Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Aureus - Imitating Diocletian, 284-305, and Maximian, 285-305
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 285-325 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Crude barbarous imitation of a standard Roman imperial reverse type, depicting a standing figure facing left, presumably a emperor or deity, holding a Victory presenting a wreath in the raised right hand and a long scepter or parazonium in the left hand. Two small figures, likely captives or attendants, are shown on either side with arms raised. A degenerate pseudo-Latin legend surrounds the design in the field, composed of distorted letterforms imitating official Roman reverse inscriptions. The composition and execution are consistent with Germanic tribal imitations of late third- to early fourth-century aurei. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Barbarous gold imitations of late Roman aurei are poorly understood as a class. These pieces were struck by Germanic groups — most likely along the Rhine or Danube frontier — who had access to Roman coin types but no interest in replicating them faithfully for official exchange. The purpose was almost certainly ritual or prestige display rather than commercial circulation, which explains why surviving examples often show sharp surfaces inconsistent with handling.
The Calicó reference is approximate, reflecting how incompletely this material has been catalogued.