Karel Castelin

Karel O. Castelin (1903–1981) was a Czech numismatist renowned for his expertise in medieval Bohemian and Celtic coinage. Born on May 2, 1903, in Dubá, he pursued his education at Charles University in Prague, earning a doctorate in Ancient History, Archaeology, and Numismatics in 1938. Despite his academic background, Castelin worked primarily in the steel industry near Kladno until his retirement in 1971.

Castelin authored numerous articles and monographs on numismatics. His notable works include The Coinage of Rhesaena in Mesopotamia (1946), Die Goldprägung der Kelten in den böhmischen Ländern (1965), and Grossus Pragensis (1973). He also cataloged the Celtic coin collection of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, published in 1978.

An active member of several numismatic societies, Castelin served as editor of the Czechoslovak Numismatic Journal from 1925 and held leadership positions in the Czech Numismatic Society. Internationally, he was honored as a member of the Royal Numismatic Society in London in 1968 and received honorary membership in the Swiss Numismatic Society in 1972.