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Billericay Cogwheel. c.50-30 BC. Celtic gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.11g.
1/2
Auctioneer has chosen not to publish the price of this lot
Aylsham, Norfolk
Description
Billericay Cogwheel. Sills British Ld2, class 1. c.50-30 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.11g. Wreath band with inverted leaves and two solid opposed crescents, five converging ‘cloak’ lines above (two beaded, three plain), two downturned outline crescents below./ Horse galloping right, beaded mane, V-shaped ‘scooter’ motif above, pellet triad over horse’s rump, pellet-boss below, ‘cogwheel’ before, small solid crescents around. ABC 2371, VA−, BMC−, DK 438, S−. Near EF, scintillating golden gold, unique revelation of ‘cloak’ lines and ‘scooter’ motif. A recent and significant discovery in pristine condition. EXCESSIVELY RARE only four others recorded.
Due to the exceptionally crisp condition of this Billericay Cogwheel quarter stater and its off-centre strike, four unusual design features have been revealed for the first time: the wing, ‘scooter’ motif, crescent-pole and figure-of-8. Let’s look more closely at these four features. 1 In Divided Kingdoms (p.442) Dr John Sills, who is looking at the type with the obverse wreath-band vertical, says: “Above the hairbar to the left is what appears to be a horizontal cloak motif and below a vertical one.” The five converging lines on our example may indeed be ‘cloak’ lines. But we think a stylised triangular wing looks more likely, with another on the other side of the hairbar presumably, both being derived from the pair of triangular wings seen on Early Whaddon Chase staters, ABC 2436 and 2439, especially the former which encloses its wings in beaded border lines and which also has a ‘cogwheel’ associated with its horse. The opposed crescents probably come from the Middle Whaddon Chase stater, ABC 2442 (John’s Westbury stater, DK 468) which displays a ‘cogwheel’ before the horse. 2 The ‘scooter’ motif above the horse is most interesting because it is unlike any other of the V-shaped motifs seen above north Thames horses (e.g. ABC 2368, 2383, 2398, 2401) and because of its two component parts: the crescent-pole and figure-of-8. 3 The crescent-pole might be interpreted as a simplified caduceus, similar to those on contemporary Roman denarii, or as an astronomical ‘moon horn’ which Martin Kerner sees on Durotrigan coin designs (ABC 2181-2202). 4 The figure-of-8 (two ringed-pellets joined by a diagonal line) also occurs on three coins of Addedomaros (ABC 2535, 2538, 2547) and may echo an earlier Cantian influence (cf. ABC 177). The Billericay Cogwheel is named after Billericay in Essex where the first recorded specimen was found in 2002 (Chris Rudd List 115, January 2011, no.38). The above is a much sharper example and is “the only one that shows almost the full splayed motif” (J.Sills, pers.comm. 12.8.2018).
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Billericay Cogwheel. Sills British Ld2, class 1. c.50-30 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.11g. Wreath band with inverted leaves and two solid opposed crescents, five converging ‘cloak’ lines above (two beaded, three plain), two downturned outline crescents below./ Horse galloping right, beaded mane, V-shaped ‘scooter’ motif above, pellet triad over horse’s rump, pellet-boss below, ‘cogwheel’ before, small solid crescents around. ABC 2371, VA−, BMC−, DK 438, S−. Near EF, scintillating golden gold, unique revelation of ‘cloak’ lines and ‘scooter’ motif. A recent and significant discovery in pristine condition. EXCESSIVELY RARE only four others recorded.
Due to the exceptionally crisp condition of this Billericay Cogwheel quarter stater and its off-centre strike, four unusual design features have been revealed for the first time: the wing, ‘scooter’ motif, crescent-pole and figure-of-8. Let’s look more closely at these four features. 1 In Divided Kingdoms (p.442) Dr John Sills, who is looking at the type with the obverse wreath-band vertical, says: “Above the hairbar to the left is what appears to be a horizontal cloak motif and below a vertical one.” The five converging lines on our example may indeed be ‘cloak’ lines. But we think a stylised triangular wing looks more likely, with another on the other side of the hairbar presumably, both being derived from the pair of triangular wings seen on Early Whaddon Chase staters, ABC 2436 and 2439, especially the former which encloses its wings in beaded border lines and which also has a ‘cogwheel’ associated with its horse. The opposed crescents probably come from the Middle Whaddon Chase stater, ABC 2442 (John’s Westbury stater, DK 468) which displays a ‘cogwheel’ before the horse. 2 The ‘scooter’ motif above the horse is most interesting because it is unlike any other of the V-shaped motifs seen above north Thames horses (e.g. ABC 2368, 2383, 2398, 2401) and because of its two component parts: the crescent-pole and figure-of-8. 3 The crescent-pole might be interpreted as a simplified caduceus, similar to those on contemporary Roman denarii, or as an astronomical ‘moon horn’ which Martin Kerner sees on Durotrigan coin designs (ABC 2181-2202). 4 The figure-of-8 (two ringed-pellets joined by a diagonal line) also occurs on three coins of Addedomaros (ABC 2535, 2538, 2547) and may echo an earlier Cantian influence (cf. ABC 177). The Billericay Cogwheel is named after Billericay in Essex where the first recorded specimen was found in 2002 (Chris Rudd List 115, January 2011, no.38). The above is a much sharper example and is “the only one that shows almost the full splayed motif” (J.Sills, pers.comm. 12.8.2018).
Chris Rudd List 161
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