This gold shiny coin might be small—but it’s a powerful piece of ancient history.
It’s called a Gold Quarter Stater, and it was made sometime between 60 and 20 BC, during the Iron Age—long before the Romans took control of Britain. It’s about the size of a fingernail (just under 12mm across!) and weighs 1.35 grams, but it’s made of real gold.
An Early British Coin
At first glance, the coin might look a little plain. One side is completely blank. The other side shows some simple patterns—a bit unclear now due to age, but one design may be a feather or tree-like shape. This style of coin is known as the Willet’s Nipple type, and it was likely used by the Regini, a tribe who lived in what is now southern England.
It’s “uninscribed”, which means it doesn’t have any words or writing on it—unlike later coins. That’s a clue that it’s an early example of local coin-making in Britain.
Found near Petersfield
This coin was discovered near Petersfield, close to where another very similar coin was found in 2016. Because the two coins are so alike and were found in the same area, experts think they might be part of a dispersed hoard—a group of coins that was buried or hidden together but later got scattered over time.
That means this coin isn’t just special on its own—it helps us tell a bigger story about ancient life in our local area.
Gold from Across the Channel
Before coins like this were made in Britain, all coins found here had been imported from Belgic Gaul—that’s modern-day northern France. But by the 2nd century BC, local tribes in south-east England started making their own coins.
At first, they had copied the designs from the coins coming from across the Channel—usually with a horse on one side and a head on the other. Over time, these designs became more abstract and harder to recognise. That’s why the patterns on this coin seem mysterious to us today.
These early British coins were used to trade goods, show wealth and possibly as gifts between tribal leaders. They were a sign of status and power—and gold coins like this were the most valuable of all.
A Treasure by Law
Because this coin is over 2,000 years old, made of gold and possibly part of a hoard, it qualifies as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996. That means it had to be officially reported and studied before it could be added to our museum collection. The coin has been recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme and its official page can be found here.
We certainly don’t know exactly who owned or used this coin—but by studying where and how it was found, we can learn more about the people who lived here long ago, how they traded and how they connected with the wider world.
Something So Small, Something So Rare
Even though this coin is tiny, it tells a story of early money, ancient tribes and international trade. It’s a reminder that long before the Romans arrived, Britain was already buzzing with life, culture, and creativity.