's a cool coin orfew, I'd never heard of that cat before! Here's my first celtic coin, a 1st century BC Durotriges billon coin.
@ancient coin hunter There is actually a book on this topic called "Coins in Shakespeare: A Numismatic Guide" by J Eric Engstrom. In the book he mentions all the coins that appear in the plays. He also references occurrences of terms such as coins and coinage. From a bio by the Kansas Historical Foundation "J. Eric Engstrom was born in Wichita. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1965. He was a recognized student of Balliol College, University of Oxford, from 1965 to 1966. He earned a master’s degree in history from Wichita State University in 1966. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School in 1969. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves and served during the Vietnam War; a captain, he earned two bronze stars. After returning from service he was an associate with a large New York firm. He has been an attorney and partner with Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC, in Wichita for more than 34 years. There he has specialized in corporate and transactional work. He has lectured to many bar groups on commercial law, bankruptcy, non-profit entities, and art law subjects. He is a member of the American, Kansas, and Wichita Bar Associations; served as board member and chair of the Legal Aid Society of Wichita; and vice president and director of the Wichita Bar Association. He was appointed by five Kansas governors to the state’s Historic Sites Board of Review, which approves nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, where he was chairman for much of that time. He is advisor emeritus for the National Trust for Historic Preservation; a governor-appointed member of the Kansas Eisenhower Commission and the Capitol Area Plaza Authority; and a member of the Kansas Commemorative Coin Design Commission and co-chair the design selection subcommittee. He received the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation in 1994 and an award from the Kansas Preservation Alliance on whose board he has also served. Engstrom authored two books and numerous articles on numismatics. In 1975 President Gerald Ford appointed him to the U. S. Assay Commission, which supervised components for the U.S. Mint to ensure they met specifications. Engstrom was first elected to the Kansas Historical Foundation Board of Directors in 1982. He served many years on the executive committee, as chair, and as president in 1988." It so happens that he had a collection of coins at one time. In fact I have a coin of his in my collection. It is this denarius of Vespasian.
Collecting the coins of the historical figures in Shakespeare's plays is quite an inspired speciality! In context, that little Cunobelius bronze is a very cool addition. Congrats Andrew!
Thanks @David Atherton I am planning for this to be the theme of my next convention exhibit. I have to decide between this one and the family of Henry II.
Very cool coin. Cunobelinus grandfather was Cassivellaunus of Asterix and Obelix fame I have actually thought about basing a collection around the historical figures referenced by that comic. Caesar, Cleopatra, Brutus, Pompey, Caesarion, Metellus Scipio, Spartacus, Vercingetorix and Cassivellaunus. Could be pretty hard.
I think that would be a very interesting collection indeed. Some of those may not have coins, and some of the others would take some resources to acquire.
