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1 Quinarius - Imitating Probus, 276-282
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 276-325 |
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| Currency | Aureus (circa 150-325) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Emperor Probus facing right, rendered in a barbarous imitative style characteristic of Germanic tribal coinage. The effigy displays a simplified, somewhat crude portraiture typical of non-Roman workshop production, with the laureate wreath indicated by rough incisions. A partial legend surrounds the bust, executed in degenerate Latin lettering. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Barbarous imitations of late Roman gold coinage proliferated across the Germanic frontier zones during the late third and early fourth centuries, produced by tribes with access to Roman prototypes but no institutional minting infrastructure. These pieces were almost certainly struck for prestige exchange or gift-giving rather than commercial circulation — gold at this weight moved through elite networks, not markets.
The Probus prototype dates this imitation's model to between 276 and 282, though the copy itself could have been struck decades later. The Calicó reference is approximate, which is characteristic of the type: no two barbarous imitations share the same die, and attribution remains genuinely uncertain.