Celtic Gold Coins in Wales

[The Doc]

Found this article which gives the total of Celtic gold coins recorded in Wales as 20:

http://www.cf.ac.uk/hisar/people/pg/IARCW.html

I have searched for a match for the gold item found at the recent rally, but without success. It appears to have been punched with the circular marks, and overall I do not think it is a coin. It may be a piece of decorated ancient gold, so should be reported as potential Treasure.

[StumbledUpon]

I also think its a significant find. and a very unusual find.  Fab!

[proconsul]

Interesting, Peter. I would have said it was too small to be a piece of jewellery and from what I saw there was no evidence of how it would have been worn or used if it was. It seems the right size to be exchanged for a reasonable amount of goods and or services so my money would still be on it being some kind of coin. Perhaps it even predates staters?

[KANE (DES)]

COULD it be some kind of token as geoff said to pay for goods of some kind DES

[Neil]

I am still firmly in the its a coin camp gentlemen. I really don't think that its jewellery or decoration - no signs of any solder or attachments on the reverse. Has the right weight for its size, feel (granted I've only held two other staters before this) and I'm virtually certain its gold (reminds me of Victorian pale rose gold colourwise). The only doubtful bit in my opinion was the reverse, which wasn't as bulbous as the other staters.

Could it be early foreign gold? Some French early coins are a bit odd in design.

I still have faith in the Doc finding a conmparison. He's not been beaten yet!

Consider the continent mon amie.
Neil

[Richy]

What's the size and weight of the coin/relic?

Richy.

[Neil]

I managed to find a picture of a coin belonging to the Ambiani Tribe from North East France. They lived around the area that is today known as Amiens, and regularly fought against the Romans. Is it possible that a Welsh mercenary fighting for the French tribe against the Romans could have brought the coin home as payment. Puely speculation but its a thought and the coin below is not too.

I know its not the same, but its quite similar to the one found on Sunday, all be it less worn.

Neil

[hedgehog]

I am with Peter on this one , the big difference is that the marks are impressed , not raised as they would be if it was a coin. What we need is a good pic of the reverse, maybe it has been cut off the end of a piece of jewellery, is there a punch or cutting mark on the reverse? (i.e. cut off a torc like object). Probably totally wrong but it doesn't have the same characteristics as a coin, and could it be electrum?
Anyways it's a nice find that needs professional identification.

[DIG IT! (ADIE)]

When i seen it at the rally i wasnt totally convinced it was a coin after handling it and looking at it im still very dubious of it being a coin,although i hope it is! the inverted design of the circles are my biggest concern where on other staters they protrude out.It could be just a blob of gold that fell to earth and escaped our ancient ancestors.Still a lovely find though

[James]

i dont think it is a coin, as some have said it is the right size but the markings dont look right and the gold it is made from dont look right, when i saw it at the rally it looked more like a blob of 9crt gold and it is not like the usuall yellow gold, and what is the average thickness of staters? as this was quite thick for its size. im not convinced

[altinkum]

i think it's a coin and the decoration on the front did'nt get there on it's own it was put on there by someone for a reason. why cant it be a unknown local tribe's coin just because it does not have a twin in some museum book does'nt mean jack s**t new coin's are being found all the time with the advance's of modern detector's.

[llanelli club]

well it is strange that i have showed this item to over 100 detectorists some of which already have many staters in thier collection nearly all said with instinctivness it is a 1/4 stater.
 also said it's pinkish yellow gave them the impression of high carrat gold may even be welsh gold .
i believe this is a coin /stater . a tribe may never be atributed as unknown would be my guess so far . it may have been impacted very hard long after its manufacture it had a pale sediment /oxidation on it's surface which only result with gold from settlement of dust which simply came of with nail scrape.
back to impact this could have caused flatening of pattern where it originally stood proud although it is a longshot of that to happen .
if not a stater as we know them it must have been before the recorded types then .
all i hope is that it get's mick a result. he started to think it's not and it will be sometime before it's return for a definite answer.

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

How were staters made?

[Charles Cater]

Neil,
Why are the staters shown twice. Is the reverse blank. The one you show on your finger looks like an early uninscribed type 

[Neil]

Shown twice by error Charles - the one on my fingers is the one that was found