Numismatic

Celts Britain, Durotriges Silver Stater (60-20 BC) VF NGC

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In the decades leading up to the Roman integration of Britain, the Durotriges tribe of the southern coast produced coinage that reflects a dramatic shift in artistic expression. This silver stater, minted between 60 and 20 BC, showcases how classical Mediterranean motifs were transformed by Celtic artisans into striking, abstract patterns. The obverse of the coin features a highly devolved head of the god Apollo. Over generations of copying and reinterpreting earlier Greek and Macedonian designs, the facial features dissolved into a beautiful arrangement of crescent shapes, lines, and dots. It represents a deliberate move away from realism toward a symbolic, stylized aesthetic. On the reverse, the abstraction continues with the depiction of a disjointed horse. Rather than a fluid, anatomical representation, the animal is constructed from separate, floating elements, including pellets and crescent moon shapes. Weighing approximately 0.0980 troy ounces of silver, this intriguing piece of ancient British history has survived in Very Fine condition, offering a direct window into the unique visual language of the pre-Roman Durotriges.