Stater of the Corieltavi

Robert Fenton said this Ancient British gold stater was found whilst he was detecting in Newark. He asked me to provide a valuation, as he has an agreement with a landowner that the value of finds higher than a certain figure will be shared.

Robert’s find is a coin of the Corieltavi and is listed in Ancient British Coins as number 1740. On the obverse is a wreath with two sets of crescents in front. Below the first pair of crescents would be a short cloak covered in short dashes but this doesn’t show up. On the reverse, facing left, is a stylised horse with charioteer’s arms above and a swirling sun below.

The details listed above mark out this stater as being a variety of the North East Coast type. In Ancient British Coins it is said to be excessively rare. I have not managed to trace another example. In the Celtic Coin Index there is only one specimen and the illustrations are of the same stater pictured in ABC.

Valuation

A stater as rare as this one would be of great interest to collectors, especially those specialising in coins of the Corieltavi. The illustrations show that this stater is in VF condition and the key factor in relation to the variety – the swirling sun on the reverse – stands out very clearly. If I was cataloguing this find for sale at auction I would set the pre-sale estimate at £1,200-1,500. If might sell for even more than the higher estimate but much would depend on the amount of competition between prospective buyers on the day of the auction.

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