Ancient British Hoards

Roman Imperial Coinage, Augustus (27 BC-AD 14), Denarius, Lugdunum, 11-10 BC, avg[–] divi f around bare head right, rev. [–]p xii in exergue, bull butting right, 3.71g/4h (Ghey 370, this coin; BMC 469-70; RIC 176a var.; RSC 153). Banker’s marks ‘B’ and ligatured ‘AVC’ on reverse above bull, otherwise fine and rare
£100-£150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, British Iron Age Coins from the Helmingham Hoard.

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SF 281

The banker’s mark that appears on this coins has had multiple possible meanings. avc may allude to a banker’s initials, or, more likely, it may be an abbreviation of ab urbe condita ‘in the year since the city’s founding’, which is 753 BC. By the time of Claudius, this date was commemorated as a part of imperial propaganda and in 47 AD, the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the city, celebrations were held.
Perhaps, this banker’s mark was used as a small way to mark the occasion permanently onto coinage. This would suggest that this coin found its way into Britain after the Claudian invasion of AD 43, and therefore that there would have been regular importation of Roman silver coinage into Britain throughout the period on at least a semi-regular basis.

The presence of the ‘B’ however only serves to raise more questions, were they marked at the same time or was this issue checked twice in different locations or by different people? If we go with the assumption that avc was stamped onto the coin c. 47 AD, the ‘B’ was most likely marked on the coin first.