East Wiltshire c.50-35 BC Savernake Wreaths Gold Stater *Extremely Rare*

East Wiltshire c.50-35 BC Savernake Wreaths Gold Stater

Crossed wreaths, solid crescents back to back, crescents in angles/Skinny horse right with pellet mane, solar spiral above, wheel below, torc like motif to front

Extremely Rare

The finest example of this type we’ve seen, a bold reverse with all detail crisp and although the obverse appears weakly struck this is the strongest we’ve seen this, a transition to being blank.

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ABC 2089 (plate coin); 17mm, 5.36g

Evans: C11 (1864, p. 77, pl. C).

Allen Type: British Ma.

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian G, Later Uninscribed Gold and Silver Coins, Wonersh Type. Van Arsdell attributes this type to the Trinovantes. He notes that “previously this type was thought to be a link between the Whaddon Chase Type (VA 1470-1509 and 1540-1558) and the Wonersh Type (VA 1520-1522), but stylistically is a link between the Wonersh and Savernake Forest Types (VA 1526).” Indeed, Van Arsdell attributes all of these to the Trinovantes. Chris Rudd also attributes the Whaddon Chase types to the North Thames (ABC 2237-40), Trinovantes (ABC 2338-47, 2383) and Catuvellauni (ABC 2433-45, 2457-60, 2478-7). But based on style and findspots he attributes both this and the Savernake Forest Type (ABC 2091) to East Wiltshire, while he places VA 1507 with the Cantii (ABC 186) and VA 1488 with the Regni (ABC 620). Rudd also attributes the Wonersh Type to the Regni (ABC 527).

Van Arsdell lists two variants:
VA 1522 – 01 (Allen Type: British MA): Abstract head of Apollo right. Five-spoked wheel below horse, six-armed spiral above (arms anti-clockwise).
VA 1522 – 05 (Allen Type: British MB): Obverse almost plain. Six-spoked wheel with axle below horse, arms of spiral turn in opposite direction (clockwise), pellet-in-ring motif in field.

However, there are also examples of VA 1522-05 with a wreath on the obverse.

Provenance

This coin is from The London Collection of Ancient British Coins. For more information click here: The London Collection – Silbury Coins : Silbury Coins

DNW auction March 2010, lot 3. Found Wanborough, Wiltshire 2004. C Rudd FPL 78, no 44. CCI 04.2168.  ABC plate coin VA 1522-5

This coin comes with a previous label.

 

‘East Wiltshire’ Tribe

Although Dobunnic coinage holds sway over much of Wiltshire, the central and eastern parts of the county appear to have been home to a different coin-issuing group for at least part of the late 1st century BC. While Derek Allen first noted the possibility of this polity’s existence in 1971, only as a consequence of the important work done by archaeologist Paul Robinson several years later (published in 1977 within BNJ 47) was this confirmed from a numismatic perspective. Previously, these coins had been féted as irregular issues of the Dobunni, a view held by both Allen and the collector R.P. Mack.

Important from a chronological perspective is the fact that no coins of the East Wiltshire group are inscribed, a feature which suggests they probably date to the end of the 1st century BC.