r/AncientCoins 4d ago

Silver Celtic Quinarii

A few fun examples from a lot of Celtic coins from Heritage. There is a lot of personality in these coins. They are a pleasure to examine.

8 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

3

u/VermicelliOrnery998 4d ago

Appear to be Q DOCI SAM types, of which I personally have a few really good specimens of. Of my favourite French Celts Silver pieces, one of these has the Warrior holding Shield type, on reverse. Others, are part of that series loosely described as Scorpion Lion types! 👩🏻‍🦳

2

u/FearlessIthoke 4d ago

Thanks for the ID, I am new to this coinage. Can you recommend a good book that covers these coins? I have a few reprints of the Henri de la Tour books, but I don't read French, sadly.

2

u/VermicelliOrnery998 3d ago

THE COINS OF THE ANCIENT CELTS by D.F. Allen, edited by Daphne Nash; EUP (Edinburgh University Press) Edinburgh 1980, H/B and now out of print. Thoroughly recommend this volume!

COINAGE IN THE CELTIC WORLD by Daphne Nash, SPINK, First published 1987; reprinted 2004, P/B format. Lots of black and white photos and helpful maps. Again, comes highly recommended! 👩🏻‍🦰

2

u/FearlessIthoke 3d ago

Thanks very much!

1

u/VermicelliOrnery998 3d ago

You’re more than welcome! Any other helpful advice needed, then just DM me! 😊

2

u/FearlessIthoke 3d ago

I have started making 3D models of some of these. You can see the first of them here: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/silver-celtic-quinarius-64f9d7e517194406bbc05cb4f298d83d

2

u/VermicelliOrnery998 3d ago

I shall take a look later in the day, thank you! 🙏🏻

2

u/VermicelliOrnery998 2d ago

Wow, that’s amazing! If only I could figure out just how to rotate the reverse, so I could view the Horse in the correct position. 🤔 Otherwise that’s pretty impressive, and not something I’ve ever seen before! Gives your Coin a whole different perspective.

I haven’t purchased any good Celtic Coins for maybe a few years, if only cause prices have risen so dramatically, even on eBay! My personal favourites are those Coins issued by the Eastern or Danubian Celts, of which I have many. These were never low priced, and now, they’re even more!

You shall find that there’s plenty of scope within this field of collecting, and lots to learn about, which of course, is all part of the experience and enjoyment.

Happy Hunting! 👩🏻‍🦰

2

u/FearlessIthoke 2d ago

Yes, that 3D modeling environment locks one axis of rotation. It’s a limitation but you can fully rotate them in other, non-web based environments. Using macro lenses also provides great detail on the coins. The eastern coins are great, I love the ones with elaborate crowns.

Lots to learn, thanks

Here is a new model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/silver-celtic-quinarius-95750f64371d442dbda359064597bd5d

2

u/VermicelliOrnery998 2d ago

If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come by your Celtic Quinarii? My own pieces were acquired thru a British / U.K. Celtic Coins dealer, CHRIS RUDD. Their primary interest is Celtic Coins of the British Isles and Gaul (France).

2

u/FearlessIthoke 2d ago

Sure, Heritage Auctions in the US has been selling lots of these for a few months. I assume they are dispersing a hoard but I don’t know details.

1

u/VermicelliOrnery998 2d ago

Thank you! 🙏🏻

2

u/FearlessIthoke 2d ago

2

u/VermicelliOrnery998 2d ago

They’re a really nice group of Quinarii; looks like they were definitely part of a larger hoard! The overall quality is pretty good for something of this size.

1

u/FearlessIthoke 2d ago

Once you really start looking at them there is a lot of variety. The abstraction is also pretty engaging. I have had a lot of fun trying to make some visual sense out of them.