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This Volisios Cartivellaunos
gold stater is one of the great
rarities of the ancient British
series, highly prized and
greatly desired by the few
collectors and museums who could
afford to acquire it. Completely
unknown to history,
Cartivellaunos ‘strong ruler’
wasn’t even recognised by his
correct name as a British ruler
until fifty years ago (he was
previously thought to be a queen
called Cartimandua). Despite
forty years of metal detecting
in north-east England the total
number of Cartivellaunos coins
recorded is still only six and
only two of these are gold
staters. That’s how scarce they
are and that’s why their prices
are so scary. The first
Cartivellaunos gold stater to
come onto the market was found
at Scampston, near Malton, north
Yorkshire, 1999; went into the
Michael O’Bee collection and was
sold by DNW in 2008 for £12,650.
This one was found by a metal
detectorist near Carlton in
Lindrick, north-west of Worksop,
Notts., sometime before 2007,
and recorded with Charlotte
Burrill, the local Portable
Antiquities Scheme finds liaison
officer for Derbys & Notts (a
crucial point concerning not
only the authenticity of the
find – we have a four-figure map
reference for it – but also its
legitimacy). It goes without
saying, but we’ll say it anyway,
this Cartivellaunos gold stater
is guaranteed genuine. This
Cartivellaunos is almost
EF, virtually as struck in
bronzy-hued gold, with a crisp
inscription. And, yes, it's
Excessively Rare. Chris
Rudd July list.
1.6.10 |
