Getting Started with Celtic Coins - Art on Celtic Coins

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Getting Started with Celtic Coins

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Crude and Barbarous, or Just Different?

This section is in four parts:

The first part, “Crude and Barbarous, or Just Different?”, discusses the type of art practised by the Celts, and explains why they have historically (and erroneously) been seen as crude and barbarous coins.

The second part, “Describing Celtic Coins – Common Design Elements” takes you through the kinds of shapes you might find on Celtic coins. The aim is to give you a way of breaking the complex images down into parts, and to describe them. Alternatively, it might help you decipher the kinds of descriptions you’ll see from auction houses and dealers.

The third part, What do They Mean?” looks into some possible interpretations of the images on the coins, although it is limited due to the vast number of Celtic coin designs that exist.

The final part, “Further Reading on the Art on Celtic Coins”, gives some quick pointers to some books and articles that will be useful if you want to understand more about the art on Celtic coins.

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Coins of the Parisii

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Getting Started with Celtic Coins

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Crude and Barbarous, or Just Different?

Getting Started with Celtic Coins

1.1.

About the Celts

1.2.

Were All Celtic Coins Made by the Celts?

1.3.

What Denominations Did They Use?

1.4.

What Metals Did They Use?

1.5.

Do We Know Who Made Them?

Some Celtic Coins and their Prototypes

2.1.

The Celts in Colchis

2.1.1.

The Gold Stater of Lysimachus

2.1.2.

The Gold Stater of Alexander III

2.2.

The Eastern Celts

2.2.1.

Coins Derived from Thasos Tetradrachms

2.2.2.

Coins Derived from Philip II of Macedon Tetradrachms

2.2.3.

Coins Derived from Alexander III and Philip III Tetradrachms

2.3.

The Celts From North Central Europe

2.4.

The Celts from Northern Gaul

2.4.1.

First Generation Coins (c. 275 BC to c. 200 BC)

2.4.2.

Second Generation Coins (c. 200 BC to c. 125 BC)

2.4.2.1.

Gallo-Belgic A

2.4.2.2.

Coins of the Treveri and Armorican Tribes

2.4.3.

Third Generation Coins (c. 125 BC to c. 50 BC)

2.4.3.1.

2.4.3.1.1.

2.4.3.1.2.

2.4.3.1.3.

2.4.3.1.4.

2.4.3.2.

2.4.3.3.

Gallo Belgic F and Gallo Belgic G

2.4.3.3.1.

2.4.3.3.2.

2.4.3.4.

2.4.3.5.

(You are here) Art on Celtic Coins

3.1.

Crude and Barbarous, or Just Different?

3.2.

Describing Celtic Coins

3.3.

What do They Mean?

3.4.

Further Reading About the Art on Celtic Coins

Collecting Celtic Coins

References