CELTIC, Uncertain. Circa 1100-500 BC. 'Ring Money' (Gold, 47 mm, 13.19 g). A single shaft of gold with multiple twists and plain ends which do not touch. Cf. CNG 91 (2012), 1572 (3.68 g and attributed to Britain). A beautifully produced and exceptionally heavy example. Extremely fine.


Late Bronze or early Iron Age gold objects such as this one have been found in various forms and shapes, but most notably in the form of rings. They probably both served as personal adornments and as a form of 'proto-money' used in trade and are often attributed to the British Isles, although such rings are in fact attested across all of Celtic Europe. This is an exceptionally heavy example, made from a single shaft of gold weighing 13.19 g.