COIN

An example sold in Chris Rudd's list 150 in December 2016 was described thus:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/chris-rudd/catalogue-id-chris-10011/lot-f3f295f1-2fa8-4266-8036-a6d4014900e5

Facing Horses. Right Type. c.50-40 BC. Silver unit. 15mm. 1.07g. Two horses rearing face to face, harness between noses, s-shape tail raised, cogwheel between, two smaller opposed horses below, rings around./ Horse right, ladder-like mane, cogwheel in front, small inverted horse above, boar right below. ABC−, VA−, BMC−, S−. PAS: HAMP-FCA2F3 (this coin). A newly recorded type, unrecognised prior to the discovery of this important coin and unlisted by all major reference works. Tiny edge chip, otherwise Near EF, exquisitely executed on large flan of bright silver, magnificent animals. A superlative example. EXCESSIVELY RARE only one other known (a fragment).

The only other recorded specimen of the Facing Horses Right Type is a large badly chipped fragment found over 20 years ago, CCI 95.3389, according to Dr John Sills (pers.comm. 28.10.2016). Ours is the only complete example known and, as such, is of the highest rarity, probably unique. It was found not long ago near West Meon, Hampshire, by Pete Beasley, the metdet who discovered the famous 'Alton I and II' gold hoards with Pete Murphy at 11am, 17 March 1996 (which we valued for the finders), now in the British Museum. Though found in Hampshire, the land of the Belgae, the very large size of its flan and its very distinctive opposed horses and its 'three-beast' reverse all indicate that this beautifully designed coin could be equally at home with the Abingdon Zoo types from Berkshire (cf. ABC 1001-1007, 2113-2116, 2273). Britain's facing horses coins were undoubtedly inspired by and copied from the Gallo-Belgic series of aux chevaux affrontés types, DT 433-443. Indeed the dies for our remarkable coin could well have been cut for a southern British ruler by a Gallo-Belgic émigré, fleeing from the Gallic Wars.