Gold Stater - Cunobelinus Biga

43 in the Celtic Coin Index.
6 in the Portable Antiquities Scheme database.
3 in the British Museum.
69 in Sills.
The above counts include duplicates.

Evans: IX.1 (1864, p. 295, pl. IX).
Evans: IX.2 (1864, p. 295, pl. IX).
Evans: XXII.1 (1890, p. 561, pl. XXII).

Van Arsdell Classification: Trinovantian T, Coinage of Cunobeline, Restoration Period (Heavy Staters), Biga Type Gold Coins. Van Arsdell lists two variants:
VA 1910 - 01: Pellet below tail and below leaf. This is Sills DK 547, Sills DK 548 and Chris Rudd's ‘Two Dots’.
VA 1910 - 02: No pellet below tail nor below leaf. This is Sills DK 549.

Rainer Kretz, “The biga gold of Cunobelinus”, BNJ 80, 2010:

Kretz Type A (Early):
A1 (Sills DK 547): Hearts at 1 and 7 o’clock, V-shapes at 11 and 5 o’clock, panel border of tiny pellets. Second horse faint, large pellet above, small pellet in front of heads, no pellet under tail, lower edge of leaf wavy. See CCI 02.0946.
A1 var.: Second horse stronger, pellet under tail, lower edge of leaf convex; CVNOBELINI. See CCI 99.0521, CCI 08.8200. This is Chris Rudd's 'Early Type with Face at 1 and 7 o'clock' (Chris Rudd List 142, 7 September 2015, lot 37); ‘Early Type with Larger Leaf and Bolder Second Horse’ (Chris Rudd List 155, 16 Oct 2017, lot 32) and ‘Two Dots’ (Chris Rudd List 173, 2 October 2020 , lot 32).
A2 (Sills DK 547; VA 1910; BMC 1769, 1770): Obverse as A1 but panel border has larger pellets, letters leaning and less neat. Reverse as A1 var. See CCI 98.0130, CCI 68.0353.
A3 (Star type; Sills DK 547 var.): Hearts at 11 and 5 o’clock, panel border of larger pellets, small star replacing pellet in cusp of V-shapes at 1 and 7 o’clock. Reverse as A2 (CVNOBELINI). See CCI 02.0675.
A3 var. 1: Small star in centre of wheel, small pellet above horse, lower edge of leaf now straight; CVNOBELIN. See CCI 00.1531.
A3 var. 2: Lower edge of leaf straight, no star in centre of wheel, small star in front of horses, die flaw from the base of horse’s neck to the pellet above. See CCI 93.0917.
A3 var. 3 (not in Kretz): Lower edge of leaf straight, small star in centre of wheel, star instead of pellet above the horses. This is Chris Rudd's ‘Star’ (Chris Rudd List 177, 14 Jun 2021, lot 33).
A4 (Bucranium type; Sills DK 548; VA 1910-01): Obverse as A3 but two bucrania instead of V-shapes, neat CAMVL (V and L ligate). Reverse as A2, but no pellet in front of horses and lower edge of leaf concave. See CCI 05.0815.
A4 var. 1: Pellet below horses’ heads, small pellet under the leaf stalk. See CCI 08.8204.
A5: Obverse as A1 but panel bulging in centre, border made up of larger pellets, poorly engraved CAMVL with dominant M, V and indistinct final L ligate. Reverse as A2 but lower edge of leaf concave; CVNOBELI. See CCI 67.0158.

Kretz Type B (Late):
B1 (Sills DK 549; VA 1910-02, BMC 1771): Obverse as A1 but panel border of plain lines; CAMVL with no cross bar on A; M-V-L monogram. Reverse as A1, but horses have more powerful necks, no pellets in field, lower edge of leaf convex; CVNOBELINI. See CCI 02.0937, CCI 02.0939, CCI 68.0351 (BMC 1771, VA 1910-02).
B1 var. 1: Tiny pellet above the horse and two small pellets under horse’s tail. See CCI 05.1013, CCI 06.0122, CCI 08.8223.
B1 var. 2: Horses’ necks even broader, pellet under horse’s tail (1 known but might be var. 1). See CCI 68.0351.
B2 (Sills DK 549): Obverse as B1 but height of panel and size of lettering reduced. Reverse as B1 but more substantial, fuller bodied horses, lower edge of leaf concave, pellets close to root of horse’s tail; CVNOBELINI. See CCI 02.0945, CCI 03.0622. This is Chris Rudd's ‘Late Type with Barless-A and Fatter Horse’, Chris Rudd List 145, 12 Feb 2016, lot 44 (CCI 05.0109) and ‘Flatter Panel, Fatter Horse’, Chris Rudd List 171, July 2020, lot 42, £7,700 (CCI 13.0538).

Sills Biga (9 obverse, 13 reverse dies): North Thames Coinage; Type: Cunobelinus; Staters: Class 1 - Biga. Similar to Tasciovanos's Rigon (ABC 2577) and might be contemporary. The biga is from Republican denarii but also Eppillus's Chariot (ABC 417), and could be one of several Cantian influences on north Thames coinage. The leaf may be a Trinovantian emblem, seen also on Addedomaros's Shell (ABC 2508) and Dubnovellaunos's god (such as ABC 2389):
Sills DK 547 (VA 1910-01; Kretz A1, A2, A5): V-shapes top left and bottom right quadrants, hearts opposite quadrants. The reverse is CVNOBELINI (Kretz A1-2, see CCI 08.8200, CCI 68.0352, ESS-3CE8F3) or CVNOBELI (Kretz A5, see CCI 73.0333, CCI 67.0158).
Sills DK 547 var. (Kretz A3): Hearts top left and bottom right. The reverse is CVNOBELIN (see CCI 12.0555, CCI 00.1531) or blundered CVNOBEIГ (see CCI 14.0904).
Sills DK 548 (VA 1910-01; Kretz A4): Hearts and bucrania in quadrants. The reverse is CVNOBELI (see CCI 15.0197, CCI 12.0372, CCI 08.8204, CCI 05.0815, which is Noonans, 5 October 2009, 5248).
Sills DK 549 (VA 1910-02; Kretz B1, B2): CɅɅɅL in plain line panel. The reverse is CVNOBELINI with no pellet under the leaf or under the horse's tail (see CCI 02.0937, CCI 02.0939, CCI 68.0351).

The equivalent quarter is the Biga (ABC 2807).

Sills chronology: Gallo-Belgic Ca - British G (Early Clacton) / Aa Westerham - British La (Whaddon Chase) - British Lb (Westbury) - Addedomaros - Dubnovellaunos - Tasciovanos - Cunobelinus (Biga - Linear - Wild - Plastic - Classic).

British Museum metallurgical analysis RL217: Au 41%, Ag 20%, Cu 39%.