a close up of a silver coin with a horse on it
MDC Monnaies de Collection

Estimate €400
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Description
GAUL - CELTIC Aedui. Quinaris featuring a bear and the inscription EDVIS / ORGETIRIX, Class I ND (c. 52 BC). Obverse [EDVIS above the bust]. Head facing right, with large, emphasised curls. Reverse [ORGETIRIX in the exergue]. Quadruped facing right, with slender legs (bear transformed into a wolf). DT.3225 - LT.4823-4824 v.; Silver - 1.96 g - 13.5 mm - 5 h Acquired from J.-L. Cougnard in 2004. The inscriptions are not visible, but the ‘flamboyant’ hair is clearly present on the obverse. The bear on the reverse has become a sort of slender quadruped or wolf on this specimen. Slight grey patina. Very good condition. Within this Class I series featuring a bear on ORGETORIX’s quinarii, the earliest examples show Diana on the obverse with her quiver, inspired by Massalian drachmas, and a bear on the reverse (DT.3223). Subsequently, the bust evolved into a profile with curly hair, more (DT.3224) or less stylised, whilst the reverse degenerated into a four-legged animal, resembling a wolf rather than a bear (DT.3225). In 61 BC, the Helvetian chieftain Orgétorix led his people towards the Saintonge region, forging alliances with his neighbours, the Sequani and the Aedui, to this end. According to Cassius Dio, his plans were thwarted and he took his own life. One of his daughters married Dumnorix, king of the Aedui.
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About the sale Numismatics
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Auction time 10/13/2026 at 1:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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