Ancient Celtic Collection, Four Pieces of Currency – c. 800 to 31 BCE – Europe Countdown Package

This collection of four ancient Celtic artifacts includes a silver quinarius, a bronze Celtic imitation of a Greek coin, and two different sizes of Celtic bronze ring money. The quinarius come from Gaul, a region in Western Europe, while the bronze coin and rings come from the Danube River region around modern day Hungary.

Each coin comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and has been professionally cleaned and conserved.

Celtic Quinarius:

These silver coins would have circulated during the Gallic Wars, a war waged by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the nomadic groups inhabiting Gaul, an ancient region consisting of present-day France, Belgium, and parts of the United Kingdom and Germany. Roman forces invaded Gaul in order to expand their territory, and the Celts and other tribes in the area ultimately fell under Roman rule when it became a Roman province in 27 BCE.

The design of these coins imitated Roman coinage, as many other early Celtic coins did. As such, it features the helmeted head of the female deity Roma (a personification of the city of Rome) on the obverse and a horse on the reverse.

Celtic Imitative Coin:

These unique bronze coins were struck by Celts but based heavily on a Greek design—specifically, coins of the ancient Macedonian king Philip V or his son Perseus.

Due to the widespread influence of Greek culture in the ancient world, many societies took inspiration from or even outright copied Greek currency when designing their own money. However, it’s important to note that these imitative coins were not made by the Celts to fool Macedonian merchants, but rather for circulation within Celtic society itself.

The coins date back to the 2nd to 1st century BCE, featuring the head of the river god Strymon on the obverse and a trident with Greek-like lettering on the reverse.

Celtic Rings:

These Celtic rings were made from formed bronze over 2,000 years ago, although their purpose in ancient times is disputed. They were almost certainly used as saddle or garment fittings, but it’s highly likely that they were a form of proto-money as well. The rings seem to follow standard sizes, and have been found in large hoards similar to coins.