Eamonn P Kelly evaluates the recent find of gold coins in County Tipperary now on display at the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks
The earliest gold coins to find their way to Ireland were Roman examples, such as aureus and solidus coins of the Emperors Maximianus, Gratianus, Arcadius, Constantine I and Constantine II that were deposited as votive offerings at the entrance to the Newgrange passage tomb (Fig 5). Produced by the Hiberno-Norse, the earliest Irish coinage was exclusively of silver. Throughout the Middle Ages, Ireland was a relatively coin-poor economy due to the outflow to pay royal taxes, and gold coins in particular were a rare commodity. Nevertheless the National Museum holds examples of the first English gold coin to have been produced in quantity. Coined by Edward III (1327-1377) and known as a ‘noble’ it was worth one-third of a pound sterling.
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