1 Aureus - Imitating Marcus Aurelius, 161-180, and Commodus, 177-192

Barbarous imitations of Roman aurei circulated widely beyond the frontier during the third and fourth centuries, produced by Germanic groups who lacked Roman minting infrastructure but understood gold's transactional value in diplomacy, mercenary payment, and elite gift exchange. These pieces were not counterfeits in any modern sense — Roman coins themselves circulated alongside them, and the distinction mattered less than the metal content.

The choice of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus as source types is telling. By 250 AD, both reigns were well in the past, suggesting the imitation was copied from an already-circulating coin rather than a fresh Roman issue — a copy of a copy, most likely.