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This project follows on from an initial study of Celtic gold coins from the Middle Rhine/ Moselle region, which was based on material found at the Martberg, a Late Iron Age/Roman sanctuary and settlement (River Moselle, western Germany;Bendall 2003). The earlier work was expanded to encompass over 100 examples of various other regional Celtic gold coinages from the collection of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz. The alloy (Au-Ag-Cu) and trace element compositions (in particular Ni, Sb and Pt) were determined by EPMA and LA-ICP-MS, respectively, and their Pb isotope signatures were measured by LA-MC-ICP-MS. Of the 28 trace elements measured, only Ni, Sb and Pt were found to show meaningful variations and so only they are presented here. In particular, differences in the Pt/Au ratios between various groups of earlier coinage (imitations of Philippus and Alexander/Nike staters, Sch. 23 and some early Boian coins) on the one hand, and the majority of the Boian and the southern rainbow cup coinages on the other, indicate a significant difference in the gold sources exploited for these regional coinages. The Pb isotope data confirm previous conclusions that the contribution of gold to the total lead in the Au-Ag-Cu coin alloys can be detected, especially for coins with over 70% gold, and show that possible gold sources include both eastern Mediterranean and Alpine sources. Combining the Pb isotope data with the Pt/Au ratios allows the potential gold sources to be further differentiated.

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