Celtic Central Europe, The Vindelici, Rainbow-cup, ‘Rolltier’ type Stater, c. 100-60, curled serpent with beaded mane, rev. three pellets within torque, 7.83g/12h (Kellner, Manching, pl. 44, 1107-8; LMZ 1061; Lanz 2-3; Forrer 396). Struck slightly off-centre on a scyphate flan, very fine or better, very rare £800-1,000

Provenance: Found at Clavering (Essex) 2004; C. Rudd FPL 81, May 2005 (14); C. Morrison Collection. CCI 05.0215.

Like much Celtic coinage, the curled-animal (Rolltier) type staters of southern Bavaria are distinctively concave. They emerged around Stradonitz in Bohemia and moved to Bavaria, where the issue was centred upon the heavily fortified oppidum at Manching. The series ended abruptly with the ferocious Germanic invasion from the north in about 60 BC. In Germany such coins are traditionally known as rainbow-cups (Regenbogenschüsselchen), a term derived from the superstitious belief by farmers who found them when ploughing that they were connected with the fairy tale treasure that is to be found at the end of a rainbow