Veneti, Namnetes, 1/4 Stater
2nd-1st centuries BC - Gold - NGC - Ch XF★ 4/5-5/5
PLEASE NOTE: this collector's item is unique. We therefore cannot guarantee its availability over time and recommend that you do not delay too long in completing your purchase if you are interested.
Coin, Namnetes, Area of Nantes, 1/4 Stater "à l'hippophore" type, 80-50 BC, AU(55-58), Gold, Delestrée:2193.
Profile to right, of Apollonian origin, without crest; hair composed of flame-like locks outward and a row of crescent-shaped locks around the face. On the cheek, a beaded ring centered with a pellet (sometimes called “rosette” or “beaded crown”).
Androcephalic horse to the right, surmounted by a charioteer, holding the reins in his right hand and raising his left hand. In front of the horse, an unknown symbol (pelleted cross?). Below, a hippophoric figure facing, head to the right, arms outstretched and holding a curved object (a blade?) in his right hand.
Graded NGC Ch XF★ Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5. Extremely rare quarter stater, of remarkable condition for the type, perfectly centered and very well struck with many details. Delestrée specifies in his publication that these quarter staters cannot be linked to any series of hippophoric figure staters. It should be noted here that the symbol on the obverse, in front of the horse, could remind the symbols visible on the staters of Cenomani coinage, which are assimilated to banners. Almost not visible and mostly out of the blank, it remains undetermined, but a variation of the banner could correspond. Delestrée 2193; Latour 6724 (pl. XXI); S. Scheers, 1982, BSFN no. 6, pl. p. 83, no. 13.
1.86 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
