Finney’s Thunderbolt. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 12mm. 1.19g. Zigzag chevron thunderbolt or lightning flash with ringed-pellet on outside of each angle./ Full-bodied horse right, beaded mane, globular chest and rump, outline dewlap; ‘cogwheel’ sun above and below. ABC 2255, VA−, BMC 368 (ex Chris Rudd), DK 480, S−. CCI 20.0420 (this coin). Unobtrusive hairline crack otherwise Near EF, sharply struck in yellow gold, super sharp chevron. Ex John Follows collection. Found Hertfordshire. VERY RARE only eighteen others recorded, including Ian Finney’s in the City of Birmingham Museum (Num. Circ. 98, 1990, p.268, no.15) and ours in the British Museum (Chris Rudd List 27, no.87).

In 1997 Dr Philip de Jersey said: “This coin has a remarkable and unique interpretation of the laurel wreath on the obverse, seemingly unparalleled on British or continental coinage. Explanations for this very angular treatment can only be conjecture” (Chris Rudd List 27, no.87). Our conjecture is that, like the SS on the SS Type stater, ABC 2237 (lot 32) and SS of the Nazi Schutz-Staffel ‘protective squadron’, the Z-sign on Finney’s Thunderbolt represents both a letter S (for Segontiaci?) and a lightning flash or thunderbolt. Such ambiguity is deliberate and not uncommon in Celtic iconography. Combined with the two ringed-pellets the Z-sign also forms a bug-eyed hidden face. Dr John Sills says: “The distinctive zigzag obverse of the Thunderbolt quarter has no close parallels, although the offset wreath may have been inspired by the continuous wreath on the Raunds Wing issue [ABC 2466], with the bold ringed pellets at the end of the Raunds wreath displaced to either side” (DK, p.489). Given that the Raunds Wing also has two hidden faces on the obverse and that its horse is of a similar style to the Thunderbolt horse, we think John is right. Follows’ Thunderbolt is a beauty and because its flan is somewhat scyphate the fierce facial likeness of the obverse design is greatly enhanced. Not in VA nor Spink.