Gallic Wars Funding

247, Lot: 193. Estimate $500. Sold for $600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

GAUL, Northeast. Ambiani. Circa 58-55 BC. AV Stater (17mm, 5.99 g). Gallic Wars issue. Plain bulge / Disjointed horse right; crescents and pellets around. D&T 239; Depeyrot, NC VI, 161; SCBC 11. VF.

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.