Favorite Celtic coins?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Nvb, Dec 12, 2018.

  1. Nvb

    Nvb Well-Known Member

    Do we have any Celtic coin enthusiasts here? I find them intriguing.. the art can be so abstract and quirky, but amazing in some cases. I got my first Celtic coin the other day, already got my eyes peeled for another.
    I'd love to see what some of the CT members have =)
     
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  3. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    There are a couple of favorite which I don't own (and am unlikely to ever own)... a Parisii stater, for example.

    Five years ago I bid too tepidly on an imitative Thasos Dionysos/Herakles and still regret it. The artwork was the best-worst I've seen on the type.

    Of the few Celtic coins I do own, this quinarius is my favorite:

    [​IMG]
    CELTIC, Central Europe (Rhineland). "Dancing Mannikin" type
    65 BCE - CE 1

    AR Quinarius, 13 mm, 1.62 gm
    Obv: dancing mannikin right, head turned left, holding snake in right hand, torque in left hand.
    Rev: horse standing right, head turned left; around, zig zag border.
    Ref: SLM 1118. Dembski 73, 396. (I'll have to take the seller's word on that for now. If any of you have a Celtic reference and find this inaccurate, please let me know.)
    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/snakebit-celtic-quinarius-little-dancing-man.256052/
     
  4. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

  5. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    My only Celtic coin. I love the abstract artwork on these.

    ($125 is over 5x what I paid btw)

    BC94AF41-DD05-4A0E-87B5-DF38F370F75C.jpeg 87506ADB-26DB-4FB3-AAD4-3677F048D0A9.jpeg 0E22F9B7-CB87-4D53-BF3B-6221B8129DC6.jpeg
     
  6. FitzNigel

    FitzNigel Medievalist

    My only Celtic coin:
    Anc-01-Britannia-jeb-Durotriges-STA-366.jpg
    Celtic Britannia
    The Durotriges (58 B.C.-43 A.D.)
    Cranborne Chase Type AR Stater, 19mm x 5.95 grams
    Obv.: Wreath, cloak and crescents
    Rev.: Disjointed horse left, rectangular head, body of crescents, four vertical legs, three roughly horizontal lines for tail, pellet below, twelve pellets above
    Ref.: SCBC 366, SGCV 172

    They are intriguing, and I have been tempted to pick up more. I am trying to keep my focus in other areas, however.
     
  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    I want a horsey gold stater but that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. I have yet to own my first Celtic coin but hope to remedy that in 2019.
     
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  8. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Lower Danube Celt.jpg
    LOWER DANUBE CELTS
    AR Drachm
    OBVERSE: Stylized head of Herakles with wild hair, right
    REVERSE: Stylized Zeus seated left holding an eagle, kantharus to left
    Struck by the Lower Danube Celts, 2d-1st Century BC
    2.9g, 20mm,
    CCCBM I 217, Kostial 896
    ex JAZ Numismatics
    EASTERN CELTS.jpg
    EASTERN CELTS, DACHREITER TYPE
    AR Drachm
    OBVERSE: Celticized head of Zeus right
    REVERSE: Celticized horseman riding left; wheel of four spokes above
    Struck by the Skordoski in Syrmia, 2d Century BC
    1.87g, 14mm
    OTA 188/2-3
     
  9. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    CELTIC COINS

    Very few, an area of future focus for me, and as a whole - very cool / creative artwork:

    Danubian Celts:
    Drachm versions of the 2 below seem a little harder to find. Tets were used in trade, Drachmae were used in local commerce...
    Celtic Imitation Philip II AR Drachm Kugelwangel type- Agora auction.JPG
    Celt Imit Philip II 2nd C BCE AR Drachm ~2g Zeus Horse pellet-in-annulet above Kugelwangel type- Danube Valley - Kostial 508 OTA 204


    Celtic Imitation Philip II 2nd C BCE AR Drachm Kugelwangel type- Danube Valley - pecunum auction.JPG
    Celtic Imitation Philip II 2nd C BCE AR Drachm ~2g Kugelwangel type- Danube Valley - pecunum auction


    Proto-Money:
    This is probably Celtic Proto-Currency, and more likely a horse harness ring traded for its Bronze value:
    Celtic AE Ring 800-500 BCE.jpg
    Celtic AE Ring 800-500 BCE


    ICENI
    Celtic Britain Iceni Boudicca 61 CE 1.03g Celt Hd r Celtic horse galloping Scarce.JPG
    Celtic Britain Iceni Boudicca 61 CE 1.03g Celt Hd r Celtic horse galloping Seaby 434 Scarce
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2018
  10. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Attached are photos of a Eastern Celtic imitation of a Thasos tetradrachm I won from a CNG auction about 15 years ago, circa 100 BC - AD 100, 35 mm, 16.35 gm. Both sides are pretty bizarre. :jawdrop: 100_4155.JPG 100_4158_0001.JPG
     
  11. Ken Dorney

    Ken Dorney Yea, I'm Cool That Way...

    My favorite:

    2990.jpg

    Danubian Celts, 3rd – 1st Century BC
    Imitating Philip III of Macedon

    Silver Tetradrachm, 27mm, 16.71 grams
    Obverse: Head of Herakles right wearing lions skin with ornamentation.
    Reverse: Blundered legend intending to read BAΣILEΩΣ ΦILLIΠΠOY, Zeus enthroned left holding eagle and scepter, two monograms to left, letter below throne.

    References:
    Kostial 905

    Provenance:
    Tom Cederlind, Private Sale, September 20th 2014.
     
  12. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I have 2.

    celtic the remi.jpg


    Celtic Gaul, the Remi; 1st Century BC, AE 20, 4.04g. De La Tour-8145.
    Obv: Great God facing.
    Rev: Boar standing r. From a private Kansas City Collection mostly formed in the 1980s-1990s. Purchased from Chris Rudd. Some porosity.
    Purchased from Harlan Berk, 204thBid or Buy Sale July 2018

    Cvnobellinus.jpg

    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
     
  13. Cobbler

    Cobbler Member

    As I only have one which I use as my Avatar I felt I should share it even though it is very similar to the one posted by Alegandron

    Iceni Ar unit, Norfolk God Moustache type c. AD 25-43 Seaby 434
    Male head r, wearing boarskin headdress, slit and crescent eye, two trefoils in front
    Horse r, with beaded mane, beaded pelta above, ‘kite’ motif below.

    Iceni AR unit.jpg
     
  14. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    NICE! LOL, we have the "Headless Horsey" variety! :)
     
  15. rrdenarius

    rrdenarius non omnibus dormio Supporter

    I have a few. This is the favorite I have pictured. I bought the coin for my cousin's daughter who became a Baylor Bear. Her grandparents were Texas Longhorns. The coin has one of each.
    Celtic Bear coin 001.JPG
    Celtic Bear coin 003.JPG
     
  16. FitzNigel

    FitzNigel Medievalist

    I may be misremebering, but I think @RAGNAROK might be a Celt enthusiast...
     
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  17. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    I added my Parisii stater late last year, my favorite Celtic type. Artistically, these coins are far more Picasso than Phidias, giving some nice contrast to the usual Classical designs:

    Parisii.jpg
     
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  18. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    Celtic gold like the issues of the Parisii are IMO some of the most beautiful and aesthetically appealing ancient coins. I only have a few "poor man's" celtic coins

    Central Gaul, Aulerci Cenomani
    2nd-1st century BC
    AR Unit/Obol
    Head of Athena / Schematized Victory holding wreath over horse galloping over bust of Sol
    Celtic gaul Aulerci Cenomani AR obol 50 BC.jpg
    (Side note: this is apparently from a very brief transitional period between an earlier, more naturalistic phase and a later, more abstracted phase.)

    Gaul, Leuci
    2nd-1st century BC
    Potin unit
    Male head right
    Boar standing left over three-arched hill
    imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-gfiz2NFwz73u4ct.jpg
    (I've always been fascinated that the Celts in Gaul devised the same symbol used by Buddhists in India at the same time!)

    Iberia, Bolskan
    AR Denarius
    2nd century BC
    Male head right, BoN behind
    Horseman galloping right, BoLSkAN beneath
    Bolskan denarius.jpg
    (It's a matter of debate whether this is a "Celtic" coin, as it was made by a culture synthesized from indigenous, Greek, Punic, and Celtic influences, and was minted under nominal Roman authority)
     
  19. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Celts of Iberia (like @Finn235 said...):

    upload_2018-12-12_11-38-9.png
    OSCA Spain AR silver denarius 204-154 BC. Head r beard -N behind - Horseman spear, Iberian PMAN BOLSCAN Burgos 1501 Villaronga 3


    Iberia Secaisa Segeda AE 25 2nd-1st C BC Male Hd Dolphin Horseman Galloping.jpg
    Iberia Secaisa Segeda AE 25 2nd-1st C BC Male Hd Dolphin Horseman Galloping


    Iberia Castulo Late 2nd C BC AE As 25mm Bust Nose Hand Sphinx.jpg
    Iberia Castulo Late 2nd C BC AE As 25mm Bust Nose Hand Sphinx



    Iberia - Castulo AE14 Quarter Unit Bust - BOAR w-star 2nd C BCE.JPG
    Iberia - Castulo AE14 Quarter Unit Bust - BOAR w-star 2nd C BCE


    (Probly Celts in Hannibal's army that were bashing these coins out)
    Carthage Iberia 218-208 BC AE 13 1-4 Calco Barcid Military Mint 2nd Punic War Tanit Helmet.jpg
    Carthage Iberia 218-208 BC AE 13 1-4 Calco Barcid Military Mint 2nd Punic War Tanit Helmet
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2018
  20. TheRed

    TheRed Well-Known Member

    I have one Celtic coin, a tetradrachm from the Danubian Celts in the style of Philip II of Macedon.
    35731q00.jpg
    Danubian Celts AR Tetradrachm, 4th-3rd Century BC
    25.3 mm14.259g
    Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right.
    Rev: FILIPPOU, naked youth on horse pacing right holding branch, L-K and torch below.
    SGCV I 203
     
  21. Al Kowsky

    Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

    Ancient Joe, That coin is a great piece of tribal art. What is the date range & weight of the coin? Tell me those people weren't into psychotropic drugs.....
     
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