Ave!

Danube Celts, AR Tetradrachm, 2nd Cent BC, Curious!

Derived from the Macedonian Kingdom of Philip II

Fine Silver; 23mm/11.2gm

Con/ Struck just off center on the obverse, otherwise, Good Very Fine; mint luster

Obv/ Laureate and bearded head of Zeus right, wearing ear ring

Rev/ Free horse prancing left.

Seller's Note/ So what makes this Celtic issue more curious than others which are always curious, anyway? Ancient coin planchets were always heated at a very high temperature before striking, right? But, in the case of this particular issue, the planchet must certainly have been nearly close to molten when struck! Look close at the obverse, and you'll see how, when struck, the silver blobbed up from Zeus wreath nearly to the top edge. And that is very cool, my friends, trust me.

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.