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With an extremely fine obverse
and a Near EF reverse, plus a
full inscription (both sides),
this is a gold stater that
demands serious consideration.
This beauty belongs to the
so-called Wild Type,
where the barley (or spelt
wheat) displays no central
stalk, but has a small star
above the horse and
ringed-pellet below (the key
distinguishing feature of a
Series B). Derek Allen says: “On
the third series, the engraving
has run
Wild.
The ear of
barley has
lost its
stalk and
its arranged
appearance;
there is a
crude
attempt to
be
representational.
A few
obverse dies
of the
Linear and
Wild styles
share the
same
characteristics
of the other
and may
eventually
prove to be
‘mules’, but
at present
there are no
die links
between the
two. It is,
however, the
extraordinary
horse on the
reverse,
savage and
untamed in
aspect,
which most
clearly
marks out
this series
from the
rest. It
falls into
two
divisions,
the later
coins being
all
distinguished
by a
ring-and-dot
ornament
below the
horse”
(Cunobelin’s
Gold,
Britannia
6, 1975,
1-19). This
superb
specimen
gives us a
dazzling,
well defined
display of
CAMV, short
for
Camulodunon
‘fortress of
Camulos’.
Camul-
means
‘strong’
which neatly
complements
the strong,
upright ear
of corn (D.Ellis
Evans,
Gaulish
Personal
Names,
1967,
p.1650-161).
The British
word
cam-
may also be
cognate with
the Sanskrit
kām
‘to lust, to
have sex’ (M.Monier-Williams,
A
Sanskrit-English
Dictionary,
1899,
p.252),
which would
additionally
reflect the
virile,
hirsute,
seed-carrying
character of
a stiff
stalk of
wheat (or
barley).
Chris Rudd January 2012
catalogue.
By the way, if you are
interested in the meaning of
Celtic names, we happen to have
a spare copy of Professor Ellis
Evans Gaulish Personal Names,
Oxford University Press, 1967, a
very important and very rare
reference book -
only 200
copies printed (most
hidden in public libraries).
This one is ex Barnet library, a
nice clean hardback with
original gilt title and OUP
logo, 492 pages (last two pages
of index replaced by photocopy),
normally £150-200 if you can
find a copy (we searched for
five years before getting ours)
this copy
only £75 + p&p.
9.1.12
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