Description
Celtic Gaul. Santones (région de la Saintonge). Drachme à la couronne en chevrons, 2nd-1st century BC. Silver 2.51 g.; 16.7 mm.
Obverse: Laureate head to right, chubby, within a grenetis // Reverse: Horse to right; a triangle (or Δ) between the legs and a pole surmounted by a torque ended with pellets above the croup. Pearl before his head.
This specimen is of the greatest interest and appears to be unpublished! The strike of the designs on the obverse and reverse were very well centred, and were well struck. Moreover, the coin is in a superb state of preservation, and is most likely the finest specimen of its type. We can also observe the delicacy and quality of the engraving of the portrait, with its typically Celtic traits that simultaneously remind us of the Greek origins of these types. Almost uncirculated AU 55-58
Comment
Probably issued by the Santones tribe, but without precise datation (perhaps from the 2nd century BC to the first half of the 1st century), since their coinage includes a series with identical details (Dt. 3630-3633), such as the triangle and the pole with torque (Dt. 3632A & var.) which are dated from the first half of the 1st century BC.
However, the types presented in the Delestrée differ from our example. Firstly, the portrait is facing to the right, whereas the illustrated examples are facing to the left, with only a few unpublished varieties facing to the right. But more importantly, the engraving of the published examples or their varieties is much more characteristic of ‘Gallic’ engravings than our example, whose style seems closer to the engravings of coins issued by the Celts of Central Europe, as is the horse. It is therefore preferable to attribute it to the Santon tribe, although this is still debatable, and might be earlier than the Delestrée examples mentioned above, and may be dated from the 2nd century BC.
As well as being potentially unique and unpublished, the engraving of this coin is quite remarkable.
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