St. James's Auctions
Auction 71 4 Feb 2023
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Romano-British, Kimmeridge (Dorset) 'Coal Money', Shale disc, one side with turned edge, the other with two deep circular indentations, 40mm. x 10.5mm. thick; another, smaller disc, 21.5mm. x 9.5mm. thick, generally in good order, the smaller less marked (2)
*ex Baldwin's vault.
The Kimmeridge oil shale on the Dorset coast consists of oil-bearing rocks which have a lovely sheen when polished, and as a result of this the stone was a popular material for making armlets as early as the Iron Age, with examples found as far afield as Switzerland. The armlets were turned on a lathe, and the central discs which resulted as a by-product of armlet manufacture are referred to as 'coal money'. The indentations present on this example would have been used as a guide for the person using the lathe.
Estimate: 80 - 120 GBP
*ex Baldwin's vault.
The Kimmeridge oil shale on the Dorset coast consists of oil-bearing rocks which have a lovely sheen when polished, and as a result of this the stone was a popular material for making armlets as early as the Iron Age, with examples found as far afield as Switzerland. The armlets were turned on a lathe, and the central discs which resulted as a by-product of armlet manufacture are referred to as 'coal money'. The indentations present on this example would have been used as a guide for the person using the lathe.
Estimate: 80 - 120 GBP