Celtic Imitation of Gold stater of Philipp II. of Macedonia and from Brackenheim near Heilbronn Celtic Imitation of Gold stater of Philipp II. of Macedonia and from Brackenheim near Heilbronn

Celtic coinage began with the imitation of Greek and Roman templates, whereby in the western part of the Celtic world – such as in Gaul, which mainly comprised modern-day France – the gold stater of King Philip II of Macedon served as a model for local coins. The head on the obverse of this design, originally depicting Apollo, shows the well-rendered face and fine nose of a Greek god, yet, in Celtic manner, the curls are broken up into thick loops and drops, crowned by a laurel wreath consisting of lines and spheres. The Celtic hand of the die-cutter is even more clearly recognisable on the reverse: the two galloping horses in front of the chariot with their driver seem to be composed of various shapes, consisting of angular bodies and heads, as well as spherical ears and hooves. The original Greek letters on the coin are imitated here by a double row of dots, while the ear of corn in the coin panel is modelled on an emblem from the Macedonian mint of Pella. The features described above are common to a group of around twenty coins, most of which were discovered in the area of modern-day Baden-Württemberg and are grouped together under the Brackenheim type, according to the find location of the example shown here. Special to this coin type, which dates from around 250 to 175 BCE, is the issue of fractions of the full stater weighing around 8.2 grams: the piece shown here is a very rare half-stater, whereas quarter-staters are more common. The distribution of the known locations of the Brackenheim coin type could indicate that it was minted in Baden-Württemberg. Obverse: Laureate head of Apollon to right. Reverse: Charioteer driving biga to right. Corn ear in field right. Points in exergue.