Wild Boars in Meon Valley
On Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, an extremely rare Iron Age silver coin, issued by an unknown ruler of the Hampshire Belgae, was found near Droxford in the Meon Valley, Hants….
On Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, an extremely rare Iron Age silver coin, issued by an unknown ruler of the Hampshire Belgae, was found near Droxford in the Meon Valley, Hants. It appears to be a new type, previously unpublished, with no other examples recorded by the Celtic Coin Index.
“I haven’t seen a silver coin quite like this before from Britain,” says Elizabeth Cottam, co-author of Ancient British Coins (Chris Rudd 2010). “What makes it unusual are the two wild boars back-to-back on the obverse, both with big eyes and enormous dorsal bristles. An identical pair of opposed boars – identical in every detail – can be seen on two bronze coins from the Somme Valley in northern France. This makes me wonder if the Meon Valley boars were copied from an imported Somme Valley coin or if they were engraved by the same die cutter, a migrant maybe from Caesar’s Gallic War?”
The unique Meon Valley coin will be sold by Chris Rudd in Norwich on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. It is expected to fetch £3,000.
