123 - Hampshire Thunderbolt

Denomination

Quarter Stater

Metal

Gold

Area

Britain

Region

Southern

Issuing Authority

Belgae

Issuer

Unknown

Weight

1.43g

Diameter

11.91mm

Rarity

Scarce (51 to 100)

Date

53 BC to 50 BC (see note about dating)

Obverse Legend

No Legend

Reverse Legend

No Legend

Obverse Description

The obverse shows a boat with two figures. An S shaped object appears on the left, with an array of pellets to the right.

This is obverse die 4.

The obverse is sometimes rotated 180 degrees and described as a stylised animal (normally a boar but sometimes a wolf), but the arguments for this are unconvincing and the text required to describe the design as a boar or other abstract animal becomes increasingly convoluted.

A possible interpretation of the boat and its passengers was presented by Daphne Nash Briggs in "Reading the images on lron-Age coins: I. the sun-boat and its passengers".

Reverse Description

An elongated S shaped line (the thunderbolt) runs vertically, bisecting a straight horizontal line. The upper right quadrant contains a diagonal line and traces of a torc, and the lower right contains a butterfly shaped object. The lower left quadrant contains a torc, and the upper left quadrant contains the edge of an L shaped object and a pellet. These are all one place clockwise from normal, except the pellet in the upper left quadrant which has moved two places.

Note that the intended orientation on the reverse is unknown.

This is reverse die 12.

ABC 767. Hampshire Thunderbolt

DK 304 – 306. British B2 – Thunderbolt

VA 203-01. Atrebatic A – Geometric Type

S 46. Geometric Type