Ancient Celtic Discovery

A small find has made a big impact on Saxony’s numismatic history. Daniel Fest, a certified hobby detectorist, uncovered a 2,200-year-old Celtic gold quarter stater in a field near Lipzig-Gundorf. Fest reported the find to German authorities, and the State Office for Archaeology in Dresden officially presented the discovery this week. The 2g quarter stater is the oldest coin found in Saxony and proves that, though Saxony wasn’t within Celtic settlement areas, consistent trade occurred in the region. Prior to this discovery, the oldest known coin in this region was a silver Büschelquinar from the early 1st century B.C. that was discovered in 2007. A total of 11 Celtic coins in Saxony are now known.

The specimen was likely not circulating currency but rather a status object owned by a local elite who traded with the Celts. Made of almost entirely pure gold, the obverse features a stylized animal head (probably of a stag) with distinct eyes and horns. The reverse includes an open torc with thickened ends, a rounded-edge star, and a central sphere, which are all common motifs in Celtic communities in northern Bohemia. “This gold coin is a tangible fragment of our history, illuminating ancient trade and the people who once lived here,” says Barbara Klepsch, Saxony’s minister for culture and tourism. 

The piece will be displayed in Dresden, enriching Saxony’s archaeological record and reinforcing the importance of collaboration between citizens and scientists in preserving culture heritage.