1 Tremissis In the name of Heraclius, Line bust, leaning forward

Byzantine tremisses circulating in Italy during the seventh century were routinely imitated by Lombard authorities — including those in Tuscany — who needed gold coinage but lacked the administrative infrastructure to mint independently under their own names. Striking in the name of Heraclius was politically convenient: it gave the coins imperial legitimacy while the Lombard duchy retained effective control. The "leaning forward" bust variant signals a local die-cutter working from a Byzantine prototype at some remove, producing what numismatists classify as a Lombard imitative rather than an official imperial issue.