Domino. c.45-10 BC. Gold stater. 18mm. 5.38g. Wreath motif with inward-facing leaves, ‘bear’s paws’ above, crescents and small-v below./ Lunate horse left, ‘domino’ box above containing four pellets, crescent and pellet in front, anti-clockwise spiral below. ABC 1758, VA 829-1, BMC 3185-86, S 393. CCI 20.0417 (this coin). Good VF, rich rose gold, boldly struck, everything standing out like organ stops, fabulous domino box fully displayed. Ex John Follows collection. EXCESSIVELY RARE reverse die, only three others known.

The ancient Egyptian symbol for earth was a box with pellets in it, presumably seeds sown in the soil. We suspect that the Domino box had the same meaning. Offstruck examples (BMC 3185-86) show lines coming up from the box, possibly forming a crown-like motif and thus suggesting that the lunar mare (queen of the night) was as responsible for the fertility of Corieltauvian earth as the sun-god on the other side of the coin. Follows’ boldly struck stater clearly shows both the ‘earth box’ and swirly swastika. Dr John Sills says: “This is an early example, struck while the obverse die was still fresh. Most are from a worn die” (pers.comm. 30 April 2020).