Here's a fabulous Rainbow Cup gold stater, Bird's Head and Torc Type (Regenbogenschüsselchen Kellner Type II Cb) from the celebrated Erich Karl collection. It shows a bird's head facing left, surrounded by a wreath, and a knobbed neck-ring with five large pellets and one small pellet in the cusp. It's a really heavy coin (7.61 grams) with a gorgeous golden-gold colour, indicating that it has a high gold content. Hans-Jörg Kellner (1990) divides the extensive series of ‘rainbow cups’ into 13 types with 34 varieties, beginning with the serpent type (Rolltier) which then evolve into the above bird’s head type (Vogelkopf). Derek Allen says: “In south Germany amongst the Vindelici, the gold coins show an eagle’s head on one side and a torque on the other. The coins were known locally as ‘rainbow cups’ and were believed in the Middle Ages to have magical properties. They can be dated to the first quarter of the first century BC, or soon after” (An Introduction to Celtic Coins, British Museum Publications, 1978, p.45). Chris Rudd September list.                                                                                 26.7.10