Chris Rudd

Auction 171  –  19 July 2020

Chris Rudd, Auction 171

Celtic Coins - The John Follows Collection Part 3

Su, 19.07.2020, from 6:00 PM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

Harlow Wheel. Sills British Lb2, class 1. c.55-45 BC. Gold quarter stater. 13mm. 1.25g. Stylised wreath with central ringed-pellet, hidden faces and ‘bears’ paws’ in angles./ Naturalistic horse right, dewlap and corded mane, wheel above with beaded rim, ringed motif in front, cogwheel sun below. ABC 2463, VA 234, BMC 365-66, DK 472, S 43. CCI 14.0576 (this coin). Unobtrusive hairline crack otherwise EF, golden gold, sharp wreath, full cogwheel sun, one of the finest funniest hidden faces we’ve ever seen on a coin. Ex John Follows collection. Found in Bedfordshire. VERY RARE only 20 others recorded inc. 8 in museums.

Dr John Sills says: “Harlow Wheel quarters equate to Westbury staters [ABC 2442] and are similarly homogeneous. The obverse is a simplification of the stater design with the central crescents reduced to arcs and the horizontal arms of the cross to a single or double pellet line” (DK, p.485). The smiling face also came from Westbury staters, the main difference being that the outline crescents have now become ringed-pellet eyes. A similar smiling face can be seen on the Raunds Wing gold quarter (ABC 2466) and Irstead Smiler gold quarter (ABC 1480). Illustrated in The Searcher, July 2011, p.356 (this coin).

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Bidding

Price realized 3'400 GBP
Starting price 1'000 GBP
Estimate 1'250 GBP
The auction is closed.
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