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1 Solidus In the name of Marcian
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 450-457 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 22 mm |
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| Obverse description | Frontal helmeted and cuirassed bust of Emperor Marcian facing slightly right, depicted in imperial military attire with elaborate decorated breastplate. The emperor wears a diadem and holds a spear over his right shoulder, with a shield visible at left. The effigy displays the simplified, somewhat stiff rendering characteristic of barbaric imitations of official Byzantine solidi, with exaggerated facial features and less refined die-cutting than the Constantinople prototype. The surrounding legend reads D N MARCIANUS PF AVC in debased Latin lettering. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | D N IIARCIA - INVS VF AVC (Translation: Dominus Noster Marcianus Pius Felix Augustus - Our Lord Marcian, Pious and Fortunate Augustus) |
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| Additional information |
Struck by Germanic authorities imitating the Eastern Roman solidus of Marcian, these pieces circulated among tribes for whom Roman gold carried more transactional weight than any native currency could. The imitations vary considerably in execution — some are near-indistinguishable from Constantinople product, others betray provincial hands immediately — and attribution to a specific tribal issuer remains genuinely contested among specialists.
Marcian's reign ended in 457, giving this type a hard terminus, though the dies may have continued in use well after his death.