Notes

The Curdridge Triad is very similar to the Hampshire Thunderbolt (ABC 767/British B) and it is likely that many coins have been missidentified as that type. The difference on the obverse is the appearance of a vertical pellet line between the boat's occupants with a capping arc.

The reverse of Class 1a (Curdridge) differs by the rotation of the quadrants by one place clockwise. This changes again on the Class 1b coins by the replacement of the L shaped object with a pellet triad.

They are tenuously attributed to the Belgae tribe, although Sills (“Divided Kingdoms” p293) suggests that they might have been minted by an as yet unknown neighbouring tribe.

The Curdridge Triad comes in a left and a right type, although this distinction isn't made in “Divided Kingdoms”. The difference between these types is that the reverses are mirror images of each other (well, almost mirror images - there are some minor features such as a small diagonal line which is in the same place on both types). The pellet triad appears in the upper left quadrant on the "Left Type", and in the upper right quadrant on the "Right Type". The left type appears to be the most common of the two types

I know of 12 Curdridge Triad coins; 9 of the Left Type, 3 of the Right Type, and 3 which I have no photos for. A further three finds from a metal detecting rally in Compton were mentioned on Facebook.

Tribe

Belgae

Denomination

Quarter Stater

Metal

Gold

Obverse Legend

No Legend

Obverse Description

The obverse shows a boat with two figures separated by a beaded line topped by a large arc. An S shaped object appears on the left, and pellets on the right.

The obverse is sometimes rotated 180 degrees and described as a stylised animal (normally a boar but sometimes a wolf), but the arguments for this are unconvincing, and the descriptions required to describe the design in this context become increasingly convoluted.

Reverse Legend

No Legend

Reverse Description

Note that the intended orientation on the reverse is unknown.

The reverse is segmented into quadrants by a thick wavy line running vertically, and a plain line running horizontally. The vertical line ends with three tendrils at each end.

The lower left and upper right quadrants contain semicircular "torcs" which enclose pellets. The lower right quadrant contains a butterfly shape, and the upper left contains a ringed pellet triad

Area

Britain

Region

South Western

Weight

0.9g to 1.3g

Date

50 BC to 40 BC

References

1. ABC-
2. DK British Da2 - Class 1b (317)
3. Van Arsdell-
4. BMC-
5. Spink-
6. Made for Trade-