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1 Quinarius - Imitating Lucius Verus, 161-169
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 250-325 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Quinarius = 1/2 Aureus |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | IIH[...] AAIINI |
| Reverse description | A standing male figure, depicted frontally in a stylized barbarous manner, holds what appears to be a long staff or scepter in one hand. The figure is rendered with strongly simplified anatomy typical of Germanic imitative coinage, showing a debased interpretation of a Roman reverse type. A garbled pseudo-Latin legend, corrupted beyond legibility into a series of retrograde and distorted letterforms, encircles the figure within a beaded border. The overall composition retains the general layout of Roman imperial reverses while betraying the non-Roman origin of the die engraver. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Germanic imitations of Roman gold coinage proliferated during the third and fourth centuries as tribal elites acquired Roman currency through trade, tribute, and military service, then reproduced it — sometimes with considerable fidelity, sometimes with striking abstraction — for use in gift exchange and status display rather than market transactions. The quinarius, Rome's half-aureus denomination, was an odd model to copy; it circulated rarely even within the empire. Its selection here likely reflects whatever prototype happened to be available rather than any deliberate denominational choice.
The BMC Vandal reference returns blank, leaving attribution to the "uncertain Germanic tribes" catchall that covers a frustratingly broad geography and chronology.