Coins and Historical Medals

British Iron Age, CATUVELLAUNI, Cunobelin, silver Unit, plant with nine seed cases within plain circle, cvnob elinvs around, all within pellet border, rev. standing figure (Herakles ?) right partially draped, holding club and palm branch, dividing ca mv, 1.28g (ABC 2906; BMC 1897; VA –; S 309). Good metal and centrally struck both sides, nearly extremely fine, extremely rare £400-£600

Provenance: Found in Essex.

The plant represented here appears to be copied from a denarius of Augustus, depicting two laurel branches on the reverse. This new discovery shows the buds in more detail which are in fact acorns, so this is an oak branch. The oak tree was sacred to the Celts and associated with the Celtic sky god