Lucca was one of the few Lombard-controlled cities where gold tremisses continued to be struck into the eighth century, largely because it sat on major trade routes linking the Po Valley to Rome. These small Lombard-period gold pieces circulated alongside Frankish and Byzantine issues in a monetarily fragmented Italy, their weights drifting progressively from the late Roman standard as local mints exercised increasing autonomy from any central authority.
The BMC Vandal reference is a cataloguing artifact — these pieces were once misattributed by earlier scholars before Luccan civic production was properly distinguished.
Lucca was one of the few Lombard-controlled cities where gold tremisses continued to be struck into the eighth century, largely because it sat on major trade routes linking the Po Valley to Rome. These small Lombard-period gold pieces circulated alongside Frankish and Byzantine issues in a monetarily fragmented Italy, their weights drifting progressively from the late Roman standard as local mints exercised increasing autonomy from any central authority.
The BMC Vandal reference is a cataloguing artifact — these pieces were once misattributed by earlier scholars before Luccan civic production was properly distinguished.