2021-06-28 Mon

A Celtic gold stater from the Parisii tribe in northeast Gaul was issued in the second century B.C. It weighs 7.21 grams and measures 20.5 millimetres in diameter. The gold staters of the Parisii are probably the most elegantly Celtic of all the Celtic coinages of Europe, the firm said.

The obverse depicts a Celticized head of Apollo with wavy hair. The curving ornaments surrounding his head are vaguely reminiscent of the dolphins that swim before the head of Arethusa on the coins of Syracuse.

The reverse shows a Celtic horse, quite like contemporary bronze figurines, with a large head, large eye and prominent mane. Above is a large sail decorated with a checkerboard pattern, each square filled with pellets.

Both sides are ultimately derived from the gold staters of Philip II of Macedon, but the Celtic artists responsible for these coins created a completely new type of their own. An impressive example realized 33,880 Swiss francs (USD 36,890) n a June 22 auction in Zurich.

Image Courtesy: coinworld.com