Celtic Coins - rare yet relatively inexpensive

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Celtic coins are highly prized by collectors, and with good reason. Fewer Celtic coins were minted over a much shorter period of time than their Roman counterparts, making them at least one thousand times rarer. The majority were struck over a period of around one hundred years. A benefit for collectors is that despite their rarity, Celtic coins cost less to purchase than other ancient coins. The most expensive Celtic coin was a gold stater struck by Vercingetorix, ancient King of the Gauls, which sold for $70,000.

Mostly all over 2,000 years old, Celts produced their coinage throughout the countries they resided in – England, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland. Some of these countries hadn’t yet formed national identities before the Celts set up rudimentary coin mints.

Celtic coins - Gauls, Ireland, tribes - a diverse ancient people

Celtic Gauls (in what is now France) would have been introduced to coinage by the settlements of ancient Greeks along France’s southern coast. They took this concept to England, and by 55 B.C. British coins were being produced by tribes in gold, silver and bronze. Ireland, which wasn’t invaded by Romans during this period, held on to its Celtic identity well into the new millennium.

These early coins were based on the stater, a coin minted by Philip II of Macedonia - and later his son, Alexander the Great. But Celtic coins were distinct from those of Philip and Alexander, and tell the story of this ancient people in more ways than one. Celtic coins depicted portraits of chiefs and leaders, and the existence of some has only been established through coinage. The names of Celtic chiefs inscribed on the coins provided irrefutable evidence that the Celts used a written language.

Craftsmanship was an attribute highly regarded by the Celts, and their coins are very artistic. A plethora of animals were frequently depicted on coins – boars and horses (companions of the hunter and soldier) – as well as goats, bulls, eagles and hares.

Mythical animals also made an appearance – sphinxes, centaurs and griffins all adorn Celtic coins, adding weight to the claim that ancient Druid priests provided the inspiration for many designs. The imagery of these coins is a big attraction to collectors – they are the realm of giants, gods and goddesses, suns and moons, armies and agriculture.

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