2021-08-06 Fri

This is a Celtic gold stater from the Parisii tribe in northeast Gaul which was issued in the second century B.C. Weighing 7.21 grams, this gold coin of the Parisii is probably the most elegantly Celtic of all the Celtic coinages of Europe.

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 with each square filled with a pellet.

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. A gold stater of Gaul realized 33,880 Swiss francs (36,890 USD in a June 22 auction in Zurich.

Image Courtesy: coinworld.com