Unique ID: 34
The Carn Brea quarter stater is one of the earliest gold coins struck in Britain, and is contemporary with the Insular Cf coins (see 29 and 41). They are found both north and south of the Thames, from Dorset to Snettisham, making it difficult to attribute them to any particular tribe. Dr. John Sills posits that they might have been minted by the forerunners of the Atrebates (See “Divided Kingdoms” p118-119). They get their name from the Carn Brea hoard found in Cornwall in 1749.
The Carn Brea quarter is class 2 of the British Aa series. Class 1 “Prototype” was derived either from classes 3-5 of GB-Ca2 or Insular Sills Cf2 (see 29 and 41). Carn Brea was the inspiration for British Ab2 “Great Waltham Chevron” (see 35) and it can be very difficult to tell them apart.
This is one of two in the collection (see 39).