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1 Tremissis In the name of Justin II, Victory facing right, with star and floating
| Issuer | Lombardy |
|---|---|
| Year | 568-690 |
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| Reference(s) | BMC Vandal#cf. 1, MEC I#298, Arslan#cf. 2 |
| Obverse description | Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Justin II facing right, rendered in the debased barbarian imitative style characteristic of Lombard coinage. The effigy is set within a beaded border and encircled by a Latin legend in the field. The portrait, though derived from Byzantine prototypes, exhibits the stylistic simplification typical of early Lombard gold tremisses. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | D N IVSTI - NVS PP AVC (Translation: Dominus Noster Justin Perpetuus Augustus Our Lord, Justin, perpetual August) |
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| Additional information |
The Lombards invaded northern Italy in 568 — the very year this coinage begins — sweeping into a peninsula still nominally under Byzantine administration. Rather than mint in their own name, early Lombard rulers struck tremisses imitating Byzantine prototypes, a deliberate policy that eased commercial acceptance in territories where Byzantine coin types remained the transactional standard. The practice persisted for over a century, which is why the same imperial name spans such a wide date range on this type.
The "floating" Victory — a known degeneration of the Byzantine model — is a useful diagnostic for Lombard attribution rather than genuine Byzantine product. Die cutting quality deteriorated progressively across the series.