PRESS RELEASE : Iron Age ruler’s coin at risk of leaving the UK [August 2024]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 August 2024.

A temporary export bar has been placed on an Iron Age coin bearing the name of a British ruler from 40 BCE.

• The coin is valued at a price of £20,040
• Export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the coin

A temporary export bar has been placed on an Iron Age coin bearing the name of the local ruler Esunertos, from the Danebury region.

The coin, valued at £20,040 (plus VAT of £680 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution), bears the name of Esunertos, a significant historical figure who is thought to have been a ruler from the Danebury region in Wessex around 40 BCE. He was a contemporary of Julius Caesar and likely held a position of authority and prestige.

It was found in 2023 in the Test Valley in Hampshire, England and provides vital evidence to support  historians’ claims of the ruler’s existence.

Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

This Iron Age coin is a unique item from the time of Julius Caesar providing fascinating insights into who ruled parts of England and the very foundations of our early history.

As a rare object from our distant past, I hope a suitable UK buyer can be found so it can teach us about this period in our history and be studied and enjoyed by the public for years to come.

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. The committee noted that the coin was found to meet the first and third Waverley criteria. Its departure from the UK would be a misfortune because it was so closely connected with our history and national life and was of outstanding significance to the study of archaeology, numismatics, history, and linguistics.

Committee Member Tim Pestell said:

Discovering the name of a previously unknown person from Britain’s pre-historic Late Iron Age is a rare and special occasion. The recovery of this tiny gold ‘quarter stater’ coin in Hampshire’s Test Valley in 2023 has provided archaeologists with a unique witness to the life of Esunertos, who lived c.40-30BC and whose name appears on one side. A British contemporary of Julius Caesar, he was clearly a leader with power and influence among the Belgae tribe in southern England. Despite its diminutive size, this coin therefore has huge potential to help tell us more about the tribal people of our pre-Roman period and, through its inscription, even the language they spoke. I earnestly hope that the deferral of this coin from being exported will allow a public institution to acquire and display this most special and nationally significant object, evidencing as it does the rule of Esunertos – one of the first British people whose name we now know.

The decision on the export licence application for the coin will be deferred for a period ending on 13 October 2024 (inclusive). At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the coin at the recommended price of £20,040 (plus VAT of £680 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).

The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

Notes to editors

1. Organisations or individuals  interested in purchasing the coin should contact the RCEWA on 02072680534 or rcewa@artscouncil.org.uk.
2. Details of the object are as follows: an Iron Age coin (quarter stater), which was found in 2023 in the Test Valley in Hampshire, England. The coin bears an inscription: IISVNIIRTOS (Esunertos). Gold, 12.65 mm x 11.75 mm x 2.65 mm. The coin was likely minted around 40–30 BCE.
3. Provenance: found in the Test Valley (Hampshire), 12 March 2023. The coin was found before the commencement of The Treasure Designation (Amendment) Order 2023 on 30 July 2023. The 2023 Order designated a new class of treasure based on the significance of finds which would not otherwise be defined as treasure. As a single gold coin this find would not have met the definition of treasure at the time it was found, but could have been referred to the coroner, who has responsibility for deciding whether objects meet the legal definition, as possibly meeting the significance definition if it had been found after 30 July 2023.
4. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by the Arts Council (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.