Unique ID: 62
This coin is Gallo Belgic D (GB-D) “A” type, one of the excessively rare “legend” types. The GB-D quarter staters were minted in Belgic Gaul to finance resistance to Caesar during the Gallic Wars. The A type is thought to have been minted in preparation for the final year of the war (51 BC).
The type is defined by an A shape on the obverse. There is some debate as to whether this is an “A”, an “AT” monogram, or a reversed digamma symbol (originally the 6th letter of the Greek alphabet). The Celts didn’t speak Greek, and the Greeks had stopped using it before 500 BC, so “A” or “AT” are much more likely. There is also another GB-D legend type quarter stater that has AR on the reverse, and if the “A” is actually and “AT” monogram, then this would make it “ATR”. In 55/4 BC the Romans spent the winter in Belgic territory, and in the winter of 54/3 BC Caesar stayed in the capital city of the Ambiani. It’s likely that when this coin was made in 52/51 BC, coin minting had moved to other territories, and the closest tribe that was furthest from the Romans was the Atrebates. They revolted against the Romans in 51 BC.
This is only the second example of this coin I have been able to find. It is listed as unique in “ABC” with the plate coin being in the British Museum.
GB-D types in the collection:
