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1 Aureus - Imitating Probus, 276-282
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 276-325 |
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| Value | 1 Aureus |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a barbarous rendering of a Roman imperial triumphal scene, showing the Emperor in profile facing left, driving a quadriga and extending his right hand holding a wreath, a motif drawn from official late Roman imperial coinage. The figures and horses are rendered schematically, with simplified anatomical detail consistent with Germanic imitative production of the period. A partially legible debased Latin legend encircles the central motif, the letterforms heavily corrupted from the original Roman prototype. The composition reflects a deliberate imitation of official Probus-era reverse types, likely inspired by circulating Roman aurei encountered through trade or tribute. |
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| Reverse lettering | HSNCP H[...] |
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| Additional information |
Barbarous subaerate aureii imitating Probus circulated in Germanic territories well beyond the reach of Roman monetary infrastructure. These are not crude forgeries in the modern criminal sense — they were likely tolerated or even produced semi-officially to meet demand for gold-denomination currency in frontier exchange economies where Roman supply was irregular. The core is bronze with a gold wash thin enough that most examples show significant base-metal bleed through wear points.
Attribution to specific tribes remains impossible without archaeological provenance. The date range extends nearly half a century past Probus's assassination in 282.