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1 Solidus In the name of Constantine IV, Four steps, staffs right
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 668-700 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Solidus |
| 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 | Helmeted and cuirassed imperial bust facing three-quarters right, holding a spear over the right shoulder. The effigy is rendered in a stylised, barbaric imitation of late Byzantine prototypes. A circular Latin legend surrounds the bust within the coin's field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
These pseudo-imperial solidi, struck by Germanic tribes imitating Byzantine coinage during the reign of Constantine IV, circulated primarily in territories beyond effective imperial control — Frankish regions, Frisian trading networks, and along the North Sea littoral. They functioned as acceptable exchange currency precisely because they mimicked the weight and appearance of genuine Constantinople issues, even as their gold content was often debased. The issuing authority remains genuinely unresolved; attribution to specific tribes is speculative, and "uncertain" in the reference literature means exactly that.
MIB I assigns these to a catch-all category for a reason. The "four steps" type is among several staff-bearing imitative varieties that numismatists have struggled to assign with confidence for decades.