10-40 AD Northern silver of Cunobelin - AR unit Hobb 1868

Obv 'CVNO' inside double rectangle, all inside wreath pellet boarder

Rev winged griffin r.,below 'CAMV' inside quad.o,pellet boarder

Sego 10 BC to 10 AD Silver Celtic unit

Celtic silver coin found in Kent by one of our members - left with me to record properly with the Celtic coin index and obtain export license correctly - 1.34g, 14.01mm

'Thanks very much for this. As you probably know the type has a very Kentish distribution, so if it is of Tasciovanus – the traditional attribution – it seems to have been produced specifically to be used there. The other interesting feature is of course the inscription itself, which is often now interpreted as meaning ‘victory’ or something similar, rather than a personal name. Tasciovanus winning a battle in Kent, perhaps?

I’ll record it as CCI 08.9335. There are only seven on the web at

http://www.finds.org.uk/CCI/images-lister.php?&VA_type=1851.01

and although the number may have gone up a little since then, it can’t be by many – perhaps a dozen at most.

All the best

Philip'

10- 40AD Cunobelin silver 1/4 stater - very rare find

'cooking' it to remove crust

'Many thanks for this one. As I'm sure you already know it's a Cunobelin type, quite a scarce one too. The catalogue reference is VA 1949, and there are 29 of them in the online CCI:

http://www.finds.org.uk/CCI/images-lister.php?&VA_type=1949.01

The obverse is pretty much unvaried throughout the type, with a simple CVN inscription in a panel, but the reverse has at least three different options in the placing of the inscription below the animal (which is probably a hunting dog). I think I can see the top of the M of CAM, for Camulodunum, on this one, but it will be easier to see when the coin is cleaned. I would also expect it to lose a bit of weight then, since 1.41g is about 0.15g heavier than usual for the type.

I would guess the date of this type is fairly early in Cunobelin's reign, perhaps c. 15 - 20 AD. I'll record this one as CCI 07.1134.'

As dug to 'cooked'

50BC Celtic silver 'face horse' type 1.06g - 14.18mm

Monster find 10-40AD Celtic Cunobelin tribe silver coin - in the 'cooker' to remove crust

13.98mm, 1.17g

rev figure stg.r.,partially draped, holding club in r.hand & palm branch in 1.,to 1.'CA',to r 'MV',pellet border

Obv .leaf c inside circle,to r.'CVNOB',to 1.'[ELI]NVS', pellet boarder

Similar Hobbs 1897

1stC Celtic silver unit - straight into the 'cooker' to remove the horn crust

Cunobelin 20 AD Celtic silver coin

The Cunobelin silver is very nice, and a rare type at that. Seated figure facing left. The only standard reference for the type is no. 308 in Spink's Coins of England, it's not in Van Arsdell or the BM catalogue. You can see the amphora which the seated figure is holding quite clearly, but the CVNOBE doesn't show up too well on either. I don't have the exact figures here for rarity, but I don't think there are more than a dozen of these recorded at most. Date is perhaps somewhere in the middle of Cunobelin's reign, say perhaps c. 20-25 AD.

Thanks again for all these,
Best wishes
Philip

Celtic silver coin with a hard lump stuck to it - this will take a lot of 'cooking' to clean

As dug

10-40 AD Cunobelin Celtic silver unit - 'cooking to remove crust'

Cunobelin 'Horse-Dog' silver, ABC 2852 (extremely rare) is CCI 12.0389

As dug

Good example showing how thick the crust is left to 'cook' off.

Cunobelin amphora type unit, ABC 2849, not in VA or BMC.  Extremely rare

As dug

Bust detail is showing through the crust - lots more 'cooking' to do yet

1stC BC Cunobelin Celtic silver coin - 'cooking' it to remove crust

C4 (M215, V2045, BMC 1863-65) Obv. head 1., spiky hair floating behind head. Variety with pointed ?bearded chin has CAM in front, VL behind head; others with less pointed chin have CAMV or CAMVL in front. Pellet border. Rev. seated Victory r., holding bowl in outstretched r. hand. Pellet in ring in front. CVNO below exergual line. Pellet border.

The 'cooking' process clearly shows the thickness of the horn crust on this coin

10- 40 AD Cunobelinus 'Sitting Griffin' type silver unit - Classed as extremely rare VA 2051, BMC 1868-9 Chris Rudd 30.73

Cooking to clean up and sent to CCI for recording and confirmed ID

Rev CVNO in tablet, wrealth border

Obv Griffin r - on tablet containing CAMV

I've done a card for the Sitting Griffin unit and it's now CCI 12.0835; I've used the photo you sent but will replace it with a better one when the coin's 'cooked'!

All the best

John

Very rare 10 -40 AD Cunobelinus Celtic silver unit - Leaping griffin type

Laureate bust r.CVNOBEL in front IINVS behind./ Griffin springing I, CAMV on ex.line.

Ref ABC 2909

Classed as excessively rare

'cooking' to remove crust

10- 40 AD Celtic silver unit

Cunobelinus Spiky silver unit CAMVl in front, CAM with VL behind

Seated victory r.holding bowl or wine cup in r.hand CVNO below chair

BMC 1863-65 classed as Very rare

http://www.celticcoins.ca/vanarsdell.php?tribe=TRI&van=2045-1

1st C BC Celtic silver unit - needs cooking to remove crust - our oldest ever silver unit at c120 BC

Not a type we have found before so checking ref books.

Gaul. Central Gaul, the Lingones. Kaletedes. AR Quinarius, circa 120/100-50 BC. Obv. Celticized head left. Rev. Celticized...

12.1mm, 1.89g

Lingones were a Celtic tribe that originally lived in Gaul in the area of the headwaters of the Seine and Marne rivers. Some of the Lingones migrated across the Alps and settled near the mouth of the Po River in Cisalpine Gaul of northern Italy around 400 BCE. These Lingones were part of a wave of Celtic tribes that included the Boii and Senones (Polybius, Histories ii.17). The Lingones may have helped sack Rome in 390 BCE.

10-40 AD Cunoblinus Leaping Griffin type Celtic silver unit

Laureate bust r CVNOBEL in front INVS behind

Griffin springing L,CAMV on ex. line

ABC 2909

Classed as excessively rare

13.25mm, 1.19g

10-140 AD Cunobelin Celtic silver unit- needs cooking to remove crust

Cunobelin 20 AD Celtic silver coin

The Cunobelin silver is very nice, and a rare type at that. Seated figure facing left. The only standard reference for the type is no. 308 in Spink's Coins of England, it's not in Van Arsdell or the BM catalogue. You can see the amphora which the seated figure is holding quite clearly, but the CVNOBE doesn't show up too well on either. I don't have the exact figures here for rarity, but I don't think there are more than a dozen of these recorded at most. Date is perhaps somewhere in the middle of Cunobelin's reign, say perhaps c. 20-25 AD.

Thanks again for all these,
Best wishes
Philip

Celtic silver unit - looks like a Cunoblein Griffin type - needs a good cook to remove crust

Celtic silver unit - looks like a Cunobelin - needs a good cook to remove crust

1.51,14.49mm

1stC BC Cunobelin Celtic silver coin - 'cooking' it to remove crust

C4 (M215, V2045, BMC 1863-65) Obv. head 1., spiky hair floating behind head. Variety with pointed ?bearded chin has CAM in front, VL behind head; others with less pointed chin have CAMV or CAMVL in front. Pellet border. Rev. seated Victory r., holding bowl in outstretched r. hand. Pellet in ring in front. CVNO below exergual line. Pellet border.

10-40 AD Cunobelinus Celtic bronze unit - Stepping griffin type

r,CAMV above and in front/Horse rearing r, quatrefoil above,CVN below

VA2081,BMC 1909-12

Classed a scarce

2.0g,14.25mm

Initially I thought this was a tiny Celtic bronze unit but it could be a 4th C Roman barbarous radiate, I have sent it to our Roman expert for his views

1.02g, 13mm

Personally, I don’t like the term “barbarous” – I’d say “unofficial mint” or “contemporary copy”, but yes, this is what many would call “barbarous”.
There were very few antoniniani in the mid-third century portraying a smallish dinosaur on the reverse.
However, science is coming around to realize what those of us who have raised chickens, etc, already knew. Dinosaurs are not extinct. They are birds now after 65 million years, but birds are the surviving direct descendants of the big guys.

This, of course, poses the question “What was the person who engraved the reverse actually thinking or trying to copy?”
In this case, the only avian reverse  (I can think of) which is likely to have been copied in this era in this general area is the standing eagle reverse on posthumous commemorative antoniniani of Claudius II Gothicus struck by his brother Quintillus and his eventual successor, Aurelian – and were extensively copied locally.

So it might be that this was the prototype for your reverse – This undersized example is on the threshold of being indefinable, as to “Copy” vs. “Official”, but from the workmanship, I’d go “official” – more on this further below.

DIVO CLAVDIO / CONSECRATIO antoninianus, likely from the mint of Rome.

I know, it’s a stretch at best, but that’s what you tend to get into with the contemporary copies from Gaul and Britain – some are pretty wild and at best only vaguely suggestive of their prototypes. To be fair, the official prototypes are often so crude and poorly executed that it’s, frankly, difficult to say “official” vs. “Unofficial” about many specimens.

You asked if it was “Celtic” – and that’s a tough call – all the people in northern Europe and Britain who were making copies in this era were, essentially, Celts (and a few immigrant Romans with various origins who had chosen not to evacuate the islands with the legions,) so yes, sort of, but this does not belong to the pre-Caesar’s conquest era Celtic material.  The folks we associate with the billon and gold staters and Æ rings, etc, belong to a time a couple hundred years previous. (Sort of misses the “Asterisk” era both before and after.)
Same people - they had significantly different rulers and political systems, but yes, to stretch the definition you could call it Celtic – “Romano-Celtic” would probably be closer to the actual situation.

Mark

10-40 AD Cunobelin celtic bronze unit recorded with CCI

2.7g,16mm

Obv bearded head right

Rev lion crouching r, above leaf r,below CAM inside quad ,o, pellet border

Hobbs Ref 1993

CCI 21.0775

10-40AD Cunobelin Celtic bronze unit

Obv Janus head below CVNO, inside quad.o,pellet border

Rev boar std,below CAMV,inside quad.o,pellet border

1.52g,13.88mm

I've recorded the Janus bronze unit as 13.0090, ABC 2981, Van Arsdell 2105.  An interesting Classical type in good condition, as you say probably looks better with the dirt on than it would cleaned!

All the best

John

Stunning Celtic bronze unit - not checked the ref books yet

10- 40 AD Cunobelinus Janus Bronze unit - Janiform head CVNO in tablet below /Sow on haunches r.,tree behind ,CAMV below VA 2105 ABC 2981 Scarce

1stC Celtic bronze unit - sent for ID and recording

1.76g, 14.5mm

John Sills of the CCII was able to ID it as a Cunobelin Stepping Griffin type ABC 2945, leaping horse on the front and you can make out the wing of the Griffin on the reverse.

10-40 AD Celtic Cunobelinus Pegasus Victory right bronze unit

Obv Pegasas, CAMV below

Rev Victory standingr,CV to l.,NO to r

ABC 2927, VA 1979 Classed rare

1.04g.12.96mm

10-40 AD Celtic Cunobelininus Stepping horse bronze unit

NT8.CVNO in tablet,within wreath/Horse stepping r.CAMV below

VA 2101 BMC 1987-90 Classed as Scarce

10 -40 AD Cunobelinus Pegasus Victory left Celtic bronze unit - great ID by Ont Mike

Scarce - probably issued for Kentish use

Ref ABC 2921

10-40 AD Cunobelin bronze unit - CVN and what appears to be a Pegasus Victory left type.

Obv Pegasus L head turned back

Rev Victory standing CVN in front

Sent to CCI for recording and ID confirmation

1.74g, 14.22mm

1stC Cunbelin bronze unit

Celtic Coin Index as 04.264