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Saxony Unveils 2,200-Year-Old Celtic Gold Coin, Oldest Found in the State

Officials describe the two-gram quarter-stater as a status object with modest bullion worth, conveying exceptional research value.

Overview

  • The Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen presented the piece in Dresden on October 27 after confirming it as the oldest coin yet discovered on Saxon soil.
  • Certified detectorist Daniel Fest found the tiny gold object in July on a field near Leipzig-Gundorf and handed it to authorities under the state’s volunteer program.
  • The nearly pure-gold quarter-stater is smaller than a one-cent coin and shows a stylized animal head on one side and a torc-like ring with a rounded star and a pellet on the other.
  • Experts date comparable pieces to the 3rd century BCE in the north Bohemian Celtic area, indicating cross-regional contacts with communities in what is now Saxony.
  • The so-called Regenbogenschüsselchen is now in state care and is slated for display in a planned exhibition in Dresden.