One of the most fascinating collecting fields is that of coins. Created as trade goods, for thousands of years they have made their way across land and sea in exchange for commodities and services. As such, the most ancient of coins can be found far from the places where they were minted. They can also cast light on the lives and influence of those who lived in ancient times. For instance Ancient Greek coins were minted in what is now Sicily, part of Italy, but was then part of the Classical Greek empire.
Secrets from our own ancient history can also be uncovered by coins. The important thing is to preserve as good a record as possible of the find site; this is largely successful today thanks to the excellent Portable Antiquities Scheme, which rewards finder and land-owner alike, provided the rules have been followed.
All this sprang to mind a week ago with news of a record auction price for one of the most exciting finds ever: the first known gold coin of Caractacus, king of the Catuvellauni tribe in the first century AD. Caractacus entered legend as a leader of the resistance against the Roman invasion and features in the work of Tacitus, the Roman historian, who writes about Caractacus’s famous speech to the Roman Senate following his defeat and capture. So impressed were the Romans that they pardoned him and allowed him to live in Rome until he death.
The fact that Caractacus could mint such an impressive coin demonstrates his power and influence, while details that appear on the coin fill in other gaps in our knowledge.
