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This is the
Walsingham Wonder
gold quarter stater
of the Iceni, and it
really is a
wonderful coin. The
obverse displays the
familiar crescent
moons in the middle
of the crossed
wreaths. But there
is little that is
familiar about the
horse on the other
side. You will
observe that it
appears to be
wearing a large
knobbed neck-ring.
Gold neck-rings, as
we all know, have
been linked to the
Iceni for 2,000
years. Cassius Dio,
the historian, tells
us that Queen
Boudica wore one.
Also, some
spectacular
specimens were
unearthed some years
ago at Snettisham,
Norfolk. What is
very unusual
is to see a horse
wearing a gold
neck-ring. We may
rightly wonder if
this indicates that
the horse was
perceived by the
Iceni as a sacred
creature. This
Walsingham Wonder is
excessively rare,
only three others
are recorded,
including one in the
British Museum. This
is the first we've
had and the first
we've seen offered
for sale. Chris Rudd
July list.
2.6.08 |
