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Nomos 22

22 June 2021
Zunfthaus zur Saffran, Zurich

overview
Estimate: 3500 CHF
Hammer Price:  3800 CHF
Lot 18
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CELTIC, Central Europe. Vindelici. Early 1st century BC. Stater (Gold, 18 mm, 7.26 g, 6 h), "Regenbogenschüsselchen" type. Head of an eagle to left with a pellet above and below the beak; the whole within a wreath-like torc with an annulet at each end. Rev. Six pellets within a solid torque with a pellet at each end; all within cup-shaped incuse. Castelin 1068-1070. De la Tour 9427. Dembski 446-8. Flesche 298-300. Kellner type IIC. Good very fine.

From a Swiss Collection.

This curious looking coin comes from southern Germany and was surely issued by the Vindelici, a powerful tribe living in that area. These coins entered into German folklore as Regenbogenschüsselchen, which means "little rainbow cups" and refers to the belief that where a rainbow touched the earth, it left a treasure of gold. The strongly convex/concave form of these coins with their odd designs of stars, crosses, birds’ heads, wreaths, coiled serpents or dragons, torques and pellets confirmed their other-worldly strangeness in the eyes of their simple Teutonic finders. It is now clear that the ultimate ancestor of these types was, in fact, the gold stater of Philip II, paid in vast numbers to his Celtic mercenaries. The Celtic die engravers first copied the originals very accurately, but as time went on they began to emphasize and de-emphasize parts of the original types, thus creating designs that are so bizarre they seem to come from drug induced dreams, like those of Coleridge.

Online bidding closes: 22 Jun 2021, 10:00:00 CEST Current Date & Time: 28 Mar 2024, 22:54:52 CET Remaining Time: Closed Hammer Price:3800 CHF

Pre-Bidding closes on 22 Juni 2021 at 10:00 CEST. Live bidding starts at 14:00 CET and is EXCLUSIVELY available on biddr. Separate registration is required.

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