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It is small wonder
that Rainbow Cup
gold staters are
perennially
popular with Celtic
coin collectors and
other collectors
too, especially
German collectors
because Rainbow Cup
staters are the
first notable coins
of the Germanic
tribes. They are
large, chunky,
heavy and have a
marvellous golden
colour which means
that they have a
high gold content.
Where does the name
Rainbow Cup come
from? Well, for a
start they aren't
flat-flan staters;
they are cup-shaped
or, to be more
precise, saucer
shaped. Secondly, in
early German
folklore they were
supposedly found at
the end of rainbows.
The imagery of
Rainbow Cup gold
staters is simple
and unambiguous. On
the obverse of this
type we see a bird's
head with a curved
beak - clearly a
bird of prey -
surrounded by a
wreath motif. And on
the reverse we see a
gold neck torc with
five large pellets
in its cusp; I think
we might reasonably
interpret these
pellets as gold
staters. This
beautiful specimen
comes from the
celebrated Erich
Karl collection and
will be featured in Chris Rudd's
March list.
26.1.09 |
