Trinovantes Dubnovellaunos c. 5 BC-AD 10 Branch Gold Stater *Scarce*

Trinovantes Dubnovellaunos c. 5 BC-AD 10 Branch Gold Stater

Back-to-back outline crescents at centre of straight wreath with very fine leaves between three parallel lines and ending in ringed pellets. Two ringed pellets either side and parallel grooves either side of those.

Annulate, Celticised horse left with pellet mane and ringed pellet on shoulder, usually dog-leg joint on second leg. Leafy, curved branch below. Ringed pellet above. Pellets in front. Inscription around, with retrograde N.

Extremely rare, 15 known.

An appealing coin with near complete inscription and characterful horse.

View Video Here

ABC 2389; 19mm, 5.46g

Rainer Kretz, “The Trinovantian staters of Dubnovellaunos”, BNJ 78, 2008:

Kretz Type B (Transitional type, Sills DK 536). The inside ends of the wreath leaves point away from the centre.

Sills Annulate Head (7 obverse, 8 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Dubnovellaunos; Staters: Class 1 – Annulate Head. Derived from the Westbury stater (ABC 2442) but the prototype was Addedomaros’s Crescent Cross (ABC 2514). The horse is similar the the Cantian Weald Net (ABC 177).
Sills DK 536 (Kretz Type B): Inside ends of wreath leaves point away from the crescents (see CCI 94.0884).

Sills believes that both Dubnovellaunos’s silver coins, V-Sign (ABC 2398) and Scissors (ABC 2401), equate to his earliest gold, Annulate Head and A Type (Sills 537). The Crescent Head bronze (ABC 2410) equates with the silver.

Sills chronology: Gallo-Belgic Ca – British G (Early Clacton) / Aa Westerham – British La (Whaddon Chase) – British Lb (Westbury) – Addedomaros – Dubnovellaunos – Tasciovanos.

Dubnovellaunos was almost beyond doubt king of both the Trinovantes and Cantii. Around 7, at the end of his reign, he and Tincomarus of the Atrebates appeared in the res gestae as supplicants to Augustus, but it is not known whether that he was king of the Trinovantes or Cantii at the time.

Provenance

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

M Vosper June 1995. Found Great Dunmow. Kretz Transitional type B VA 1650-5

This coin comes with a previous label.

 

Dubnovellaunos (c. 10/5 BC–AD 10?)

Dubnovellaunos is an intriguing character within the Late Iron Age coin series, not least because (if the same person) his issues appear to have been struck and/or used in both Kent and Essex. However, his Kentish issues show much more variety, suggesting that he may well have begun his rule within the territory of the Cantiaci. Striking in gold, silver and bronze, it seems to be that he likely overlapped at least partially with the reign of Tasciovanos.  One piece of evidence for this is provided by a small hoard from Toppesfield, Essex, which contained two staters of Tasciovanos alongside three staters and a quarter-stater of Dubnovellaunos. He may well be the ‘Dumnobellaunos’ referenced in Augustus’ Res Gestae, perhaps implying his acquiescence to Rome during the early 1st century AD.