397, Lot: 236. Estimate $300. Sold for $550. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

GAUL, Northeast. Ambiani. Circa 58-55 BC. AV Stater (16.5mm, 5.49 g). Gallic War issue. Plain bulge / Disjointed horse right; crescents and pellets around. Depeyrot, NC VI, 161; D&T 239; SCBC 11. Good VF, toned.

From the MM Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 66 (19 May 2004), lot 4. Reportedly found in West Sussex.

As their name implies, Gallic War staters were issued to fund the fight against Julius Caesar in Gaul. Two explanations for the blank obverse have been suggested: firstly, to signify that the coins were minted by a coalition of tribes – ‘headless’ in other words – and, secondly, to speed up the production process, because the coins were often made in a hurry. The latter rationale seems to be more plausible.