CELTIC, Central Europe. Boii. 2nd century BC. 1/24 Stater (Gold, 7 mm, 0.33 g, 3 h), earliest Athena-Alkis-series, local 'Vogelkopf' type. Head of a bird with short curved beak to left, wearing a round cap. Rev. Athena Alkis standing left, brandishing spear with her right hand and holding shield with her left; to lower left, >; to lower right > above -. Flesche -. Fröhlich 4.1 (same dies). Kolníková & Koháček 105 (same dies). Militky 2017, 4-A/1 (this coin). Paulsen 140 (same dies). SLM -. Of the highest rarity, by far the best of only three known examples, all struck from the same pair of dies but this the only coin with complete reverse symbols. Fresh, clear and remarkably well struck on a broad flan. Good extremely fine.


This very unusual issue has been known since 1933 when Paulsen published an example, reportedly found somewhere in Moravia, which now is in the Moravian Land Museum. A second piece came to light later in Němčice nad Hanou, but it was only our coin, the third known example, that revealed the complete reverse symbols. The issue dates to the earliest phase of the production of the Athena-Alkis-series, when the types were not yet fully canonized. The obverse, which shows a head of a bird wearing a round cap, is without any parallels and certainly among the most unusual and charming of all Boian issues.