The  Mysterious  World  of  Celtic  Coins  

 
 
Coins were developed about 650 BC on the western coast of modern Turkey. From there, they quickly
spread to the east and the west, and toward the end of the 5th century BC coins reached the Celtic tribes
living in central Europe. Initially these tribes did not have much use for the new medium of exchange.
They lived self-sufficient and produced everything needed for living themselves. The few things not
producible on their homesteads were bartered with itinerant traders.

The employ of money, especially of small change, is related to urban culture, where most of the
inhabitants earn their living through trade or services. Only people not cultivating their own crop,
grapes or flax, but buying bread at the bakery, wine at the tavern and garments at the dressmaker do
need money. Because by means of money, work can directly be converted into goods or services.

The Celts in central Europe presumably began using money in the course of the 4th century BC, and
sometime during the 3rd century BC they started to mint their own coins. In the beginning the Celtic
coins were mere imitations of Greek, later also of Roman coins. Soon, however, the Celts started to
redesign the original motifs. The initial images were stylized and ornamentalized to such an extent, that
 
the original coins are often hardly recognizable.

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Kingdom  of  Macedon,  Alexander  III  the  Great  (336-­‐323  BC)  in  
the  Name  of  Philip  II,  Stater,  c.  324  BC,  Colophon  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   King  Alexander  III  of  Macedon  
Mint:   Colophon  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐324  
Weight  (g):   8.6  
Diameter  (mm):   19.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

Through decades of warfare, King Philip II had turned Macedon into the leading power of the Greek
world. In the summer of 336 BC he was assassinated, however, and succeeded by his son Alexander,
who would later be known as "the Great." This coin was minted one year before Alexander's death. It
bears a beautiful image of Apollo.

The coin is a so-called Philip's stater, as Alexander's father Philip had already issued them for
diplomatic purposes (bribery thus) and for the pay of his mercenaries. These mercenaries, among them
many Celts from northern and central Europe, later brought the Philip's staters into circulation in their
homelands. The coins became so popular that they were minted long after Philip's death – not only by
 
his son Alexander and his successors, but also by diverse Celtic tribes.

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Upper  Rhine,  Helvetii,  Stater  (Imitation  of  the  Philip's  

Stater),  3th  or  2rd  Century  BC  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Helvetii  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐300  
Weight  (g):   8.27  
Diameter  (mm):   17.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

This gold coin is a Celtic imitation of the golden staters of the Macedonian King Philip II. It was minted
by the tribe of the Helvetii, who settled in the area of present-day Switzerland and southern Germany.
The head of the Greek god Apollo is still fairly close to the original. The biga (the two-horse chariot) on
 
the reverse, however, clearly reveals the Celtic character of the coin.

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Gaul,  Parisii,  Stater  (Imitation  of  a  Philip's  Stater),  End  of  

2nd  Century  BC  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Parisii  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐120  
Weight  (g):   7.21  
Diameter  (mm):   22.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:    

The Celtic tribe of the Parisii lived in several well developed settlements along the shore and on the
islands of the River Seine in Gaul. At the time of the arrival of the Romans, in the years 53 and 52 BC,
the largest settlement of the Parisii seems to have been at today's Nanterre, 15 kilometers west of
modern Paris. Like many other prosperous Celtic tribes, the Parisii minted coins of bronze, silver and
gold to maintain their trade.

This stater ascribed to the Parisii tribe is the pinnacle of Celtic minter's craft. It can be traced back to the
staters of the Macedonian king Philip II that depicted the head of Apollo and a two-horse chariot (a
biga). However, many elements of the archetype, like the second horse, the chariot, and the driver, have
disappeared from the Parisii staters. Only the net floating over the horse reminds of the whip –
developed from a Celtic driving spike – that was originally depicted.

The stylized head of Apollo on the staters of the Parisii appears extremely modern. The hair is dissolved
in plastic bodies and forms a huge mane. That is reminiscent of the Celtic fashion to wash their hair
with lime so that it stood up and presented itself as a wild, frizzy hairstyle. Incidentally, the Roman
republicans dismissed the strikingly colorful clothes of the Parisii as vain. Who knows if this was not
already the origin of the fashion consciousness of the Parisians.  

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Kingdom  of  Macedon,  Philip  II  (359-­‐336  BC),  Tetradrachm,  c.  

342  BC,  Pella  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Tetradrachm  
Mint  Authority:   King  Philip  II  of  Macedon  
Mint:   Pella  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐342  
Weight  (g):   14.18  
Diameter  (mm):   26.0  
Material:   Silver  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

This tetradrachm was struck in the late 340s BC in Pella, the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Macedon. The obverse shows the head of Zeus, the reverse a young naked horseman. At that time King
Philip, a great statesman, ruled over Macedon. Before Philip's time, Macedon had been relatively
irrelevant compared to the Greek polities.

By depicting the head of the Greek god Zeus on his tetradrachms, Philip introduced an innovation on
Macedonian coins. The head was designed in Greek style, since that was in line with his political
program: Philip had pan-Hellenistic plans, directed against the Persian Empire – he was intending to
conquer Asia Minor and free the Greek cities under Persian rule. Being Macedonian, he could easily
foresee that the Greeks would not accept him as liberator, however. In his coinage, Philip therefore
emphasized the unifying aspects of Greeks and Macedonians. Besides, the coin had an impact on the
 
Celts on the lower Danube where it was extensively imitated.

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Danube  Region,  Pannonia,  Tetradrachm  (Imitation  of  the  

Coin  of  Philip  II),  c.  300  BC  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Tetradrachm  
Mint  Authority:   Undefined  
Mint:   Undefined  in  Pannonia  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐300  
Weight  (g):   17.72  
Diameter  (mm):   29.0  
Material:   Silver  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

According to archaeological finds, Celtic tribes replaced or incorporated other ancient European peoples
in the early 1st millennium BC already. In the course of the following generations, they mingled with
these indigenous peoples.

In Pannonia, where this coin was minted, the original inhabitants were Illyrians. They had been living in
close contact with the Macedonian and later the Hellenist world. Hence Celtic, Illyrian, Macedonian and
Greek elements are united in this coin. Archetypes were the tetradrachms of the Macedonian King
Philip II, which showed Zeus on the obverse and a rider on the reverse. Here, these motifs were
playfully imitated in a typical Celtic way. On the other hand, the remainders of the coin inscription are
Greek. And the Illyrian influence can be found in the naturalistic reproduction of the motifs, which is
far too conspicuous for genuine Celtic taste.  

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Kingdom  of  Macedonia,  Alexander  III  the  Great  (336-­‐323  BC),  

Stater,  330-­‐323  BC,  Amphipolis  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   King  Alexander  III  of  Macedon  
Mint:   Amphipolis  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐330  
Weight  (g):   9  
Diameter  (mm):   19.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

This stater was issued by Alexander the Great. The obverse depicts the Greek goddess Athena wearing a
Corinthian helmet, while the reverse shows a Nike, the Greek personification of victory.

One of Alexander's many achievements was the establishment of a single currency in his huge realm.
These "imperial coins" replaced the wide variety of local issues. Only the Romans were to achieve
 
something like that in their empire again.

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Bohemia,  Boii,  1/24  Stater,  3rd  Century  BC  

 
 

           
   
 
Denomination:   1/24  Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Boii  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐250  
Weight  (g):   0.34  
Diameter  (mm):   6.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

The archetype for this little coin was the gold stater of Alexander the Great, which bore the goddess
Athena waering a Corinthian helmet on the obverse, while the reverse depicted Nike, the goddess of
victory.

According to Celtic conception of art, the obverse of this coin probably still showed the Athena with her
helmet; several adaptations had turned the divine head into a little hump, however. The Nike on the
reverse, on the other hand, was transformed into a warrior with a shield and a lance.  

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Bohemia,  Boii,  1/24  Stater  (Athena  Alkis  Type),  End  of  3rd  
Century  BC  
 
 

           
   
 
Denomination:   1/24  Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Boii  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐300  
Weight  (g):    
Diameter  (mm):    
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

The smooth embossment on the obverse and the stripes and dots on the reverse of this coin are typical
for the Boii. In numismatics, these coin type is called "Athena Alkis type." Its archetype was the gold
stater of Alexander the Great that bore the image of Pallas Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet on the
obverse. The reverse depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. However, these motifs can hardly be
recognized on the Celtic imitation any more. The embossment on the obverse shows Athena wearing
her helmet, although the goddess is reduced to a minimum, as is typical for Celtic taste. The same is true
for the Nike on the reverse which is diminished to some stripes and dots.  

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Roman  Republic,  Quinarius,  c.  211  BC  

 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Quinarius  
Mint  Authority:   Roman  Republic  
Mint:   Undefned  in  Southern  Italy  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐211  
Weight  (g):   1.93  
Diameter  (mm):   18.0  
Material:   Silver  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

The goddess on the obverse of this quinarius is commonly identified as Roma. The cult of Roma was a
Greek invention, that only emerged in the 2nd century BC however – long after the reorganization of
the Roman currency and the introduction of the denarius and the quinarius, which both always bear the
head of "Roma." Who the lady is, is hitherto unknown. A decisive factor for the Roma cult in Greece
was the Roman victory in the Second Punic War: like that, the Hellenes demonstrated their admiration
towards the Roman power.  

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Belgium,  Denarius,  1st  Century  BC  

 
 

     
       
 
 
Denomination:   Denarius  
Mint  Authority:   Undefined  Celtic  Tribe  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐50  
Weight  (g):   2.69  
Diameter  (mm):   16.0  
Material:   Bronze  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

Our knowledge on Celtic numismatic has made substantial progress in recent years. Nevertheless, the
minting date of Celtic coins often remains unknown. Because Celtic money is rarely found together
with other objects, it cannot be dated exactly. On the other hand, in many cases we at least have one
clue: as Celtic coins were often imitations of Greek or Roman coins, they could not be minted prior to
their archetypes.

The imitative character of Celtic coins becomes apparent in their alignment with weight standards of
Greek and Roman coins. Numismatists therefore use the Greek and Roman terms for Celtic coins.
Accordingly Celtic gold coins are called staters, while silver coins are tetradrachms (if they are
imitations of Greek coins) or quinars (if they are imitations of Roman coins). The denominations of
bronze coins are unknown; they are therefore referred to as heavy and light bronzes respectively.

The bronze coin shown here has a weight of about 2.7 grams and thus is a light bronze. Its archetype
was the Roman denar, which was minted for the first time towards the end of the 3rd century BC (about
211 BC). Denars were minted from silver; on their obverse the goddess Roma wearing a winged helmet
was depicted as well as the figure X (= 10, for 10 asses added up to one denar).

The illustration on the obverse of this Celtic bronze coin is fairly true to the original Roman silver
denarius. The reverse, on the other hand, is an independent Celtic creation; it depicts a warrior wearing
a helmet in the shape of an animal. Such bird helmets have actually been worn by Celtic warriors. Fancy
illustrations as the one on this coin are usually found on later Celtic coins. For that reason, this coin was
likely to be minted in the course of the 1st century BC.  

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Eastern  Middle  Gaul,  Senones?,  Spherical  Stater,  c.  60  BC  

 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Senones?  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐60  
Weight  (g):   7.02  
Diameter  (mm):   14.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

Time and again, numismatists attempt to attribute certain Celtic coin types to specific Celtic tribes. But
although a relatively large number of Celtic tribes are known by name, the localization of the related
territories remains difficult.

The problem of attribution applies also to the so-called spherical staters. These coins circulated from
France over Germany and Switzerland as far as Scotland. Pursuant to their frequency, they were
supposedly minted by one of the Celtic tribes living in eastern middle Gaul.

Arguably they were minted during the Gallic Wars, around the middle of the 1st century BC thus. This
reflects the fact that many of these spherical staters were found in treasure troves, which were often
buried in times of war.  

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Upper  Danube  Region,  Stater  (Rainbow  Cup  Coin),  2nd  

Century  BC  
 
 

     
       
 
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   Undefined  Celtic  Tribe  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐200  
Weight  (g):   7.26  
Diameter  (mm):   18.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

This type of Celtic gold coin is known as "rainbow cup," a name deriving from the medieval belief that
a treasure could be found at the end of a rainbow. After heavy rains, peasants would often find such tiny
gold coins on their freshly plowed fields; they assumed that the coins had fallen from the rainbow.

Rainbow cup coins can mainly be found in the upper Danube region in southern Germany. Like most
Celtic coins they are anonymous, without inscriptions or other indications of a minting authority thus.
As a result, the provenance, date and place of minting of many issues are still unknown. Just as little do
we know how the Celts themselves called their coins. In general, numismatists use Greek and Roman
denominations for Celtic coins. Accordingly, gold coins of a weight between 7 and 8 grams are called
staters.  

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The  Rhineland,  Quinarius,  1st  Century  BC  

 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Quinarius  
Mint  Authority:   Tribe  of  the  Vagiones  
Mint:   Undefined  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐100  
Weight  (g):   1.67  
Diameter  (mm):   14.0  
Material:   Silver  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

According to its weight, this Celtic silver coin is a quinarius. After the charming depiction on the
obverse it is known as "quinar with the dancing manikin." Actually, the dancing manikin is a running
warrior holding a torque in his right hand, a typical Celtic collar that was reserved for high-ranking
people, and for gods.

Quinarii of the "dancing manikin" variety are rare and not known in a secure archaeological context as
yet. It is assumed that they were produced in the middle Rhine region during the 1st century BC.  

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Southern  Italy,  Lucania,  Metapontum,  Obol,  c.  440-­‐420  BC  

 
 

           
   
 
Denomination:   Obol  
Mint  Authority:   City  of  Metapontum  
Mint:   Metapontum  
Year  of  Issue:   -­‐440  
Weight  (g):   0.4  
Diameter  (mm):   8.0  
Material:   Silver  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

During the 6th century BC, the staters of Metapontum bore an ear of barley on the obverse and an
incuse square on the reverse. Many collectors consider these the most beautiful of all Greek coins.
Around the middle of the 5th century BC, Metapontum started to mint other denominations along with
the incuse staters (i.e. coins with a negative imprint of their obverse motif on the reverse). From now on,
the coins bore an image on both sides, as can be seen on this obol. Just as the ear, the bull's head
 
supposedly stood for the fruitfulness of the city's hinterland.

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Britain,  Trinovantes  or  Catuvellauni,  Cunobelinus  (c.  10-­‐40  

AD),  Stater,  10-­‐20  AD,  Camulodunum  
 
 

   
   
 
Denomination:   Stater  
Mint  Authority:   King  Cunobelinus  of  the  Catuvellauni  
Mint:   Camulodunum  (Colchester)  
Year  of  Issue:   10  
Weight  (g):   5.5  
Diameter  (mm):   20.0  
Material:   Gold  
Owner:   Sunflower  Foundation  

Most of our knowledge of pre-Roman Britain derives from Julius Caesar's comments on the Gallic
Wars. The commander reported for instance that the British tribes used coins from gold and copper as
well as iron bars of a certain weight standard for payments.

The campaigns of the Romans brought a Romanization of British coinage: this stater gives the name of
the mint as well as the minting authority – a curiosity among Celtic coins. The piece was struck in the
town of Camulodunum (today's Colchester) in the east of the island, where the tribes of the Trinovantes
and Catuvellauni lived; the issuer was King Cunobelinus. The obverse is reminiscent of the issues of
Metapontum in southern Italy, where the ear of corn was depicted on coins already in the 5th century
BC. The reverse, on the other hand, is a imitation of the staters of Philip II of Macedonia.

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