World of the Celts Collection

World of the Celts Collection: Three Originals from the Iron Age, One Queen in Proof Quality

Hardly any culture in Europe designed its money as distinctively as the Celts. No ruler portraits, no dates, no legends in the Roman sense – instead abstracted heads, galloping horses, crosses and spheres. This collection brings together three hand-struck Celtic silver coins from the 2nd and 1st century BC with a modern fine silver coin dedicated to the most famous Celtic woman of antiquity. Three pieces were genuine currency. One is a work of art. Together they tell a story that spans from Languedoc through the Bavarian-Swabian Alpine foothills to the Eastern Alps and Britain.

These four coins are included

• 1 oz Silver Boudicca 2022 Proof – 31.1 g fine silver 999/1,000, mintage of only 2,000 pieces worldwide, Proof with colour finish, face value 2 dollars (Niue), minted by the New Zealand Mint, delivered in a case with certificate of authenticity.

• Celtic silver drachm, 1st century BC, tribe of the Volcae Tectosages – 2.3 g, approx. 12 mm, hand-struck cross drachm from southern Gaul.

• Silver quinarius of the Celtic Vindelici, approx. 1st century BC, Alpine foothills between Lake Constance and the Inn – 2 g, approx. 12 mm, so-called tufted quinarius (Büschelquinar).

• Celtic tetradrachm with pearl diadem and the horse of Epona, approx. 2nd–1st century BC, Eastern Noricum – 10.8 g, 22 mm, the heaviest piece in the set.

The combined gross weight of all four coins is 46.2 g. The three ancient coins are circulating specimens without a standardised fineness – for two-thousand-year-old hand-struck coins, there simply was no fineness standard. The Boudicca coin, on the other hand, offers classic fine silver 999/1,000.

Boudicca: the woman Rome feared

The second issue in the "Women in History" series depicts the queen of the Iceni in vivid colour finish, with the scene of her leading her troops into battle in the background. After Rome's exploitation of her tribe, she rose up against the occupiers around AD 60 – the revolt cost tens of thousands of lives and brought Rome to the brink of withdrawal from the island. The obverse bears the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, along with the face value and year of issue. Mirror finish, colour, case, numbered certificate: a collector's coin just as one would wish for.

Volcae Tectosages: the cross drachm from southern Gaul

A small disc, barely larger than a fingernail – and a prime example of Celtic abstraction. The model came from the Greek polis of Rhoda: a woman's head on the front, a rose on the back. Over generations, the Celts transformed this into an angular head, which French scholarship calls "tête cubiste", and a striking cross with symbols in its quadrants. Such drachms are therefore technically known as monnaies à la croix. They were minted in the area around Tolosa, present-day Toulouse.

Vindelici: Celtic small silver coinage from the Alpine foothills

The Vindelici were a group of Celtic tribes between Lake Constance and the Inn; their most important oppidum was located near Manching on the Danube. Their quinarius follows the Roman denarius at half the size. On the reverse, a horse trots, while the obverse shows a head that became increasingly abstracted into a swirl of tufts over the various minting periods – hence the collector's name "tufted quinarius" (Büschelquinar). In 15 BC, Tiberius and Drusus subjugated the Vindelici. Their name survives in Augusta Vindelicum: Augsburg.

Eastern Noricum: pearl diadem and the horse of Epona

The heavyweight of the group. The obverse shows a heavily stylised head with a three-row pearl diadem, derived from Macedonian-Greek models. On the reverse, a horse strides forward – traditionally associated with Epona, the Celtic goddess whose name derives from the Gaulish word epos ("horse"). Although the Norici had access to rich gold deposits, they minted in silver for trade reasons. With the annexation to Rome, these tetradrachms disappeared from circulation by around 15 BC at the latest. What exists today comes from ground finds and hoards.

Gold and silver are humanity's oldest currencies – they have outlived all others. The empires that minted these three coins are long gone. The metal still lies in your hand.

Why this collection is special

• Contrast with concept: ancient circulating coinage alongside a modern Proof coin – monetary history and coin artistry in one selection.

• Three unique pieces: each Celtic coin was placed by hand between two dies and struck. No blank is perfectly round, no patina is like another.

• Strictly limited: the Boudicca with only 2,000 pieces worldwide, while the ancient pieces are naturally not reproducible.

• Substance instead of promises: physical silver as a tangible asset, valued as an inflation hedge and crisis protection.

• Value shipping: insured and discreet delivery.

Ancient hand-struck coinage or modern bullion coin?

Bullion classics such as the Maple Leaf or Vienna Philharmonic thrive on standardised fineness and a slim premium – ideal for predictably building up silver weight. The three Celtic coins play a different role: their appeal stems from age, rarity and cultural significance, not solely from metal content. Compared to Roman denarii or Greek owl drachms, they score points with their Central European origin and an almost strikingly modern visual language. One should bear in mind: centring, toning and preservation vary more than with series-minted coins. For many collectors, this is precisely where the value lies. The Boudicca, in turn, brings flawless quality, a clearly defined fine weight and a manageable mintage – the perfect complement.

Preservation: circulated money with honest traces

These pieces are circulated currency and bear corresponding traces: darker patina, individual centring, nicks, wear, and in some cases weaker legend areas. This is exactly what makes them appealing. Since the year of minting, mint, and reverse variant can vary, the specimen delivered will differ from the image shown – you receive an original, not a mass-produced product. We therefore ask for your understanding that the image in the shop serves as an example and may differ individually from the delivered item in terms of appearance and condition due to historical circumstances.

Who this collection is suitable for

For newcomers to Celtic numismatics who do not want to search for individual pieces themselves. For experienced collectors of the "History" series, who welcome tribal coinage from three regions all at once. And for everyone who wants not just to weigh precious metal, but to understand it. Since the year of minting, mint, and reverse variant of the ancient pieces vary, the specimen delivered may differ from the image shown – you receive originals, not mass-produced items. As a gift with conversation value, this collection is hard to beat.