A Celtic gold stater from the vicinity of Radoboj (Croatia)

Around 1840, a gold coin was discovered near Radoboj (northwestern Croatia), a Celtic imitation of a gold stater of AlexanderIII of type Athena/Nike. In 2019, during archaeological excavationof the Roman temple at Frauenberg, near Leibnitz (Austria), twoimitations of staters of the same type were excavated. Of these,one coin was minted with the same dies for obverse and reverseas the coin from Radoboj, which undoubtedly testifies to mintingin the same mint. In the area of north-western Croatia and eastern Slovenia, four other Athena/Nike staters can be documentedat four other sites. To date, 83 Athena/Nike imitations have beendiscovered in Central Europe, of which 32 coins originate from26 sites. Seven coins from six sites in the area south of the middle course of the Mura and Drava rivers therefore significantlycomplement the current record of finds of these earliest Celticcoin finds in Central Europe. At the same time, it proves that theminting of this group of imitations can be attributed to the localCeltic tribes sometime in the middle of the 3rd century BC.