42 - Duro Boat Gold

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Unique ID: 42

Technical details
DataDescriptionProvenanceReferences

Denomination

Quarter Stater

Metal

Gold

Area

Britain

Region

South Western

Issuing Authority

Durotriges

Issuer

Unknown

Weight

1.37g

Diameter

11.76mm

Rarity

Scarce (51 to 100)

Date

70 BC to 55 BC (see note about dating)

Obverse Legend

No Legend

Reverse Legend

No Legend

Obverse Description

The obverse shows a boat with two figures. The remains of a pellet ring on the left. The obverse has been triple struck, giving it a different appearance from normal.

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

A zig-zag line (sometimes called a thunderbolt) runs vertically with Y shaped objects in the lower left and upper right fields. A bird shaped object appears in the lower right field. The upper left field contains an unidentified L shaped object.

Note that the intended orientation on the reverse is unknown. It is traditionally shown with the zig-zag line as vertical, but as this is derived from the GB-Ca2 quarter staters it should probably be shown with that line horizontal.

Bt. From finder on Ebay 2018. Item number 123387236099

Found in South Hampshire on the same land as 28 and 43

ABC

ABC 2205. Duro Boat Gold

Van Arsdell

VA 1225-01. Durotrigan A – Early Geometric Type

The Duro Boat Gold quarter staters were minted by the Durotriges around 80-50 BC. They are a continuation of the boat and geometric theme started by the Morini tribe with their GB-Ca2 and GB-D quarter staters. This coin is particularly interesting because the obverse has been triple struck. For whatever reason, the person minting this coin struck it with the hammer at least three times, with the coin sticking to the reverse (hammer) die but moving relative to the obverse (anvil) die with each strike.

This is one of seven in the collection (see 7, 8, 12, 16, 51, and 112).

Note that despite being a “Scarce” coin (51 to 100 known), it is not listed in Spink’s “Coins of England and The United Kingdom: Standard Catalogue of British Coins” book. The number normally given is S.368 but the book is quite clear that is for the silver coins only.