Catuvellauni, Cunobelin, Stater, Wild type, ear of barley dividing CAMV, rev. horse prancing right, heart-shaped ornament between front legs, branch and five-pointed star above, CVN[O] below, 5.48g/11h (BMC 1793; VA 1931-3; cf. S 283). Good very fine or better, lovely rose-gold surfaces, excessively rare
£2,500-3,000

Provenance: Found at Didcot (Oxfordshire); C. Rudd FPL 78, November 2004 (62). CCI 03.1407

This extremely rare variety of the Wild type Stater has a distinctive heart-shaped ornament between the horse’s forelegs. The evolution of the coinage from a typical Celtic style to a more Romanized classical style suggests that the coins were issued over a considerable period, perhaps some 20 to 30 years, at a time when Roman influence on the native tribes was considerable