Here is one of the great rarities of Ancient British coinage: a Floral Trophy gold quarter stater of the Trinovantes, 'the very lively ones' of Essex. The 'trophy' is now unrecognisable as such, but was originally copied from some silver denarii struck in Spain by Julius Caesar around 46-45 BC. These show a male and female captive sitting abjectly each side of a trophy of Gallic armour, swords, spears and shields. How such a very pro-Roman, anti-Gaulish image came to be a popular motif for British gold coins is a bit of a mystery. The significance of the four-petalled flower (?) on the obverse is also obscure. This Floral Trophy is extremely rare - only seven others are known - and is just one of over 130 coins in Chris Rudd's January Sale, all greatly reduced in price.                                                                     12.12.05