Corn ear (barley) with central stalk, three symmetrical pairs of corn, bold bristles, arcs at the base of the stem. Inscription (CA M) either side.

Neat horse rearing right. Crescent triad (three small arcs, upper pair with wings) above. Inscription (CVNO) below.

Minted at Camulodunum, modern-day Colchester, United Kingdom

Excessively Rare, 11 known

High grade and most appealing.

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ABC 2825; 11mm, 1.35g

Sills Classic A, Crescent Triad (2 obverse, 2 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Cunobelinus; Quarter Staters: Class 7d – Classic A, Crescent Triad. The obverse is based on the Classic A Arc Stem (Sills DK 567), which is the equivalent stater.
Sills DK 591: No pellet border on obverse.

The equivalent stater is Classic Crescent (ABC 2821) and both (with moon emblems) are likely to be posthumous.

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

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 PT Oct 1995. Found Sandwich, Kent.

This coin comes with a previous label.

Cunobelin (c. AD 10–40)

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, based on his extensive bronze coinage Cunobelin appears to have been a son of Tasciovanos – where he is often styled ‘CVNOBELINI TASCIOVANI F’ (Cunobelin, Son of Tasciovanos). Writing in the early 1st century AD, the Roman historian Suetonius erroneously refers to Cunobelin as ‘Brittanorum Rex’ – King of the Britons. While this may exaggerate his power and influence somewhat, it is evident that he was viewed by the Romans as a key figure within the region. He was potentially sponsored or endorsed in some way by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Indeed, like Verica, many of his coins (especially those of silver and bronze) show high levels of classical influence.

As a ruler in his own right, Cunobelin’s first act seems to have been to finish the task begun by his father, definitively exerting control over both Camulodunon and the Trinovantian territory surrounding it. Numismatic evidence for this can be found in the prolific quantities of gold staters and quarter-staters he struck at the settlement, which depict a corn-ear flanked by the inscription ‘CAMV’. Having solidified his holdings north of the Thames, it seems that Cunobelin extended his influence into Kent. Indeed, many of his coins are found there, as are those of his probable son – Adminius (Amminus). The subsequent power vacuum caused by his death in AD 40, followed by a brief period of instability which seems to have manifested across much of eastern and southern Britain, would be quickly filled following the Claudian invasion of AD 43 – an event which changed Britain forever.

The post Catuvellauni & Trinovantes Cunobelinus c. AD 8-40 Classic Bow Type Gold Quarter Stater *Excessively Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Neat corn ear (barley) with central stalk with symmetrical grain pairs, pronounced bristles from every grain. Inscription(CA M) either side. At base of stalk inverted arc with twin scrolls.

Naturalistic horse prancing left, fine pellet mane. Floral motif (stalk with thistle head between two leaves) above. Inscription (CVNO) on exergual line below.

Minted at Camulodunum, modern-day Colchester, United Kingdom

Extremely Rare, 19 known.

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ABC 2804; 19mm, 5.41g

Evans: IX.3 (1864, p. 297, pl. IX).

Allen: Classic B.

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian X, Coinage of Cunobeline, Expansion Period (Light Staters), Classic Type Gold Coins.

Sills DK 571 (2 obverse, 4 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Cunobelinus; Staters: Class 8 – Classic Left. The floral emblem suggests this is posthumous and may have been issued by Caratacus or Togodumnus, with the latter issuing DVBN quarters (ABC 3008). The few posthumous coins issued of this and Crescent (ABC 2801) suggest Cunobelin died shortly before the Claudian invasion.

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

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 PT Nov 1996. CCI 15.0215 VA 2029-1 var.

This coin comes with a previous label.

Cunobelin (c. AD 10–40)

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, based on his extensive bronze coinage Cunobelin appears to have been a son of Tasciovanos – where he is often styled ‘CVNOBELINI TASCIOVANI F’ (Cunobelin, Son of Tasciovanos). Writing in the early 1st century AD, the Roman historian Suetonius erroneously refers to Cunobelin as ‘Brittanorum Rex’ – King of the Britons. While this may exaggerate his power and influence somewhat, it is evident that he was viewed by the Romans as a key figure within the region. He was potentially sponsored or endorsed in some way by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Indeed, like Verica, many of his coins (especially those of silver and bronze) show high levels of classical influence.

As a ruler in his own right, Cunobelin’s first act seems to have been to finish the task begun by his father, definitively exerting control over both Camulodunon and the Trinovantian territory surrounding it. Numismatic evidence for this can be found in the prolific quantities of gold staters and quarter-staters he struck at the settlement, which depict a corn-ear flanked by the inscription ‘CAMV’. Having solidified his holdings north of the Thames, it seems that Cunobelin extended his influence into Kent. Indeed, many of his coins are found there, as are those of his probable son – Adminius (Amminus). The subsequent power vacuum caused by his death in AD 40, followed by a brief period of instability which seems to have manifested across much of eastern and southern Britain, would be quickly filled following the Claudian invasion of AD 43 – an event which changed Britain forever.

The post Catuvellauni & Trinovantes Cunobelinus c. AD 8-40 Classic Left Type Gold Stater *Scarce* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

CAMVL inscription in beaded tablet (V and L ligate) with ringed pellets at either end, in centre of vertical wreath of small horizontal leaves either side of a solid line enclosed in round-cornered panels. Heart shaped ‘faces’ and bucrania in opposite angles.

Biga (two-horse chariot) left with Roman Republic-style horses. Large leaf above, with pellet below. Four-spoked wheel with pellets between spokes below. Curved exergual line with inscription below – CVNOBELINI or similar.

Very Rare

A superb coin, boldly struck on both sides, crisp detail.

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ABC 2771 (plate coin); 17mm, 5.25g

Minted at Camulodunum, modern-day Colchester, United Kingdom

Provenance

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

Buckland Dix & Wood auction Sept 1994, lot 12. Kretz early type Class A4. CCI 94.1254.  ABC plate coin. Spink COE 2026 plate coin (280) VA 1910-1

This coin comes with a previous label.

Cunobelin (c. AD 10–40)

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, based on his extensive bronze coinage Cunobelin appears to have been a son of Tasciovanos – where he is often styled ‘CVNOBELINI TASCIOVANI F’ (Cunobelin, Son of Tasciovanos). Writing in the early 1st century AD, the Roman historian Suetonius erroneously refers to Cunobelin as ‘Brittanorum Rex’ – King of the Britons. While this may exaggerate his power and influence somewhat, it is evident that he was viewed by the Romans as a key figure within the region. He was potentially sponsored or endorsed in some way by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. Indeed, like Verica, many of his coins (especially those of silver and bronze) show high levels of classical influence.

As a ruler in his own right, Cunobelin’s first act seems to have been to finish the task begun by his father, definitively exerting control over both Camulodunon and the Trinovantian territory surrounding it. Numismatic evidence for this can be found in the prolific quantities of gold staters and quarter-staters he struck at the settlement, which depict a corn-ear flanked by the inscription ‘CAMV’. Having solidified his holdings north of the Thames, it seems that Cunobelin extended his influence into Kent. Indeed, many of his coins are found there, as are those of his probable son – Adminius (Amminus). The subsequent power vacuum caused by his death in AD 40, followed by a brief period of instability which seems to have manifested across much of eastern and southern Britain, would be quickly filled following the Claudian invasion of AD 43 – an event which changed Britain forever.

The post Catuvellauni & Trinovantes Cunobelinus c. AD 8-40 Biga Type Gold Stater *Very Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

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

Naturalistic, leaping horse left with pellet mane, sharply-angled front legs and extended rear legs. Leafy, arched branch below. Ringed pellet above and two below. Pellet in front and sometimes above (either side of ringed pellet), below, under the tail, over the tail, behind the rear leg, and sometimes a pellet triad behind or under the tail. Inscription around.

Scarce

A fantastic example, boldly struck with full inscription and well executed design, a premium coin.

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ABC 2392; 19mm, 5.42g

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian L, Earlier Dynastic Issues, Dubnovellaunus in Essex, Gold Coins. Van Arsdell lists two variants:
VA 1655 – 05: DVBNOVIILLA, pellet below tail and behind rear leg.

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:
D3-3: Slender and elegant horse, pellet triad after DVBNOVIILLA, pellet under horse and under end of tail, pellet between the two ringed pellets below branch (see CCI 68.0340).

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 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

Lockdales auction 152, lot 1881. Kretz Type D3-3

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.

The post Trinovantes Dubnovellaunos c. 5 BC-AD 10 Branch Gold Stater *Scarce* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Complex wreath between two pellet lines, either with four strands below the hairbar and three above (inside edge of leaves down), or two strands within fine pellet lines. Stylised, hanging locks of hair behind the wreath. Crescents in front are symmetrical around the hairbar, ringed pellets in front of each with annulets above and below. Spike (hairbar) has two ringed pellets and ends in a third behind the crescents.

Horse right, large rump, double tail, pellet mane. Ringed pellet below. Bold ringed pellets and pellets above and in front.

Extremely Rare, 7 known.

An exquisite mini art work, showcasing the abilities of ancient craftmanship at its best.

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ABC 2359 (plate coin); 11mm, 1.28g

Sills DK 435 (2 obverse, 5 reverse dies): Early North-East Thames Coinage; Type: British Lc2; Quarter Staters: Class 2c – Heybridge Annulets. Shares an obverse die with Heybridge Spiral (Sills 434).

Sills chronology: Gallo-Belgic Ca – British G (Early Clacton) / Aa Westerham – British Ab (Great Waltham) – Shotley (British F) – British Lc/Ld.

Provenance

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

C Rudd FPL 21, no 51. Found Heybridge, Essex 1995. CCI 95.3459.  ABC plate coin

This coin comes with a previous label.

Trinovantes

Maintaining influence over a broad swathe of the North Thames region, running broadly from Essex in the east to Oxfordshire in the west, the Trinovantes and Catuvellaunii have traditionally been considered as separate entities. This view was largely based on the writings of Julius Caesar, who vividly described the tactics of his opponent, the Catuvellaunian chieftain Cassivellaunos, as well as detailing the warlike ambitions he imposed upon his neighbours. However, this perspective of constant warfare between two neighbouring groups is now considered somewhat inaccurate. Instead, the picture appears to have been much more complex, with some scholars of the period going so far as to suggest the two groups were united both politically and economically by the middle of the 1st century BC.  One suggestion mooted by Robert van Arsdell is that a period of initial unity was followed by some kind of extended interregnum, during which several coin-issuing figures competed for influence. This in turn came to pass following the success of Cunobelin, with whose accession cohesion was once again achieved.

Nevertheless, that the two groups existed and once appear to have been independent seems undeniable. The Catuvellaunii probably lived mainly in and around what are now the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Their capital, Verlamion, still survives to this day – a heavily fortified location with impressive earthworks, sited some two kilometres away from the modern city of St Albans. Meanwhile, the Trinovantes were settled further east. Located firmly within what we might call southern East Anglia, their core territory seems to have comprised a substantial portion of modern Suffolk and Essex. The major settlement of Camulodunon represented their main power-base, which would be subsequently developed by the Romans into Britain’s first town – Colchester. Both these locations are known as Late Iron Age mints, their products inscribed ‘VER’ and ‘CAMV’ respectively.

The earliest issues of the North Thames region are characterised by the so-called ‘Whaddon Chase’ staters and their derivatives, an uninscribed coinage named after the Buckinghamshire site where a very large hoard was found in the 19th century. These may well have been struck in the late 50s or early 40s BC to pay tribute in the aftermath of Caesar’s expeditions to Britain. A diversification in the uninscribed issues via the striking of silver and, more rarely, bronze, is followed in the 30s BC by the issuance of the earliest inscribed coinages. These form a distinct, trimetallic set of issues, suggesting that by this stage some sort of monetary economy may have developed in the North Thames Region. Output of coinage intensifies towards the end of the first century BC and into the first century AD, suggesting coin-use may well have become more widespread.

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Cunobelinus Classic, no stalk type

Corn ear without central stalk, CA to left, MV to right/ Horse rearing to right, branch above, CVNO below

*Extremely Rare*

ABC2795, S288, 16mm, 5.46g

A beautiful example with little wear, characterful horse and full inscriptions on both sides.

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Cunobelinus, or’ hound of Belinus’ was the most powerful tribal king of his time not just in Britain but also in Atlantic Europe. By AD 41 he controlled more land, lives and wealth than any other leader west of the River Rhine. It has been suggested that just before he died Tasciovanos installed his son Cunobelinus as king of Camulodunon. It is more probable that Cunobelinus seized it from Dubnovellaunos of the Trinovantes. Either way by AD 41 Cunobelinus controlled most of south east England. His brother Epatticcus also ruled the Atrebates in Hampshire whilst his son, Amminus, ruled the Cantaci in Kent.
Cunobelinus was the last great Iron Age king in Europe and it would be 700 years before Offa of Mercia became the next independent king in Britain.
Whilst some of the coinage issued by Cunobelinus retains Celtic features there is also a strong, and probably increasing, Roman influence which is shown in the inscriptions on many of his coins.

The post Catuvellauni & Trinovantes Cunobelinus AD 8-41 Gold Stater Cunobelinus Classic Type *Extremely Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Cunobelinus Linear

Corn ear usually with central stalk, CA to left and MV to right/ Horse right with ladder mane, branch above, CVN below

ABC2810, S292, 11mm, 1.31g

Sharp detail and broad flan, excellent for type.

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

Cunobelinus, or’ hound of Belinus’ was the most powerful tribal king of his time not just in Britain but also in Atlantic Europe. By AD 41 he controlled more land, lives and wealth than any other leader west of the River Rhine. It has been suggested that just before he died Tasciovanos installed his son Cunobelinus as king of Camulodunon. It is more probable that Cunobelinus seized it from Dubnovellaunos of the Trinovantes. Either way by AD 41 Cunobelinus controlled most of south east England. His brother Epatticcus also ruled the Atrebates in Hampshire whilst his son, Amminus, ruled the Cantaci in Kent.
Cunobelinus was the last great Iron Age king in Europe and it would be 700 years before Offa of Mercia became the next independent king in Britain.
Whilst some of the coinage issued by Cunobelinus retains Celtic features there is also a strong, and probably increasing, Roman influence which is shown in the inscriptions on many of his coins.

The post Catuvellauni & Trinovantes Cunobelinus AD 8-41 Gold Quarter Stater Cunobelinus Linear appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Clacton Cross

Traces of 3 men in a boat / Cross of double lines, pellets in angles

*Very rare*

ABC2356, 12mm, 1.45g

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

The post Trinovantes Late 1st Century BC Gold Quarter Stater Clacton Cross *Very rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

‘Clacton Original’ type

Wreath / Horse right

Extremely rare

ABC2326; 11mm, 6.42g

This coin comes with rough find area provenance.

The post Trinovantes 1st Century BC Gold Stater Clacton Original *Extremely Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Middle Whaddon Chase

Pole Wheel Type

Crossed wreaths, outline crescents back to back at centre/Annulate horse, wheel on stalk above, wheel below

Extremely rare

ABC2240; 16mm, 5.51g

A fantastic sharp strike, this type especially scarce as such.

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The post Trinovantes Late 1st Century BC Gold Stater Middle Whaddon Chase Pole Wheel Type *Extremely Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.