Catuvellauni Andoco c. 20-1 BC Plain Phallic Bucranium Gold Stater *Very Rare*

Catuvellauni Andoco c. 20-1 BC Plain Phallic Bucranium Gold Stater

Cruciform design with crossed wreaths of three lines (central crescents standing), the vertical wreath is curved with the apex facing clockwise, both wreaths have large ringed pellets at each end. Thin back-to-back solid crescents at centre with large pellet terminations and separated by two pellets. No spike (hairbar). Splayed V-shape ending in a pellet with ringed pellets either side in opposing angles. ‘Hidden face’ (linear crescent mouth, pellets for eyes and chin, V-shaped forehead, pellet above) in other angles.

Prancing horse right, pellet-on-stalk mane, braided neck. Bucranium and solar motif (pellet ring around ring) above. Chunky, angular inscription around – AND-O-C-O

Very Rare, 27 known

A spectacular coin, well struck and all detail on flan.

Evans: V.4 (1864, p. 218, pl. V).

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian Q, Uncertain Dynastic Issues, The “Interregnum”, Coins Inscribed Andoco.
VA 1860 – 01: No pellets between back-to-back crescents.

As with the Tasciovanos Second Coinage, there seems to be no consistency or relevance to the number of dots, and all are included in Sills DK 513.

Sills DK 513 (1 obverse, 5 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Andoco; Staters: Class 1 – Bucranium. Obverse is like first coinage Tasciovanos (ABC 2553) but the style as is TASCIO (ABC 2574), both archaic reverses with more developed obverses. It is likely they struck at a different mint to the rest of the series (which were struck at Verlamion).

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

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ABC 2715; 18mm, 5.53g

 

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 Sept 2008, lot 5096. M J Grover coll.  VA 1860

This coin comes with a previous label.

 

Andoco (c. 20 BC – ?)

Writing in the 1940s, the numismatist Derek Allen described a group of relatively rare issuers who appeared to be striking coins towards the end of Tasciovanos’ reign. One of these appears on coinage as ‘Andoco’, an abbreviation extrapolated by Chris Rudd as reflecting either the name Andocomaros or Andocombogios. The distribution of his coins, while spread through the North Thames region, is particularly focused in Hertfordshire. ABC lists eight types struck in his name, of which four are bronze, two silver and two gold. While both gold types are very similar to issues of Tasciovanos, an intriguing feature of the silver and bronze coins is that their obverses universally depict clean-shaven male portraits in profile. An association with Tasciovanos is proven by ABC 2730, which bears the obverse legend ‘TASC ANDO’.