Unique ID: 113
This coin is a previously unknown Gallo-Belgic D (GB-D) class 5 quarter stater. It does not appear in any reference books, and I only know of two examples, the other of which has a badly triple struck reverse (the reverse die seems to have shifted laterally for strike 2, and then been rotated about 126 degrees anti-clockwise for strike 3).
GB-D quarter staters were minted in Belgic Gaul to finance resistance to Caesar during the Gallic Wars. This particular type is thought to have been minted over the winter of 53/52 BC which was the second last year of the war. GB-D quarters changed in nature at this time. Classes 1 to 4 were large issues which were relatively consistent within a class. They became uniface in class 3. One theory is that they became uniface to save minting time, but that argument doesn’t hold up well to scrutiny. It’s possible that the obverse was blank because they were being minted by a coalition of tribes, and no tribal marker was suitable for the obverse.
Class 5 consists of a number of small issues that use one of two main reverse designs, and have simple ornamentation on the otherwise uniface obverses. These types are normally at best excessively rare (2 to 5 coins), and new types are still being discovered. The number of different symbols on the obverse, and the low numbers of surviving coins, are probably a result of the state of the Belgic coalition towards the end of the war. The Romans overwintered in Morni territory in 55/54 BC, in the capital city of the Ambiani in 54/53, and in the territory of the Senones, Treveri, and the Lingones in 53/52 BC. It’s likely that when this coin was made in 53/52 BC, coin minting was no longer centralised and individual tribes, or pagi, had taken on responsibility for minting coins for the war effort.
Against this background, it appears that the symbols on the obverse may have identified the tribe or pagus that minted the coin. Unfortunately, neither of the coins for this type have a recorded find spot, so they continue to be attributed to the Morini like all of the other GB-D quarters.
GB-D types in the collection:
