On the last day of this infamous year, another top list of my favorite escape door from toil and trouble. I love Celtic numismatics for its inventivity, its independent styles, and its great noncomformist artistry, that often links to modern art. Besides, they are the oldest coins from the area where I live, and that I (used to) roam - Northwestern Europe. I can't make a top ten, for I bought only nine. The first coin (nr. 9) shows some lettering, which is not all too common for Celtic coinage: "VERCIO". Naturally, one hopes this points to the contemporary Gallic leader Vercingetorix, who was famously vanquished by the Romans and proudly shown in chains in a Roman triumph. But we simply don't know. The coin is from the Nervii tribe, who were living in Hainault, west of Brussels. There is a famous Belgian comic strip album, that I first read as a ten-year-old, The Nervous Nervians (Suske & Wiske series, "Suske and Suzy" in English), featuring Santérix (and his wife Kokadildis), Pintorix and Twistorix, all original Flemish Nervians. So these Nervous Nervians for me always have some family feeling about them. 9. Celtic AE, Nervii, VERCIO. After 52 BC. Obv.: Lion jumping to the right. Under this, VE-RC-IO. Rev.: Horse galloping right. Above its back, a sun wheel. Text VE-R-C-IO. 17-19 mm, 4.95 gr. Scheers, Traité, 517-518. De La Tour 8780 (pl. XXXV). 8. My next coin is from another northern Celtic tribe, the Remi, who were living near Reims. An idiosyncratic design, without examples from the past or from other cultures. Celtic potin, Remi. Obv.: Head left, smooth-haired, neck decorated with wavy lines. Rev.: Wild boar to the left. Between its legs, gibbous human head (or: the boar jumps over the moon). 17 mm, 3.89 gr. Scheers, Traité, 707 (uncertain); De La Tour 9180; Depeyrot, NC V, 214 (Parisii, circa 50-30 BC). 7. This coin is very different, it's from the Eastern part of Europe (roughly around what's now Moldova), but also considered Celtic. It closely follows Greek coinage. But what a caricature face! Eastern Europe, Celtic AR drachm, imitation of Alexander III of Macedon 300-200 BC. AR 17 mm, 3.38 gr. Cf. Sergeev nr. 135: ‘Between the Balkans and the Dniepr basin’. Ostkeltischer Typenatlas (Göbl) 591,1. 6. Another Macedon-inspired silver coin, a large and characteristically vague tetradrachm from the Middle-European Carpathian region: mid-Romania near Brasov I would say. Called 'Entenschnabel' or Duck Beak type - look at the horse. Isn't it a fantastic abstract horseman? And that face at the obverse, like a thundercloud. Eastern Celts, mint in the Central Carpathian region, 2nd century BC. Scyphate AR tetradrachm. Obv. Vague Zeus head to the right, ‘Kinnlos’. = Chinless. Rev. Rider on a horse, ‘Entenschnabel’. = Duck Beak. 24 mm, 12.38 gr. Sergeev 70-71 (p. 36). Aninoasa-Dobresti type. 5. This is a coin from Gaul again, that I bought for its remarkable obverse face, like a court jester. Celtic, AR quinarius, Carnutes (living around what's now Orléans and Chartres). 50-30 BC. Andecombrius. Obv. ANDECOM Diademed and draped male bust to left. Rev. ANDECO[MBO] Male horse galloping left. 12 mm, 1.60 gr., 6 h. De La Tour 6342. From the Keltika Collection, Switzerland. 4. A tiny gold coin of curious abstract design, but derived, far, far away, from the Macedon example of the head of Philip II with the rider on the reverse. Celtic AV scyphate quarter stater. Bellovaci (Beauvais), after 57 BC. Obv. Schematized portrait to the right with a large eye. Rev. Horse galloping to the left, pellet-like body, with a large pointed ear. Above and below, a star. 11 mm, 1.49 gr. Scheers, Traité 160. 3. And this coin basically shows a like picture: a head on the obverse and a four-legged animal on the reverse. Very much abstracted, through radically different avenues! See this post by @John Conduitt for its development. Celtic, cast potin unit, Cantii (they were living in Kent, Britain). Uninscribed. Early 1st century BC (c. 75-55 BC according to Holman). Obv. Elementary head of Apollo to the left. Rev. Angular elementary bull t.r. 18 mm, 1.72 gr. Cantian F type Talbot Classification System (David Holman, 'A new classification system for the Flat Linear potin coinage', 2016) p. 62. 2. This coin I bought because of its joyous style. Celtic uninscribed AR unit, quinar size. Iceni (living in what's now Norfolk, UK). C. 50-40 BC. Bury Diadem type ("Gallo-Belgic XD") type. Uncertain mint in the upper valley of the river Yare. Obv. Diademed head left; (upside-down?) snake symbol to the left. Rev. Horse leaping left; pellet in ring of pellets above, pellet-in-annulets around. 15 mm, 1.47 gr, 6h. Talbot Bury A type, unlinked group, dies G/9. Not in Allen; Van Arsdell 80-1 ('imported)'. 1. A coin of the Remi again (well, probably), like nr. 8 above. According to the seller, this is comparable to Scheers, Traité, 528, but an unlisted variant. I can't judge that, but I fell for its fantastic design, I just had to have it. Remi? AE14. Obv.: Celticized head right, spikey hair. Rev.: Celticized horse left, dot in pellet above, three dots in pellet below. 14 mm, 1.73 gr. ‘('unlisted', cf. Scheers Traité XIX, 528).
Fine and difficult collection. Some Celtic coins like number 8 are made of potin alloy. I thought that only coins from Alexandria were struck with potin during the Roman Empire.
I know so little about Celtic coinage, but I do like the looks of numbers 5 and 2, both because of the obverse faces.
I love Celtic coinage! I just wish I have the discipline to focus on that area and not everything else. That's a wonderful set of Celtic coins, #1 and #5 especially.
No. 7. That face is truly memorable. Steve PS. Reminds me of Kirk Douglas in the 1959/1960 film "The Vikings."
Wow ! What a great run of Celtic coinage . My favorite is #6, the Celtic Tet with the stunning reverse . Many of the European Modernists from the early 20th cen. were inspired by Celtic abstractions like this horse & rider.
