On Sunday, January 15, 2023, a remarkably scarce silver coin from the Iron Age was unearthed near Droxford within the Meon Valley, Hampshire. This coin is believed to have been issued by an unidentified ruler of the Hampshire Belgae. Interestingly, it appears to belong to a hitherto undocumented type, with no previous instances recorded in the Celtic Coin Index.
Rare Iron Silver Coin Droxford 2 Boars Coin:
Elizabeth Cottam, one of the authors of “Ancient British Coins” (published by Chris Rudd in 2010), remarked, that she never come across a silver coin of this kind from Britain before. She also said that what sets it apart are the two back-to-back wild boars on the obverse, featuring prominent eyes and substantial dorsal bristles. A pair of identical opposing boars, showcasing an identical level of detail, is present on two bronze coins from the Somme Valley in northern France. This leads her to speculate whether the Meon Valley boars were replicated from an imported Somme Valley coin or whether they were etched by the same die cutter, potentially a migrant from Caesar’s Gallic War era.
This singular coin discovered in the Meon Valley is set to be auctioned by Chris Rudd in Norwich on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Anticipations are that it could fetch a sum of £3,000.
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