Ave!

Danube Celts, Hack Silver, Sirmia, 2nd Cent BC

From a tetradrachm derived from the Macedonian Kingdom of Philip II

AR; 13mm x 4mm (thick) / 3.3gm

Con/ VF+ for the type?

Obv/ Devolved head of Zeus r., with prominent raised round (ball) cheek.

Rev/ Horse prancing left or right

Seller's Note/ So what is hack silver, or hack silber, if you wish to be pedantic? Basically, it's just silver, coins or artifacts, that have been cut into smaller pieces to make smaller change. This was rather common during the Dark Ages, especially in Western Europe and England. The Viking were infamous for it, as well.

But ours is a very rare example of Celtic hack silver. We previously shared this artifact with friends and colleagues and all were pretty much dumb-founded. None had ever seen nor heard of such a remarkable object.

2,300 years ago, some one needed some change, and used a chisel in six bold stokes on a pure silver tetradrachm to cut it down to this size. Please see the accompanying photo as an example for comparison.

Sirmia was a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. Today, it is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west.