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Here's a coin you
haven't seen before.
It's a new
type called
Garrard's Ring
Horse, previously
unpublished and
apparently
unrecorded, of the
highest rarity and
possibly unique.
Found at the
Anglo-Saxon village
of Farningham
‘homestead of the
dwellers among the
ferns’, near
Dartford, north west
Kent, in February
this year, this
surprising silver
coin is named after
its fortunate
finder. Garrard’s
Ring Horse is
something of a
puzzle because it
doesn’t stand
comfortably in any
of our existing
Kentish stables, yet
that is where it
seems to belong if
we take note of its
provenance. Certain
elements of the
design – the torc-shaped
ear and the horse –
suggest an origin
north of the Thames,
perhaps in Essex. On
the other hand, the
multiple small heads
on the obverse are
strongly reminiscent
of two excessively
rare silver units of
the Cantiaci. Dr
Philip de Jersey
comments: “Hmm, what
a nice coin! I just
wish I knew where to
put it…I would be
inclined most
towards North
Thames. The horse I
would definitely
place that side of
the Thames, while
the head is a bit of
a mystery – it looks
vaguely familiar,
but I can’t really
place it…I don’t
think it’s likely to
be Ambiani, although
there could be
influence from
there.” Essex or
Kent? My bet is
still on Kent, but I
won’t put money on
it until we’ve seen
a few more specimens
with recorded
findspots as secure
as this one.
Chris Rudd May list. 7.4.08 |
