Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 123 23-24 May 2023
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CELTIC, Trinovantes & Catuvellauni. Cunobelin. Circa AD 10-43. AV Stater (16mm, 5.32 g, 8h). Linear type (Trinovantian U). Camulodunum mint. Grain ear with central linear stalk; CA MV flanking, pellet above M, privy mark + to lower left / Horse leaping right; branch and two pellets above, CVN below. PAS BH-137A04 CH16 (this coin); Allen, Cunobelin 24-6 (dies G/g); ABC 2774; Van Arsdell 1925-5; SCBC 281. Pristine surfaces, reverse slightly off center. Superb EF. Much as struck. Rare in this condition.
Ex Borden Hoard (PAS BH-137A04).
The Borden Hoard, a group of 42 Cunobelin gold staters of unparalleled quality, is the kind of carefully researched and coordinated find that fills metal detectorists' dreams. On New Year's Day 1873, workmen digging in a garden in the parish of Borden, Kent uncovered three gold coins: a Roman aureus of emperor Claudius and two gold staters of the British Celtic king Cunobelin. No further discoveries were made for nearly 150 years.
Then in 2018, a detectorist, armed with knowledge of the Victorian find, approached the land owner seeking permission to detect on their land. Permission was granted, but as the fields were then filled with crops, only limited areas could be detected. Those searches revealed nothing. Finally, in February 2019, the now-barren fields underwent a proper search. A single gold stater was found in an area of particularly deep soil. The landowner agreed to bring in an excavator to remove the top layers of dirt, allowing the detectorist's equipment to reach deeper into the ground, and this stunning hoard was at long last brought back into the light of day.
The staters from the hoard are remarkable for their highly lustrous, original surfaces. It is evident they saw very little or no circulation before being buried. The considerable depth of the deposit no doubt further resulted in their exceptional state of preservation.
Ex Borden Hoard (PAS BH-137A04).
The Borden Hoard, a group of 42 Cunobelin gold staters of unparalleled quality, is the kind of carefully researched and coordinated find that fills metal detectorists' dreams. On New Year's Day 1873, workmen digging in a garden in the parish of Borden, Kent uncovered three gold coins: a Roman aureus of emperor Claudius and two gold staters of the British Celtic king Cunobelin. No further discoveries were made for nearly 150 years.
Then in 2018, a detectorist, armed with knowledge of the Victorian find, approached the land owner seeking permission to detect on their land. Permission was granted, but as the fields were then filled with crops, only limited areas could be detected. Those searches revealed nothing. Finally, in February 2019, the now-barren fields underwent a proper search. A single gold stater was found in an area of particularly deep soil. The landowner agreed to bring in an excavator to remove the top layers of dirt, allowing the detectorist's equipment to reach deeper into the ground, and this stunning hoard was at long last brought back into the light of day.
The staters from the hoard are remarkable for their highly lustrous, original surfaces. It is evident they saw very little or no circulation before being buried. The considerable depth of the deposit no doubt further resulted in their exceptional state of preservation.