Ancient British Stater
When Reo originally sent his coin in for valuation it was badly encrusted on one side. I arranged for the coin to be cleaned by Scott Abel at Gladius Coins. Their report on the cleaning process is available here.
Revised Valuation
Reo’s coin looks a great deal better now that it has been cleaned. It took time and patience but the end result was well worth it. Reo told me “Scott Abel has done an amazing job of it. It looks so good now all that burnt silver has lifted off“
I’d initially said that in its ‘as found’ condition it would be worth no more than £120. The obverse wasn’t bad but the encrustation on the reverse reduced its eye appeal. I’ve never collected Ancient British coins but if I did then in its present condition I’d pay at least £200 for Reo’s coin. If after the metal was tested it turned out to be base gold rather than silver then the £200 figure might even double.
My original report on Reo’s coin is shown below:
Original Article published on 30 November 2020
This coin was found by Reo Freitas during 2019 and was recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. It is an Ancient British stater weighing 4.4 grams and Reo said it looks ‘goldish’. On the obverse is a wreath, cloak and crescents. On the reverse is a wolf facing left, with large pellets above and smaller pellets below. In the Standard Catalogue it is listed as number 31 and in Ancient British Coins it is catalogued as the Norfolk Wolf type (number 1399). The wolf on this type looks to me as if it needs a few good meals! The record on the PAS database describes this find as a contemporary copy in silver. However, examples of this type of stater in base gold are known and if this one was a contemporary copy then why would it be made of silver?
Valuation
There is encrustation on the obverse, which obscures some of the detail but the reverse is sharp and clear. As it stands I would price it no higher than £120 but this figure would rise were the encrustation removed.
Coin Cleaning by Galdius Coins
Scott Abel from Gladius Coins & Antiquities Ltd (www.gladiuscoins.com) had previously contacted me to tell me about his coin cleaning service and proprietary cleaning product. I thought that Reo’s coin would make a great challenge and I therefore arranged with Reo for the coin to be sent to Gladius Coins for cleaning. There will be an article available next Friday with, hopefully, the now cleaned coin and how the cleaning process works.
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