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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.
Figs. 105 &
106 from Ludwig Wamser &
Ruperb Gebhard, Gold,
Arnoldsche, Stuttgart, 2001.
©
Arnoldsche.
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.
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).
This fabulous Rainbow Cup
was struck in a gorgeous
golden gold and is in superb
condition. It comes from the
celebrated Erich Karl
collection and was bought by
him from Schimmer auction
39, Nuremberg, April 2000,
lot 7. If you've always
wanted a Rainbow Cup gold
stater in your collection,
but have been reluctant to
pay the high price normally
asked for these highly
prized staters in Germany,
now's your chance. This
good-value example is in
Chris Rudd's
September list.
6.9.10 |
