Trinovantes Dubnovellaunos c.5 BC-AD 10 Gold Stater

A beautiful coin in hand, reverse struck high so only the very beginning of the inscription is showing but a full horse and decoration is a pleasing compromise. Perfect obverse.

ABC2392, S207; 17mm, 5.35g

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian L, Earlier Dynastic Issues, Dubnovellaunus in Essex, Gold Coins.
VA 1655 – 09: DVBNOVIILLA, pellet above tail (not below or behind rear leg). However, the number and position of pellets varies from die to die.

Rainer Kretz, “The Trinovantian staters of Dubnovellaunos”, BNJ 78, 2008:
Kretz Type D (Letter II type). Identifiable by the letters II in DVBNOVIILLA(VNVS) and a more elegant, Romanised horse, D1-5.

Sills DK 538 (10 obverse, 12 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Dubnovellaunos; Staters: Class 2b – II Type. The same obverse as the A Type (Sills 537). The reverse differs in the spelling, with II replacing E, and the B is rendered as a B and not an R (the engraver using R seems to have moved to the Cantii). The one die with DVBNOVELLAVN spelling links to the DVBNOVIILLAVN reverses.

Sills places bronze unit Hairy (ABC 2407) with later Dubnovellaunos gold such as II Type because the horse is naturalistic rather than annulate. He also puts Headband bronze (ABC 2404), with the DVBNOVIILL spelling, at this time. Centre Parting (ABC 2413) and Corded (ABC 2416) are not certainly Dubnovellaunos.

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 was as king of the Trnovantes or Cantii at the time.