It has been suggested that these shapes were used to show the origin of the bars. Currency bars have been found in four forms known as sword-shaped, spit-shaped, plough-shaped, and bay-leaf-shaped. The first currency in Britain appears to have been iron currency bars first appearing around 200BC. Iron bar and other non-coinage currency Sword type iron bar currency More recently, false provenances have been produced to hide the source of coins looted by metal detectorists such as the mass looting of the Wanborough Temple site. Historically this falsification may have been driven by farm-workers wanting to hide that they had taken the coins from their employer's land. The archaeological record may be distorted by cases of the deliberate falsification of find spots. The coins in the core area are generally attributed to the Atrebates and Cantii in the areas south of the Thames and the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni to the north. This was surrounded by a periphery of coin using groups some of which, the Corieltauvi, Durotriges, Dobunni and Iceni, appear to have minted their own coinage.

Ĭoin use is usually divided into a core area which covers the home counties as well as parts of Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. Exact dating of coins often changes in the light of new research. Cast coins may have been produced for a few more years around Hengistbury Head. Coin production was largely ended by the Roman conquest of Britain, first by the Claudian invasion of AD 43 and later by the Defeat of Boudica in AD 60 or 61. Coins were first imported in large numbers in around 150 BC and domestic minting began around 100BC. The earliest currency consisted of various forms of iron bars. The Celtic currency of Britain were the various items and coins used as currency between approximately 200 BC and AD 60. Part of the Farmborough Hoard consisting of staters inscribed 'CORIO'

Odd shaped ancient copper coins