Gisleham Glory. Talbot Saham Toney Quarter Stater, dies A/1. c.40-20 BC. Gold quarter stater. 11mm. 1.00g. Cruciform design with ringed-pellet at each end and four-spoked wheel in centre, teardrop motif with crossbar at top and pellets in angles./ Globular horse right, short dashes for mane, pellet under tail, ‘neck torc’ above, ringed-pellet below. ABC 1492, VA−, BMC−, S−. CCI 20.0439 (this coin). Good EF, neat flan of golden gold, sharply struck. Ex John Follows collection. Found Norfolk. EXTREMELY RARE die pair, only seven others recorded.

There are sixteen hidden faces on the Gisleham Glory quarter stater, full of guile and glorious when you discover them. They are formed by these four motifs, each represented four times. A and C (see full catalogue) are phalloid nose and eyes motifs often seen on other Celtic coins and metalwork. B and D are ‘shouting mouth’ motifs. The V-shaped ‘shouting mouth’ occurs on coins such as E, the Norfolk God silver unit (ABC 1657). We think the deity may be Esu ‘Lord’ (Proto-Celtic es- ‘be’, su ‘good’, literally ‘The Good Being’). Follows’ glorious Gisleham Glory is one of the finest we’ve ever seen (cf. Chris Rudd 156, 14 January 2018, lot 17, £4000). Not in VA, BMC nor Spink.