Hot Prices for Celtic Silver

In the sweaty midst of Britain’s brief blowtorch heatwave some record highs were recorded for Ancient British silver coins in Chris Rudd’s July 17 sale in Norwich. A rare Bury Diadem silver unit of the Iceni – Queen Boudica’s tribe – was sold for £5,500; a rare Worthing Wonder silver unit of West Sussex realized £2,000; and an Eppillus Grapevine silver unit and Helmet Lyre silver unit each went for £1,600. In the same sale a rare gold stater of Sego, reportedly the finest in private hands (five of the eight known are in public museums), achieved £8,000 and a gold stater of the Durotriges of Dorset realized £2,600, the highest price ever paid for the type. “I’m delighted that the demand for high-grade Celtic coins remains undiminished,” says Chris Rudd, currently enjoying his retirement from the comfort of his garden chair. He adds: “Wise buyers are targeting Celtic coins that combine high quality with high rarity, a collecting policy I’ve always heartily endorsed, even more so in the current economic climate.” Chris Rudd’s next all-Celtic auction will be held on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022.