UNIQUE ANCIENT BRITISH COIN OF AMMINUS FOUND

On 2 June 2013 an important ancient British coin – a silver unit of a previously unrecorded type – was found at Staple in east Kent, former land of the Cantiaci. It was struck by Amminus (‘friend’), a Cantian king of Catuvellaunian origin who ruled in Kent around AD 30-40, shortly before the Claudian invasion in AD 43, which he may have encouraged.

The coin has a Roman-style bust of Amminus and may be a portrait of him. He wears a loose-fitting tunic and his head is crowned by a rope-like jewelled fillet. This exotic headband is unlike any other I can recall seeing on a British, Gaulish or Roman coin of the period. On the other side of the coin is a bounding lion. Its mane is engraved in the same rope-like manner as the king’s flamboyant fillet – surely no coincidence.

Under the lion are the letters SIIC which may be read as SEC or SEG, which is probably an abbreviation of Sego (‘strong’ or ‘victorious’), which could be the first part of a mint-name such as Segodunon (‘strong fort’). Other coins of Amminus were minted at Duno (‘the fort’).

Little is known of Amminus and much of that, such as the right way to spell his name, comes from his coins. He is almost certainly the historical Adminius who fled as a refugee from Britain in AD 39 or 40 and who surrendered to the Roman emperor Caligula (‘little boots’) when the latter was stationed on the Rhine at Durocortorum (Mainz, Germany).

The newly discovered Amminus Lion silver coin will be sold by auction in November by Elizabeth Cottam of Chris Rudd. For their help with this brief report I thank Jane Bottomley, David Holman, Dr Ian Leins, Dr Daphne Nash Briggs and Dr John Sills.

To read the complete article, see: Unique coin of British king who fled to Germany (www.coinsweekly.com/en/Unique-coin-of-British-king-who-fled-to-Germany/8?&id=322&type=a)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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